I went to see Ross last night after a few days away. Magazine deadlines are hell…
I was pumped to hear some GREAT NEWS! Ross has regained some more feeling in his lower abdominal region. Now, he can sense much more, including when his bladder is full, etc. In the beginning, he had no sensation like this. Another bit of great news is that when the nurses had him on his side and were checking his incision, they laid a cold, wet towel on his hip and he could feel it! Previously, Ross has no sensations in his hip, but now he can feel temperatures.
The following is from his personal blog, that only family members and close friends can see:

“A few days ago, I recovered some feeling in my lower stomach where I had no feeling before, and the doctor was very happy about it (so I was pumped, even though it is more uncomfortable!), I get a full bladder feeling much more than before and it sucks, but I’ll take it! Then yesterday, I was laying on my side while the nurses were cleaning me up and changing a bandage, and I felt a cold towel on my hip. I had no feeling there before! ”

So obviously, things are looking up for my big brother. His spirits are much, much better, and he says that his therapy sessions - although tough - are getting better by the day. A couple days ago, the doctors let Eileen take Ross out of the hospital for a bit to return home with a case worker. At home, they made an assessment of what needs to be done around the house to make it wheelchair friendly. The biggest obstacle is Ross’ bathroom, which needs to be completely remodeled. Ross’ good friend Damon has really stepped up and taking the project by the horns, recruiting people to help with the remodel. The door needs to be widened, the old bathtub must be ripped out and replaced with a shower with a seat and grab bars, and some additional bars need to be mounted around the toilet. We’ve had a ton of friends and well-wishers offer their help, and this is GREATLY appreciated.

The next step is getting a chair for Ross, as the one he uses at the hospital is only a loaner. Insurance kicks in $1500, but the trick Colours Razor Blade I’ve peeped on the Internet is substantially more. My friend Mike Young is gonna put us in touch with someone from Colours…

I’m going to visit Ross this evening (Sunday) after all of my kids’ soccer games and such. I told him I was going to bring my flip cam to make a video, so stay tuned!
Again, you can leave a message for Ross on his Caringbridge web site guest book. I know that he checks them daily, and also posts his own updates there. Please leave a message! CLICK HERE

- Donn

Yesterday, at our 2009 250cc Shootout, our web master Chris Kinman got BUCK WILD in the whoops at Racetown and went off the following jump completely sideways, with the throttle in full whiskey mode. I didn’t personally get to witness the spectacle, but from what I’m told, I may no longer be the flashiest crasher on staff. When I got to Skinny, he was frolicking with Bambi and Thumper somewhere in LaLa Land, and remained in his dream-like state for at least a minute more. When he awoke, he spoke in tongues and didn’t know where he was or what day it was. I’d be lying if I didn’t say I was at least a little scared. After all, with my brother’s recent injury, I held me breath until he was coherent enough to say that he could feel his feet, legs, etc.
Chris didn’t seem too bummed that the paramedics stripped him of his boots, pants and knee braces right there, in the front straightaway dirt of Racetown 395. I think he might have been embarrassed if he had realized that Vicki Golden and her friend were standing there watching, but hey…at least we all know that Chris is more than just left handed now.
While the rest of the testing staff carried on with the shootout, I chased the ambulance down the road and broke a couple laws along the way. 1. I was speeding, obviously. and 2. I talked on my cell phone while driving. (Gasp!) Had to call in the worker’s compensation claim to the HR lady, after all, and also inform Chris’ brother Shane of the news.
At the hospital, Chris was already complaining about the uncomfortable neck brace, and worried that he had scratched the tattoos on his arm. As soon as I heard that, I knew he was okay. After a quick set of X Rays and having his cat scanned (yes, I’m joking), Skinny was discharged in record time. The final tally? A mild concussion and a sprained neck.
Nothing bad enough to keep us from hitting PF Chang’s on the way home, of course…
Get better quickly, Chris. A Day in the Dirt is just around the corner, and you don’t want to be the weak link in the Kinman and Kinman Moto a Go Go team race!

Even with his forehead duct taped to a backboard, Chris is a happy boy.

Does this guy really think his hair looks dope? I mean, come on… When I was younger, my brother Ross used to warn me about different trends that I would buy into. “Dude,” he said. “The more outrageous the trend, the more you will look back and regret it later on.” I wonder if this guy will regret this haircut in a few years.

Now, I don’t think he has this intentional SKULLET for religious purposes. If he was a Hari Hari, I think he’d have to wear a sheet and sell flowers or something, not Apple computers.When balding dudes try to overcompensate with a curtain of long hair, that is technically classified as a SKULLET. (Skull+mullet=skullet) But this is different. This was intentional. I am stumped. I don’t even know what to call this one. Except maybe doodoo.

