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…

Day four saw the four of us split up. While Skinny and Lutz headed back to Castelfranco to meet up with Tim Collins from Astars and head over to the track for Friday’s opening ceremonies, Eileen and I took the train to Rome to take in the sights. When we first arrived, I immediately noticed that unlike Asolo and Venezia, Rome was kind of dirty. Lots of graffiti and the first signs of litter in the streets gave Rome a distinctly different feel than the places we had previously been. I saw this lady, sprawled out and begging, just outside the Coliseum. Man, in the States a “will work for food” cardboard sign is the norm. Here, the beggars go all out! Truth be told, as jey lagged and worn out as I am, I felt like laying down on the ground and taking a nap, too. I wonder if I would have woken up with some Euros thrown down beside me?

The Coliseum was pretty bad ass - definitely huge and awe inspiring. I tried to joke with Eileen and tell her that this was where Scott Goodwin held the first Superbowl of Motocross, but all I got was a disgusted look from her. Apparently, she is a lot more serious about taking in the historical sites than I am.

No, we don’t feel like tourists, snapping photos of each other, everywhere we go…

This sign was posted at the top of the Spanish Steps. I don’t know if you’ll be able to read all of the text, but one of the lines says, “Use of this area for defecating is prohibited.” Seeing as how there were lots people chillin’ on the steps - reading poetry, playing the guitar and singing, and just being all-around cool and bohemian - I could hardly imagine anyone dropping their shorts and pinching a loaf on the Spanish Stairs. After I read the sign, though, I must admit that I at least thought about it…

They have these green cookies everywhere in Italy, and they look horrifying, sort of like a fresh cow turd with corn studs. In actuality, they are pistachio flavored and studded with almonds. Of course, I bought one, just because it looked so gross.

…and of course, it was AMAZING! So far, I’ve had two. I swear that I’ve gained about five pounds since I’ve been in Italy. Pasta, pasta, pasta…

…and gelato, gelato, gelato! I don’t know why, but this stuff tastes 100 times better than regular ice cream in the States.

The gelato lady was a ham for the camera, but if Skinny and Lutz had been with us, I can guarantee that she would have been trying to be a bit more seductive…

Apparently, you must dress respectably to get into the Vatican. (Boy, was I glad that I didn’t wear my wife beater and bun huggers!) I just had a funny thought…half of the girls in the 909 probably couldn’t get in…

If I were a Vatican security guard, I wouldn’t have let this guy in, dressed like this, either!

The Trevi Fountain was pretty sweet. We could hear the sound of the water, about three blocks before we could even see it. You are supposed to throw three coins in, over your shoulder. I wished for Ross’ complete recovery.

I never understood why Smart cars were called smart cars until I saw one parked like this.

What the heck? I thought they only had squat pots in Japan? I guess compared to this toilet in the Vatican, it might be easier to lay some cable on the Spanish Steps…

Due to the lack of Internet service in our hotel, I’ve not been able to update my blog with details about the TransWorld Motocross Italian MXoN adventure. Sorry, but I’m not nerdy enough to go to an Internet cafe…

We’re all in the Autodromo di Franciacorta press room, and the wireless is as fast as we could have ever wished for. The day’s activities have yet to begin, so I’ll load some snapshots now…

Our rental cars are absolute shoe boxes. Between the four of us, there is NO WAY we could have shared a single vehicle. Truth be told, this is the first time in years that I have driven a stick shift. Couple that with the sketchy Italian roads and my European-enhanced-Asian-ethnicity, and I am driving like a kook! Lutz and Skinny’s car is even smaller than my Nissan. Here, Skinny tries to tempt the Italian women who were walking past.

Our tour at the Alpinestars headquarters was by far, the coolest tour we’ve been on. Here, Tim Collins from the US office gives Skinny the rundown on the new, more affordable Bionic Neck Support.

