R.I.P » crafted a brand-new kind of Chinese athlete. Th

Penrith recruit Mitch Rein has unloaded on the boring attack of former NRL club St George Illawarra, saying he cant wait to join the exciting brand of football at the Panthers.Rein started last week at the foot of the mountains after signing a two-year deal late last month, but didnt hold back when discussing his tough year in Wollongong.The 26-year-old admitted the Dragons played a boring style of football last year and revealed a number of ex-teammates had been left just as frustrated as him.There were some tough times there, if Im being honest, at the Dragons. A lot of the boys were feeling that as well, Rein said on Tuesday after training.Growing up as a local junior down there at the Dragons and then coming out west - Id only been here six times just to play and thats it.Its a massive change and to get outside your comfort zone is something Im looking forward to and, hopefully, it can get the best out of me.Rein, who reportedly asked for more than the $350,000 the Dragons tabled to him last season, said there was an attacking element to his game that hadnt been on show in the Red V.Over the years, the Dragons have played so many different types of footy, he said.Last year wasnt very enjoyable, attacking-wise. I know its pretty well documented that its pretty boring - just wasnt working out very well down there.Coming here to an attacking side is going to be awesome.He admits he was left jealous of Penriths ascension as a free-flowing powerhouse who fell two games short of a fairytale 2016 grand final.They are expected to be a top-four contender next year.I remember texting one of my mates, watching them play in the semi-final and going, How good are they? - this is awesome, he said.And then to find out Im going to be a part of that next year, Im really looking forward to it.The hooker is likely to start the 2017 season behind reborn No.9 Peter Wallace, but is still confident of improving after watching a resurgence in former teammate Trent Merrin.The Kangaroos forward is allowing Rein to stay in his house as the former NSW Country Origin representative settles in at Penrith.Even talking to him throughout the year ever since he came here, how happy he is, gave me a lot of confidence. Its good to see him going really well, Rein said.To see him turn around and be enjoying his footy so much gives me a lot of confidence that hopefully I can do the same thing and improve like he has. Wholesale NBA Jerseys . Takahashi, who had a 10-point lead after the short program, received 268.31 points after the free skate to finish 15 points ahead of second-place Nobunari Oda. Cheap Nike Basketball Jerseys . -- The Portland Timbers and Real Salt Lake played to a 0-0 tie Saturday night that left the top of the Western Conference standings unchanged. https://www.nbachinajerseys.us/ . Its an influence in football and a big part of the game. Cheap NBA Jerseys . Malkin got tangled up with Detroits Luke Glendening early in the third period and his left skate took the brunt of collision with the boards behind Pittsburghs net. NBA Jerseys China . -- Bryant McKinnie came out of his stance and lowered his shoulder into a practice squad player, causing a crisp thud to reverberate in the Miami Dolphins practice bubble. Call it the Big Bang of NBA fandom in China.Chinese basketball fans began watching NBA games in 1987, the year in which China Central Television (CCTV) began broadcasting NBA games. Megastars such as ?Michael Jordan and Magic Johnson instantly became household names. Then along came more transformational American talents like Kobe Bryant, LeBron James?and Stephen CurryYao Ming, however, always has a special place in Chinese fans hearts.The 7-foot-6 center from Shanghai isnt flashy. Unlike Allen Iverson, Yaos image is so clean that it borders on boring. The color of Yaos Reebok sneakers is so dull that for many years in China it lagged far behind Nikes glamour shoes.Hes too tall -- basically no Chinese person can relate to or emulate his playing style. Generation after generation, Chinese teenagers have worn baggy pants like Iverson or Under Armour sneakers like Curry, mimicking the look and moves of their idols. And they simply dont practice Yaos post moves.But Yao is one of us. His experience is our experience; his time is our time.A generational symbolIn China, those who were born in the 1980s are called post-80ers. They are part of the first generation that started to enjoy the benefits of Chinas economic reforms of the late 70s that allowed a more open market. Yao was born in 1980. His parents generation emerged hungry from the suffering and political turmoil they grew up in. They were able to provide for their children. When Yao was growing up, millions of Chinese people started to see the world beyond their own windows.Former NBA commissioner David Sterns tireless efforts to globalize the NBA took root in China in 1987, that same year, the American fast food restaurant chain Kentucky Fried Chicken opened its first store in Beijing. Two years later, the first Shanghai KFC outlet opened, and some time later, a 10-year-old Yao waited two hours in line to get his first taste of American food.Fifteen years after that the Houston Rockets drafted Yao as the No. 1 overall pick in the 2002 NBA draft. The NBAs popularity in China boomed. His first game against Shaquille ONeal and the Lakers attracted more than 200 million viewers in China. The Rockets instantly beccame Chinas team.dddddddddddd Former U.S. President Bill Clinton described Yao Ming as Chinas single largest export to the United States.Yaos emergence on an elite world sports stage was followed by two fellow post-80ers: Liu Xiang, Yaos fellow Shanghai native, a gold-medal-winning 110-meter hurdler from the 2004 Olympics and world-record holder. And then came Li Na, at one time the worlds No. 2-ranked womens tennis player and two-time Grand Slam winner.By no small coincidence the trios success paralleled Chinas. The countrys gross domestic product per capita in 1987 was $302. It rose to $1,149 by 2002. That same year, KFC opened Chinas 700th restaurant.Post-YaoYao retired in 2011 because of persistent injury issues. Liu was next in 2012, and Li finished her career in 2014. In China, this big three enjoyed once-in-a-lifetime status, not only because each had world-class achievements, but also because they crafted a brand-new kind of Chinese athlete. They spoke English; they had a unique sense of humor; and their charisma was incomparable and, most importantly, authentic. After he finished his NBA career, Yao decided to go back to China. In a 2014 interview with the German magazine Der Spiegel, he said: There is more opportunity [in China]. We have a lot that can be developed.He was correct. Now back in China, he has made himself a professional basketball club owner (in 2009, he bought the Shanghai Sharks, his former CBA team), a successful businessman (he owns his own wine label), a congressman and an ambassador for wildlife protection.In 2015, Chinas per capita GDP was $8,027. KFC has more than 5,000 outlets all over the country.Yao is the product of his era. Fortunately for him and for most Chinese people, it has been a very good era.On Friday in Springfield, Massachusetts, an entire country will celebrate Yao Mings Hall of Fame entry. Undoubtedly his speech will thank everybody important to him. But it is the Chinese fans who will also thank him, for being the countrys best export -- and import -- between United States and China. ' ' '