I was cruising through Ross’ guestbook on his Caringbridge web site and was surprised to see that he had made a post of his own, addressing all those who have left a message for him. When my family and I went to visit him tonight, he spent the majority of the time surfing the web, and even looked up the results from the Australian SX opening round that just went down…
Anyway, he IS actively checking in on the messages left for him at Caringbridge. If you’d like to leave Rossi a note, you can do so at
http://www.caringbridge.org/visit/rossmaeda

Thanks,
Swap

Today, the staff at St. Jude’s Medical Center called a “family meeting” for all of us. The meeting gathered Ross’ family members, doctors, case workers and therapists together in one place, so that everyone could get on the same page.

One of the first things that was addressed was the number of visitors that Ross has been having, on a non-stop basis since he’s been at St. Jude’s. That said, the doctor’s have mandated a FAMILY and CLOSE FRIENDS ONLY policy for nighttime visitors. Ross is in intensive physical therapy sessions from early in the morning until early evening, and the little time he does have in the evening has been filled with visitors and well wishers. Though Ross and all of the Maeda family greatly appreciate the overwhelming support from the motocross industry, friends and acquaintances, it’s become pretty apparent that Ross has had insufficient time to rest. “It’s great to see old friends and riding buddies, but it’s just getting hard to rest when I feel like I must entertain visitors,” Ross says.

Ross is expected to be in St. Jude’s for at least three more weeks, depending on how well he does in his occupational therapy sessions. The doctor that spoke in today’s meeting was very positive, complimenting Rossi on being as physically fit as he is. She also said that the “spinal shock” that is impairing his ability to move or feel his legs, will take weeks or months to subside. One thing that she did say, that we all liked, was that Rossi’s condition would not be considered permanent until two years from his date of injury. That’s good news, as Ross has continued to encounter some tingles down both legs.

Ross has been brought into the 2st century and is now armed with a MacBookPro laptop. He has been continually checking the Caring Bridge web site that was set up by Greg Berg, so please drop him a message!

CLICK HERE TO LEAVE A MESSAGE FOR ROSS

Okay, so the inaugural TransWorld Motocross Moto Awards Show is now in the history books, and man am I relieved. I’d say that for a first-year event, the show was a huge success: a ton of industry showed up, had a great time and talked about how much bigger and better next year’s show will be. I’m barely recovered from the last two road trips I’ve taken, and it’s magazine deadline time. Before I get to work, though, here’s some of the snapshots from my camera that I CAN share with you…. enjoy!

Only two days after arriving home from Italy, Eileen and I boarded a plane bound for Las Vegas for the awards show. We were both still jet lagged! I was nervous as hell about both the awards show, and the premiere of KICKSTART. It’s been a whirlwind four months of shooting and editing, but the movie if finally done. To be honest, it was more work than I had bargained for when I volunteered to take the project on myself, and I am ready to get back to working full-time on the magazine!

Before the show, we all gathered inside The Joint for a rehearsal of sorts. Logan Darien (far left) said that Nate Adams was probably crapping himself when he walked in and saw how huge the new Joint was. See, Nate was set to open the show with a rhyme on the mic! (From left) Bayo, Lutz, Skinny, and Lyons, like me, were anxious to get the show on the road!

On stage, I found Patchy focusing on his rhymes, going through them in his head with his eyes closed. At the X Games, I found him doing the same thing before his freestyle run: eyes closed, moving his arms as if he were going through all of the tricks he was going to do during his run. I asked if he was shitting himself, and he said that the place was bigger and more legit than he expected, but that he was ready to open the show.

Ronnie Faisst was on hand at rehearsal, as he was presenting one of the FMX awards. Tarah Gieger was also there, as she was presenting female racer of the year. Gieger was coughing her ass off, but she was still her usual goofy self.

This is Holli Koriath, the woman who planned the entire awards show. She wouldn’t smile for my camera, so I had to surprise her with this shot. So that’s what you get, Holli! Anyway, Holli did a great job with the event, planning everything out to the nth degree. Great job, Holli! Later that night, she became a “Tempted Islander.” You’d have to have been at the Circle Bar to understand that one….sorry. That’s Miki Killer in the background. Miki founded the WMA and also presented the Female Rookie of the Year Award. She was nervous because she didn’t have a speech prepared, but she did great.

Grant Langston was the emcee at the awards show (along Cameron Steele) and he did a great job. We’ve always said that Ladies Love Cool Grant,” and I suppose my wife is no exception. Or is it the other way around? Cool G has always snuggled up to Eileen when he gets the chance… haha

Miki Keller and her girls, Sherri Cruse (TP199’s belle and Female Racer of the Year nominee), Jacki Ives (Female Rookie of the Year nominee and super-cool chick) and Penny Cyrus (long-time WMA pro fixture).

