Linsanity

Brad, my assistant in the engine room is a great German American oiler. My Irish American Captain is a good guy, mainly because his Italian American mate is very capable and makes his job easier.

Have you heard of "Lin-sanity?" It's what they're calling the hub-bub around Jeremy Lin, the 2nd year point guard for the New York Knicks. Formerly a bench warmer, he has played the last 12 games like he's the 2nd coming of Michael Jordan. Ok, I'm exaggerating a bit but he has caught the attention of the other players in the league as well as the national media.

Oh, and, he's Asian-American.

I know this because every radio host, TV host and newspaper man mentions that he is Asian-American, so I've decided to insert ancestry into my everyday conversation. It seems it's the thing to do. This won't be easy for this Irish American blogger.

As is common for many writers, it's not just enough to write about how sensational Lin is at his craft, which is playing basketball. They have to dig for that little extra, something that will set their article apart from all the other writers writing about Linsanity.

A former ESPN writer went the extra mile and actually wrote a headline...

"Chink in the Armor" when Jeremy, who is Asian American, had a sub-par game.

I say "former" writer because the bigot lost his job the next day.

I watched Jeremy Lin emerge from nowhere to dominate the NBA for a 3 week period and this Irish American's thought process was, "Wow, look at this Harvard graduate go."

In an interview recently, Jeremy said in the context of talking about his job, which is to play point guard, he considers himself a NBA player, not an Asian American player.

Jeremy has been Asian American all his life, and I can just tell by his interviews, he is sick of hearing the Asian American phrase.

Jeremy Lin should be proud of his heritage. I'm sure he is.

But I would think Jeremy Lin wants his fans to look at his points and assist stats, not his family tree.