I'm pretty stoked about the second round of the NHL playoffs starting. I'm surprised, but not saddened by the loss of two of my most hated teams, the Devils and the Sharks. Other than that the first round went as expected although the Rangers, (lead by Markus Naslund), gave the Capitals a harder time than expected. I think this next round is up for grabs. ANY team can win any series. I pick Vancouver, Anaheim, Boston and Pittsburgh but they could ALL be wrong.
Anaheim has a VERY hot goalie. I'd pick him if he were in ANY of my pools. I've been listening to the Anaheim games and Hiller's standing on his head. Getzlaf, Perry, S. Neidermayer and Pronger are all playing great. No surprise. But they've got a young guy and an old guy who might be the difference in this series, Bobby Ryan and Teemu Selanne respectively. I don't think Detroit has had enough Swedish saunas and massages to prepare them for the beating they'll take from Anaheim. They gave the Sharks nightmares. Thornton and Getzlaf even fought! And Detrpot's traditional big weakness will finally kill them. Osgood can really suck. I think he'll get scored on regularly. Anaheim in 6 is probably an upset.
Carolina doesn't get any respect. They have one of those teams that IS a team. Of course buddies Eric Staal and Ray Whitney are at the top of the scoring so far for the team in the playoffs. But tied with them is Chad LaRose? They have some players whose names a hockey fan might recognize, Cole, Samsonoff, Brind'Amour, but they have a pile of no-namers with more heart than talent. And in Cam Ward they have good goaltending. They beat the Devils and they could beat the Bruins too. But they won't. Boston is too strong and they have LOTS of names a hockey fan will recognize, Savard, Kessel, Krejci, Chara, Ryder, Recchi, Bergeron, Wheeler and Tim Thomas. Boston in 6.
I can't wait to see the Pittsburgh/Washington series. I hope they break a record for goals in a series. They've got the offensive guns to do it. But because it's the playoffs and everybody falls in love with defence at this time of year they both might start worrying more about the other team scoring on them than attacking, the scaredicat hockey that plagues the playoffs every year. I REALLY hope this doesn't happen because I wanna see, (or hear), guys like Ovechkin, Semin, Backstrom, Green, Fedorov, Malkin, Crosby, Gonchar, Guerin and the other guys on their teams go crazy scoring! And I think it might happen. I don't think the goaltending or the defence is strong enough to stop it. I give Pittsburgh an edge because Washington is tired. I hope it goes 7 games but I think Pittsburgh wins in 5.
Vancouver and Chicago. I was super happy the way the end of the season went so that Calgary had to deal with the Hawks in the first round instead of the Canucks. They were the team that scared me. Young and hungry. But that could be said about the Canucks too. Although Chicago has some of the strangest name spellings in the league, (What kind of way is that to spell Taves and Bufflin?!), they've got some exciting players. Versteeg, Havlat, Kane, Sharp, Toews, Campbell, Byfuglien, Barker, Seabrook. I think they are the deepest team in the playoffs. And if the Boulin wall goes up the Canucks are in trouble.
The Canucks have DEFENCE. And they want to make Roberto Luongo into Richard Brodeur. And that's not the only parallel between the '82 Canucks and this year's team that can be drawn. Gradin/Sundin, Sundstrom/Henrik, Tanti/Daniel, Smyl/Kesler, Hlinka/Demitra, Edler/Molin, Mitchell/McCarthy, Bubla/Ohlund, Burrows/Williams, I could go on. Now I know some of these guys were injured and some came in '83 but this year's team brings me back to those days. What got the Canucks to the finals was L.A. beating the Oilers, King Richard being phenomenal every night and defence. I hate defence! In fact the way they beat the Hawks is by shadowing Denis Savard with defensive forward Gerry Minor. Savard was so frustrated he spit at a ref! Savard was a great talent. I hate the strategy of shadowing offensive stars. It makes for a boring game. Any kind of defence does! I actually WANT the Hawks to beat my favourite team and gain a victory for offense over defence. But I doubt that's the way this series will be played. I think the Canucks are strong enough to force the Hawks into playing defence and if so they'll win a 7-game yawner. Lots of close game kind of intensity, but not lots of action.