IN SPITE of not being decked out in his regular PICK UP KIT (motocross jersey, tucked into jeans), Ryan Dungey was THE MAN at the awards show. Girls flocked to him wherever he went. I even heard rumors about one following him into the men’s room! Anyway, RD and I were talking about how I am going to have to wear HIS JERSEY at Anaheim 1 (golf bet - don’t ask), and these two girls came running up and asked to take a photo with him. Now, here’s PROOF that they weren’t trying to get near RD because he is Ryan Dungey: West Coast SX Lites, 250cc National and Motocross of Nations Champion…just before I snapped this photo I heard one of them ask, “So what’s your name, cutie?” Oh give me a break! Hmmm…maybe Ryan doesn’t need to wear that pick up kit to meet girls anymore, after all… HEY WAIT! I just took a better look at this photo. Ryan, you sly devil…gettin’ some boobie action on the DL, eh?

Did I mention that TWMX hosted an OPEN BAR for over two hours, before the show got underway? I know that I needed a little lubrication to get ready for my speaking parts… haha. Grant Langston, Chad Reed, and Blake “Bilko” Williams were among those who enjoyed the pre-show festivities. Rumor has it that Bilko chipped a tooth while biting Reedy’s diamond dog tag.

This is Stephen Schultz, TransWorld Media’s in-house video editor. He is a bad ass. I spent many long hours in Stephen’s office, working on KICKSTART. When my talent and knowledge ran out, Stephen took over and made KICKSTART into the masterpiece that we all think it is. Schultzy was able to take my raw edits, tweak them here and there, and make them look so much better. I learned a shitload from this guy, and I can’t wait until our MX offices relocate from Tustin, down to Carlsbad, so that I can continue to learn editing techniques from him. This is his girlfriend, Carley. When we were first introduced, I caught her staring at me a couple times. I assumed that she was thinking, “So THIS is the bastard who kept my Stephen at work so late at night?!?!” but Steve told me that she was actually shocked that I was….ASIAN! HAHAHAHAHHA!

So nervous or not, I think that Nate Adams killed it when he opened up the show with his rhymes. Like we were when we first heard MC Patchy on the mic a couple years ago, I think many in the audience were shocked, stunned, and impressed…

I got to present the Reader’s Choice Award, and I was very pumped that Chad Reed was the winner. A few years ago, let’s just say that Reedy wasn’t our favorite rider to deal with, and after a few blow offs, we decided to treat him in the magazine the way he treated us at the races. That’s all in the past now, and Reed has easily become one of the best riders to deal with. He’s also - obviously - had a huge turnaround with the fans, and he was the landslide winner of the award. On the podium, Chad said, “When you don’t do the Nationals, people call you a fat bastard, but when you come back, they love you!”
Congrats, Reedy. And I’ll get those sleeves of yours, eventually.

Even though we were all having a great time, my brother Ross was on many people’s minds at the awards show. Chad was one of the first racers to text me and inquire about Rossi when he heard the news. Ross and Chad worked together when Reed first came to the United States and raced for Yamaha of Troy.

After Reed was presented with the Reader’s Choice Award, we walked off stage and to the service elevator, so he could do his interview with the Fuel TV crew. Along the way, we ran into Mike Lyons, Holli’s boss. Lyons was also largely responsible for the awards show and also is the executive producer of KICKSTART. It looks like he, too, enjoyed the open bar…

I don’t actually remember snapping this photo in the TransWorld suite. I remember Lil’ D telling me that he liked the movie, and I can remember Lou Lopez telling tales of being on Team Mexico in the 2003 MXoN, but that’s all…

Eileen, Chelsea Langston and Robyn Hamblin.

Sean and Robyn Hamblin both had Ross on their minds. Hamy told me that he and Cool G are pretty close to firming up their deal for 2010. I’ve got my fingers crossed, guys!

Apparently, Eileen voted for Chad, too… haha

Art Director Dave strikes a pose. What kind of pose, I’m not sure of, though…

Bayo bought a new shirt at the Hard Rock gift shop, just for the awards show. This was his reaction when I told him that he could not turn it in on his expense report.

After the show, we ran into one of the Baldwin brothers at Mr. Lucky’s cafe. He didn’t talk much because he was upset with his agent for booking him in Poison Ivy 27. Actually, this is Braden Dahl from New Era. New Era made us some bad ass limited edition hats for our award presenters. Thanks, Braden!

