Rocky Aoki dead at 69

[McGary911]

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/25646535/

Growing up in Point Pleasant Beach, NJ one of the things I looked forward to every year was when the Bennihana Grand Prix came to town. I'm sure I would have become a go-fast boat enthusiast one way or the other, but having Rocky's race in town sure sped up the process.

Rocky was a suer nice guy as well. My dad was a cop in town, and would pick up a few extra bucks doing security for the raceboats. He always said that Rocky was the best guy of the bunch. I used to get a super close up look at Rocky's latest rigs because Rocky knew my dad. That's pretty cool when you're 8 (like i was) or 38 (like I am). Rocky would always throw my dad one of the year's team jackets for doing security. Just ran across these when I was visiting my mom a few weeks back. She's moving and will be moving to FL pretty soon, and was going to put a $5 tag on them at a planned yardsale. Needless to say, don't show up and expect them to be available :).

RIP Rocky. You were an interesting guy.

http://i173.photobucket.com/albums/w69/mcgary911/JacketBack.jpg

[McGary911]

This is kind of creepy. Was just reading a year old magazine article ( http://nymag.com/guides/money/2006/23465/ ) on Rocky and it ends like this:

e leans forward. “Now is like astrology war,” he confides, in a low, hushed voice. “An astrology war between two wives. Chizuru uses astrology to look for bad for me. Keiko, she always using stars to look for the good.”

I ask Rocky if he really believes in that stuff. “Look at Reagan!” he says. “Keiko’s astrologist say Rocky’s life, like, go to hell for two year. And it’s right. Last two years like a hell. But that two years, almost over right now. Now my life go up like this.” He grins crookedly and raises his hand up, palm down, like a kid with his hand stuck out of a car window, riding in the wind. “Only one problem,” he says, dropping his hand and lowering his voice. “Keiko’s charts, they say someone close to her die this year.”

It’s a thought that could confirm the worst fears of Rocky’s children—Daddy, Keiko is going to poison you to death!—so why is Rocky grinning?

“For a while, I worry. I think, Maybe it’s me. Maybe I die this year. But now … You know, now Keiko’s dog sick. It’s terrible, terrible. But if Keiko’s dog die,” he says, grinning, “maybe Rocky be okay.”