The thing is the Canucks have some players that are very underappreciated. They COULD probably make this an offensive and fun series to watch. Guys like Wellwood, Raymond, Edler, Bernier, Kesler, Bieksa, Burrows, they can play offense! I think there are some guys waiting to bust out here, especially Wellwood. But with the coach they have, I doubt it will be allowed. I'll be happy for the winner and sad for the loser of this series. But I'd rather see the Canucks lose 6-5 every game than win 1-0. That's just me.
I sure am missing Hockey Night in Canada right about now!
Tuesday, April 28, 2009
Monday, April 20, 2009
Why are people such assholes?
Why are people such assholes? You say that and instantly there are all kinds of negative assumptions made about you. You’re a dark person, a pessimist, a glass half empty sort of guy, a cynic, unhappy, depressed, a dark cloud, someone I don’t want to talk to, no fun at all, the angel of death, a piss on the parade, crap in your Corn Flakes breath of farty air.
But…
add “to each other”, (for those of you who are drunk or slow on the uptake, “Why are people such assholes to each other?”), and now you’re a caring, deep thinking, compassionate, informed, socially conscious, make a difference, do-it-don’t-just-say-it, world shaking, life embracing, people person.
What the hell? It’s true isn’t it? Well? What the fuck? Is there that much difference? I mean grammatically, mathematically it’s three words, 11 letters, one prepositional phrase. How can it make such a big difference? You know, don’t you? It’s because, “Why are people such assholes” implies the continuation, “to me?” (For those of you who are drunk or slow on the uptake, “Why are people such assholes to me?”). We hate it when people are selfish, self-important, self-indulgent, self-involved, thinking only of themselves, making it all about themselves, narcissistic, vain, conceited, nose in the air, finger never broke through the toilet paper, shit don’t stink, possessed of a bloated sense of personal worth shitheads. There’s not much we hate any more than that is there? Well, there might be one thing. You know what it is, don’t you? I don’t think I’m an expert on human nature, but if I were there’d be no proof. I certainly don’t think any degree from any school qualifies anyone as such. However, by my reckoning, generally folks hate it even worse when people are selfish, self-important, self-indulgent, self-involved, blah blah blah, to our personal detriment.
It doesn’t take Dr. Phil McGraw to figure out what I’m saying here. Quickdraw McGraw could figure it out. Oh don’t tell me you don’t know Quickdraw! Babba Louie? “That Queekstraw, he’s got a lot of stuff up here. No brains just a lotta stuff.” El Kabang? “Now hold on there Babba Louie. I’ll do the thinnin’ around here and dooooon’t you for git eeyit!” Oh well, then…
We hate this because we do it ourselves. EVERYBODY is selfish. It’s no less human nature than dog nature. When I was young and cruel, (and for my own selfish amusement), I’d sometimes throw one doggie treat to my two dogs. Or as Quickdraw McGraw would call it, a dog "bis que eet". Oh come on you KNOW you watched that show!!!
So what do you think happened? With my dogs. It doesn’t matter if they’re full to the point of blowing up, they’ll fight over that doggie treat. You offer one job to two people and they’re not gonna have a Chip & Dale courtesy contest, “You take it. No you! No I insist! No it’s all yours. Absolutely not I must insist you take it. No no you were here first. I was not. Besides you’re more qualified. Oh surely YOU’Re the better candidate…” Wait a minute, you know Chip and Dale don’t you? Chipmunks in Donald Duck’s tree? Well if you don’t know Donald Duck I’m gonna quit now. Okay, note to self, easy on the cartoon references.
