Can Long Wong get Yi to play in Milwaukee?

For those of you who don't live in Milwaukee, this column was featured on the front page of today's Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel, above the fold. If the Journal-Sentinel is trying to discourage Yi from coming to Milwaukee, they should keep letting Jim Stingl write his dorky love letters to him. I recommend Bucks fans read it only for the cringe value. Stingl normally writes his horrible "human interest" type stories in the Metro section of the Sunday edition. I avoid them like the plague.

On the other hand, if we truly want to put forward someone as a Chinese ambassador for Milwaukee, I nominate the legendary Long Wong. After all, he runs what he bills as "The Only Chinese-American Sports Bar in Milwaukee," so I think he's a natural. His bar is down on Bluemound Avenue by Miller Park, so he aligns his establishment more naturally with the Milwaukee Brewers, but I'm sure he would be willing to reach out to Yi on behalf of the Bucks and the city of Milwaukee. He's played the role before. I remember I was drinking there one Friday night when the lower level of his bar was playing host to that traveling Chinese basketball team that came through town briefly a couple of years ago (I remember the promotional trip was called "The Ducks and the Bucks"). Plus, you get Yi in Long Wong's for a Friday night Karaoke... how can he say no to Milwaukee after that?

Is Yao lobbying for Yi to sign with the Bucks?

In the sports section there was an article that featured some interesting comments from Yao Ming. Maybe I'm reading too much into his comments, but it sounds like he's telling Yi to tell Don Fegan to go "f" himself, and then for him to go sign with the Bucks. Read the comments and see if you agree with me. Yao's comments also gave me the impression that he thinks Yi is very uncomfortable with the whole controversy and that, quite possibly, if he had his way he would do just what Yao's comments suggest.