While I filmed for a video that we’ll post later in the week after we return to the States, Lutz snapped photos for a magazine feature.

We were all shocked to run into Colin Ferrell at the Astars factory… Depending on the amount of sleep he’s gotten, Skinny looks like various celebrities to me. When he’s grumpy, he reminds me more of Johnny Knoxville. Haha…

After our time at Astars, we all boarded a train bound for Venice. No, we don’t look like tourists…

After getting us lost several times (in spite of the GPS I rented) and actually driving the wrong way into a roundabout in Milan, I was glad to park the car and take the train! I think Eileen feels safer, too…

I don’t care how many times you’ve stayed at the Venetian in Las Vegas…Venice is bad ass! All of us were freaking out about how cool Venezia is as we took the water bus to the center of the city. In this photo, I think we were reacting to a fellow tourist who doesn’t believe in deodorant…there are A LOT of them.

I’ve yet to succumb to the circus better known as Facebook, but the guys are Facebook afficionados. Here, Lutz goes all Pastrana on me as I snap him a shot for his ‘book.

On our way to the hotel, we stopped in the Piazza di San Marco. There were thousands is pigeons everywhere. I wanted to kick them. Dirty ass birds. This V-Unit family was trying to capture their dinner, I believe. When food attacks!

The canals that run through Venezia are pretty cool. There goes Lutz with his Pastrana pose again…

At the hotel, Skinny changed his attire to blend in better. Note the sophisticated Euro headgear. haha all he needs now are new, red frames for his glasses!

I can’t believe that I have gone my entire life without ever trying a caprese salad. It is A M A Z I N G !

At night, Lutz and I had a point-and-shoot camera shootoff to see who could get the best shot of the San Marco church without a flash. Ahem….I won. ha!

In an act of desperation, we ventured into the Hard Rock in Venice. It cost us 31 euro for four beers. Half an hour later, we went to a local bar and paid 11 for the same order. God Bless American culture.

Just like they did in Milan, Skinny and Lutz charmed our waitress at the Hard Rock. It’s too bad Cassanova is long gone - he could have learned a thing or two from my guys…

Oh yeah, Skinny has a Facebook, too…

At the second or third bar we visited (I can’t remember), I was mesmerized by this guy’s shoes. They looked like something from the Michael Jackson Estate Auction. Only now, in the nice light of the press room, was I able to see that they were actually Nikes! I’m sure they aren’t from the good folks at the 6.0 division, though.

When I first strolled the streets of Venice, I felt a little self conscious because I was the only person wearing flip flops. It seemed like people were staring at me… you know…Japanese dude in flip flops? Anyway, here in Italy everyone else seems to prefer MANDALS.

Right after I snapped the MANDALS photo, a giant Australian guy came up to us and asked if we spoke English. I think he overheard us laughing about MANDALS, and he figured that we might know of a better place to grab a beer. Sadly, we didn’t. After a few minutes, our three new friends from OZ mentioned that they were in Italy to watch their friend race in the motocross world championships! Turns out that they are all friends of Bret Metcalfe, and they are here to support Metty. Talk about a small world!

The fourth (or fifth?) bar that we found actually encouraged graffiti! Patrons were allowed to write on the walls and such. Instead of scrawling “Swap was here,” though, my big brother came to mind and I left his mark instead. As of Friday afternoon in California, Ross was in good spirits, and has been transferred out of the ICU and into a regular room. He has been getting a ton of visitors and I’m told that he cracks everyone up with his usual funny story telling. Bed sores are an obvious concern, so his bed is equipped with a bar above his head, so that he can pull himself up and readjust his position in the bed often. His daughter Nikki said that he is practically doing chin ups on the thing! Getting Rossi transferred to a better facility with more specialized care for spine trauma patients is our biggest priority right now. Of course, his HMO insurance is being difficult, so it looks like we are going to have to band together and pony up for some better care. Of all the things I am homesick for after this long in Italy - my kids, my home, my friends - I am most homesick for my big brother.