Ross has been moved to St. Jude’s in Fullerton, and it is obvious that the care is better than it was at Riverside County. He has several therapy sessions during the day and he says that it is a lot of hard work. When I was in Las Vegas for the TWMX Awards show, I spoke with Jimmy Button and he told me that this is the point when it gets tough. I know that Ross is struggling with all of the daily tasks that he must now learn to do with only his arms, but I know it will come quickly for him. Ross may be OLD, but he is a bad ass who works out every day and is in great shape. I am sure that once he gets the hang of things, he will be flying in and out of bed and all of that like a gymnast.
Ross’ youngest daughter Molly lives in San Francisco, where she is studying, but she was down this weekend to visit with Ross. I’ve always admired Ross’ parenting skills, and both of his daughters have grown up to be amazing young women whom I love to spend time with. I hope my kids turn out as great!
As I wrote previously, Ross has some tingles down his legs - more predominantly on his right side - and says that he can feel a draft on his legs once in a while. It wasn’t like this at first, so I am taking this as a good sign and a preview of greater things to come. This morning, after my youngest daughter’s soccer game in Tustin, we ventured into Costa Mesa where there are quite a few Japanese restaurants and even a big ass market. We went to a little joint called BENTOSS, which makes Japanese boxed lunches. We went in to get Rossi a lunch, since hospital food is usually NASTY. It looked plenty authentic inside, right down to the plastic food on display. When I ordered, though, I was cracking up because both the woman who took my order, and the one in the back making the lunches, were of hispanic decent. Hmmm…maybe that’s why they call it Costa Mexico. (I’m just kididng of course, so all you righteous haters who are about to accuse me of being a racist…save it. And besides, I’m a minority myself - I’m allowed to joke like that!) Anyway, I don’t know if the lunch was awesome or not because Ross wasn’t hungry when we were there. I will ask for a full report tomorrow, and if he says it was “oishii,” maybe I will go get one for myself tomorrow.

Ross’ friend Greg Berg from Sunline set up a cool web site for him, where you can sign in and leave a comment for my brother. I know he checks it and reads the comments…I think that’s what he’s doing in this picture! So leave him a message, if you’d like…
CLICK HERE

Thanks,
Swap

While I was in Las Vegas for the TWMX Moto Awards, my brother Ross was transferred from Riverside County Medical Center to St. Jude’s in Fullerton, which has an excellent spinal injury rehabilitation center. I’ve not yet been to visit him, but I plan to go today.
Ross’ wife Eileen says that the care at St. Jude’s is much more compassionate than it was at the hospital, and that Ross already seems much more comfortable. Here’s why my title of this blog is “Bastards,” though. When they were getting ready to transport my big brother to St. Jude’s via ambulance, Eileen (yes, both Ross and I married girls named Eileen, haha) transferred all of Ross’ belongings to her car, then went back upstairs to walk with Ross as the EMTs transported him down the elevator and into the ambulance. While she was doing this, some assholes broke into her car and stole both her work laptop computer, and Rossi’s! I know that crime is a part of life that we all have to deal with at some point, but what kind of low-life scum steals from people at a freakin’ HOSPITAL? Whoever they are, I hope they get theirs…
Stay tuned for more, after I visit Rossi this afternoon…

I just got home from visiting Rossi at the hospital, and I am very pleased to say that he looked a hundred times better than he did when I last saw him, before I left for Italy and the Motocross of Nations.
Last Sunday, he was still wearing a big plastic neck collar, on a ton of pain meds, and had a chest tube installed to help drain the blood and fluid from his punctured lung. Though he is still in some pain, thanks to his numerous broken ribs and broken vertebrae in his back, I was relieved to see my big brother looking, acting and sounding like his normal self. Ross can now speak normally, and he has no more swelling on or around his face. When he first came out of surgery 10 days ago, he looked a lot like I do, when I accidentally eat a shrimp.
Ross got to roll around in a wheelchair today, and he has had a couple physical therapy sessions already. “It’s pretty hard moving around,” he said. “My legs are complete dead weight, and they weigh a ton! After I was in the chair for a while today, and working with the therapists on how to get and out of the chair, I felt like I had done a bunch of hard motos at the track.”
Though Ross has no movement (yet!) in his legs and no real feeling either, I was very happy to hear that he is beginning to have some burning sensations flashing down his legs, with it being more detectable on his right side.
Many of his friends and old racing rivals have stopped in to see him, and it’s obvious that he enjoys the company, even if extended visits tend to wear him out. Though he has had the chest tube removed, he still loses his breath if he laughs or tries to overdo it.