In parting, I present to you a new discovery. I like to fancy myself an expert mullet hunter, but I must admit that I was so awestruck by this new species of mullet, that I nearly let it get away! Part buzz cut, part dreadlocks, I’ve decided to name this one, the MULLOCK. Sweet….

With a heavy heart, I boarded a plane bound for Milan, Italy, on Monday morning, ultimately heading to the site of the 2009 Red Bull Motocross of Nations. I didn’t want to go, taking my brother’s recent injury into consideration, but Ross urged me to follow through with my original plans. Web Master Chris Kinman, Photo Editor Brendan Lutes, my wife Eileen, and I landed in Milan early Tuesday morning. Our plan? To check out some of the sites Italy has to offer, visit the good folks at Alpinestars, and then crush the rest of the American motocross media this weekend with photos, race reports, news, and videos. Eileen thinks she is tagging along for fun, but she is going to be working that plane ticket off! I brought two laptops so that she could post content as fast as Skinny, Lutz and I produce it!!!

Now, you may find it hard to believe, but this is a pure coincidence. Yes, the three of us are all wearing Alpinestars tee shirts, and yes, we are visiting Gabrielle at the Astars factory tomorrow. But I swear - we didn’t call, tweet or text each other before we got on the plane to coordinate our outfits. Really.

]

While Eileen and I enjoyed our pasta dishes, Skinny and Lutz went to work on our young Italian waitress. Needless to say, she was mere putty in their hands. By the end of lunch, she was hand-feeding both of them grapes and sitting in their laps. Who says Americans can’t be charming?

Would you believe it? They didn’t have the latest issue of TransWorld Motocross at this newsstand in downtown Milan. Sheesh…I’d better give the guys in the newsstand department a call!

Jeff Weiner and Tim Collins from Alpinestars USA are also in town for the MXoN, and we joined them for dinner in Asolo at an amazing little hole in the wall. Yes, Skinny, Lutz and I changed. haha

Okay, now some of you may have seen an e-mail that circulated around a few years ago. The subject line was something like, “When Asians take pictures.” Inside, were a ton of funny ass photo of Asian guys striking a variety of ridiculous poses while they snapped tourist photos. Today, as we visited a massive cathedral in Milan, I gasped with delight as I spotted a real-life specimen in action. I wasted little time and managed to capture him, just as he prepared to strike a pose. This was better than any mullet I have ever captured.

Now, through the years I have learned that shooting a poster model from waist level or below can give her a longer, leaner appearance. And on the opposite end of the spectrum, shooting them from above can make them look short and stumpy. But seriously, folks. I have never contorted into a position like THIS to get a photo. What the hell is this? This guy was a good 5′8″ or so, but he scrunched down into a little ball that could have fit into a used Big Mac container! Let’s be honest, I have two bad knees and couldn’t physically get into the position anyway, but I’d only attempt to strike this pose if I was taking a dump in the woods.

The lady in the green shirt almost tripped over the Asian Ansel Adams because she left the house wearing her Nintendo 3-D glasses on and didn’t see the little ball of yellow flesh at her feet. What’s the moral of this story? I don’t know. I just hope that was one hell of a photo of the concubine and the chapel behind her. Heck, maybe I will try that angle out at the races this weekend…

Before my brother Ross crashed last Friday, he had just spent a week in Italy on vacation, visiting some friends and riding at various tracks across Italy. Of course, he had a great time and had lots of stories to share with me about his trip. Sadly, he’s only told me a couple thus far, as there are some obviously more pressing issues at hand.
Currently, I am in Italy myself. I came a few days early for the Red Bull Motocross of Nations, along with my wife Eileen, and fellow editors Chris Kinman and Brendan Lutes. We will visit Alpinestars and take a tour of the boot-making facility before this weekend’s events.