While I was in Italy, I spoke to so many people about my brother, and though deep down I already knew this, it was nice to see what an impact he has had on the sport of motocross, and how many people consider him a good friend. Chad Reed told me that he really enjoyed the time he spent working with Ross during the time he spent on the Yamaha of Troy squad. “I learned a lot about suspension and testing from Ross,” said Reed.
I will continue to post updates on my blog. Please excuse any typos in this entry - I am running on about 4 hours of sleep in the last 24 hours. For now, it’s time to hit the hay and dream about the day I will ride with my brother again…
Oh yeah, while I was away, some of Rossi’s friends set up a web site of sorts for people to leave messages directly for Ross.
www.caringbridge.org/visit/rossmaeda

Race weekend finally arrived, and after a few days of checking out the sites, sounds, smells and tastes of Italy, we were ready to work. To be honest, things weren’t looking to good for Team USA after Saturday qualifying concluded. In Dungey, Tedesco and Weimer’s defense, the team did draw 33rd pick on the starting gate. Balls.

One of the first people we ran into at the races was Italian photographer Claudio Cabrini. I met him through Flickr, where I like to post photos for my family to see, so that they can keep track of my family. Don’t bother looking for me though, after Claudio creeped me out, I made our entire blog private. Haha! Because he used to check out Samantha and Megan’s soccer photos, Claudio messaged me a few years ago and said, “In Italy, futbol is a man’s sport. We are very serious about it. In America, it seems like futbol is just a sport for little girls.” My response? “Well, Claudio, just because you follow my blog and seeing my daughters playing soccer is your only impression of futbol in America, that doesn’t mean that they represent ALL of the sport in the United States. For instance, Stefy Bau is the only Italian motocross rider that I know. So does that mean in Italy, motocross is a girl’s sport?” HAHAHA! Claudio is actually good friend with my brother Ross, and two weeks ago, just before Rossi broke his back, he spent a week on vacation in Italy, hanging out and riding with Claudio and the rest of his crazy Cremona crew.

Eileen actually snapped this photo with her point and shoot Sony camera. Armed with a photographer’s credential, she can now justify her photo pass, thanks to her photos that I am running in my blog here. (She also shot the three stooges at the top of the page, and many of the shots at Alpinestars, earlier in the week.) These doves were just hanging out by a jump. At first, I assumed that they were tied up by their ankles of something, so that they could be set free - cheesy wedding style - when the opening ceremonies got under way. I was wrong. I saw packs of the white birds in several other places on the track, too.

You know the stupid tourist photos that everyone takes with the Leaning Tower of Pisa? This is my version, except I am holding Lutz, who is up on the jump working away. My mistake though…I didn’t properly anticipate Lutz’s GIRTH. He says that like me, girls often have the same trouble.

Many years ago, the Shoei VFX was the most-copied helmet in all of motocross. It looks like the new Shoei VFX-W
is being copied now, too. Imitation is the most sincere form of flattery.

A crew of freestyle riders kept the crowd entertained in between motos. Eileen and I were entertained by this guy’s faux Louis Vuitton seat cover. Siiick! Earlier in the week, I was shocked to see street vendors selling tons of fake handbags, just like they do in Chinatown in NYC. Every time I’d see them, I’d blurt out, “Yo! Is that a Leroy Veeton?”

Eileen snapped this shot of the crazy fans. When Antonio Cairoli was introduced to the crowd, chainsaws, smoke bombs, and air horns went off in the crowd. Europe has the raddest race fans, hands down!

TALK ABOUT CREEPY. During the races, I ran from one side of the track to the other, trying to capture as much good video footage as possible for our coverage on the web site. Instead of hanging out in the press box and surfing the web, Eileen decided to shadow me as I worked. I thought this
was a great idea, as she could get an idea of what all of us actually really go through on a race weekend. She was a trooper, keeping up with me every step of the way. She even helped me carry my camera tripod and water, and helped spot the American riders as they approached. Here’s where it gets creepy. In the press box, a sketchy French dude came up to her and beckoned her to come to where he was set up. “I have present for you, please…” he said. Then he asked her to bring a flash drive. What did he give her? A sequence of photos that he shot of her, running behind me! Can you say, CREEPER? The only thing that would have made him creepier, would have been if he was a creepy mouth breather, too! Oh well, maybe he thought he was watching the Filipino version of Baywatch.

As you should well know by now, the weekend ended on a high note. Dungey, Weimer and Tedesco rode like bad asses and won, even though many expected Team USA to falter this year. Eileen snapped this photo from behind me, as I filmed the podium festivites.
Heck, we’ve used so many of her photos, that I think my higher ups should reimburse me for her plane ticket! What do you think? haha…

What a great trip…