A couple days ago, I told Ross that I was going to bail on my trip, so that I could stay by his side at the hospital. Of course, he insisted that I still go. Not because I needed to do my job, mind you, but because, “Italy is so cool!” After he said that, Ross told me a couple stories about his recent trip and I could tell that he really wanted me to go. “I’m going to be okay,” he said. “You go. There’s no sense sitting around here with me. I’ll be fine.”

In case you didn’t know this already, my brother Ross is amazing.

Thanks to all of you who have posted positive comments, sent texts or e-mails, and even called to show your support. Here’s an update on Rossi’s condition, as best I know it, as of Tuesday, September 29, 2009 at 3:00 p.m. California time.

- Ross’ surgery went as well as could be expected. The three broken/displaced vertebrae are held in place with titanium rods. Thankfully, the spinal cord was damaged, but not severed. Doctors, of course, haven’t promised that Ross will regain the use of his legs, but they have not ruled it out. This is positive, in my eyes. Ross is a bad dude. He can heal from this!
- The EMT who called me right after the accident mentioned a broken collarbone and a possible broken wrist. Thankfully, Ross suffered neither of these injuries.
- Ross did break several ribs, and one of them punctured his right lung. He still has a chest tube to drain the blood from his chest cavity.
- After many torturous hours without food or drink, Ross is now allowed to drink and eat as he pleases, within reason. He sent his daughter out to fetch a burger yesterday.
- Ross is positive and in good spirits. (All things considered.)
- He has been transferred out of ICU and is now in a regular room.
- The family is looking into having him transferred to a facility that specialized in spinal cord injuries.

I’ve been regularly forwarding e-mail messages to Ross, and friends and associates of his who wish to send a message his way can direct them to me at donn.maeda@transworld.net

My big brother Ross has been my hero since I was a little kid, and I’ve idolized him for as long as I can remember. He is the reason I started riding motocross bikes, he is the one who sparked my interest in photography, he taught me how to ride and race, and he is the person I bounce magazine ideas off of when I need a second opinion.

Yesterday, Rossi crashed and suffered paralyzing injuries. He broke/displaced three vertebrae in his lower back and underwent a seven-hour surgery to repair the damage. Only time will tell if he will ever be able to walk again. Ross is a bad ass, though, and I know that if anyone can bounce back from this, it’s him.

To say that I am devastated would be an understatement. I’ve always said that Ross is my guideline as to how long I will be able to be the Editor of TransWorld Motocross. At 54, he still hauls ass on a mx track and has been a source of inspiration for me. “If Rossi can still rip at 54, I want to, also,” I’d think. I don’t want to be the editor of this magazine any longer when I can’t get around the track at a decent clip, so that’s why I’ve always looked to Ross for a time estimate. Now…I don’t know.

Ross is a fighter, and I know that he will get through this. All we can do is stay positive, think good thoughts, and keep him in our prayers. Think a good thought about my big brother for me, will you?

My brother got a scanner for his birthday or something, and he has been posting a ton of old photos on his personal blog. He got me good with this one! The following is his post. haha

This was a MAJOR find!! ROTELLI cannot begrudge me for posting this photo as it is in his “COOL DAYS” as a 3-wheeler PILOT! (Earlier days were much more frightening!) GREEN Tecate, stylish Jimmy White JT gear, and even SLIM physique!!!I think this was at a pretty big event, the CMC Trans Cal Series or something equally PRESTIGIOUS! It was during this period that ROTATUS was at odds trying to decide if motorcycles were better than 3 wheelers!?! Donny had asked for my older brotherly advice since I was a MX guy:”Rossi, what should I do? if I start all over again on bikes, I may never achieve superstardom…but if I stay in the ATV world, I am GUARANTEED GLORY! I am the mother-f’in MAN on 3 wheels!” I don’t remember the name of the guy standing next to him, but he was the starter at ASCOT. I think he is reminding Donny NOT to loop out whilst traversing the starting gate.