So anyhoo, the point I’m leading up to, and what a lead-up it was!!!, is today I was out walking and something happened that brought all this to mind. Well, it didn’t instantly pop into my mind complete with flashbacks to Saturday mornings as a kid and all. I was walking. In the rain. There’s narry a time when I do better thinnin’. I was waiting for the walk signal to cross the street at the main entrance of Seokang University. The light turned green. I looked both ways anyway, unlike most Koreans who tend to blindly walk across streets even when they HAVEN’T waited for the light to turn green. Which is most of the time. It’s not just the drivers’ fault that most people in this country have been hit by a car at least once. Anyway, I am glad I looked because the driver of a big, yellow bus full of kids decided that his needs outweighed mine and superceded the law so he just blasted through the light. Now let me be clear here. There is a crosswalk, the motorists have a red light, there are people on both sides of the crosswalk waiting, there are no impediments to the sight of the bus driver at all, there are 4 lanes of traffic, two both ways AND there was a car STOPPED at the crosswalk blocking the lane closest to the center line. So this jackass changes to the lane closest to my curb and blows through a good 2 or 3 seconds after he had a red light and I had a green.
But hey! This is Korea. It wasn’t really THAT guy I was pissed off at. It was the guy BEHIND him that blew through the light a good 4 or 5 seconds after the lights had changed. It was, (no surprise to anyone I’m sure), a fucking taxi. So I jumped in front of this prick and leaned right over with a big hand held out in the internationally accepted STOP position. Probably not expecting him to stop but trying to ensure that the car behind him stopped. Don’t give these lemmings a window. Rather than stop the taxi driver missed me and the stopped car by inches, proceeded through the red light AND fucking blew his horn in annoyance at ME!
Now I know beyond a shadow of a doubt you all agree that this guy was a shithead. But, I got to thinking, cuz it’s raining and I was walking in it. Was I upset at this guy for breaking laws, endangering me and others, probably doing this sort of thing chronically like most taxi drivers, or was it the 4 to 5 seconds he cost me? I still made it across the street. I had nothing pressing to do. I gave my one exam today and I’m done. I was just out cranking baseballs and getting some exercise cuz I wasn’t quite ready to sit down and MARK those exams. And this guy made me wait 4-5 extra seconds.
I don’t need to reiterate the various doctor horror stories that I’ve blogged about. Other friends too. In fact, I was out with my friend April buying her birthday lunch at Outback Steakhouse this Sunday and she told me that she was really sick one day at work but her employer, Korea Exchange Bank, wouldn’t let her go home. So she called her boyfriend and asked him to go to the doctor, fake her symptoms and ask for medicine. The “doctor” looked him over and said, “Yeah you ARE really sick!” and gave him the medicine. April and her b/f are both Korean by the way. I would have been FUCKED if that car had hit me! Proper fucked! Like the bunny in Snatch. Are movie references okay? Snatch? Brad Pitt as a Pikey. Coursing? Dog chasing the rabbit? Betting? Hello? Is this thing on? Okay no more referencing.
So why the frig did I feel I had to endanger myself so much? I think it was at least partially selfishness in myself. I admit it. I’m a dick for doing that. I should know SO much better! There’s no way I would have taught the driver anything even if he’d hit me and killed me. He would have blown the next red light I guaran damn tee. Still I felt empowered by the first profligate motorist to righteously rebuke this taxi driver. I guess it was like chucking pearls to swine. But for reasons unbeknownst to me I had to do it. I just had to!
This worries me. I think the symptoms of that most evil of all plagues that is a worldwide epidemic, GREED, are getting worse in me. I need some medicine. I should volunteer this weekend. Or give away some money. Maybe I should give really REALLY generous grades to my students on their midterm exams. Nah, that’s not gonna happen. I already made the tests ridiculously easy. Hmmmm. I could go a day without using power. Well except fridge and stove. Maybe I’ll visit a friend who doesn’t expect it. Write a letter to my Grandma. I have to self-flagellate this greed away. Okay, I got it! I’m gonna watch the latest episode of Southpark again. AND I’m gonna post the picture of the Earth blocked off from all other planets because of its greed right here.
There I feel a bit better now. To watch it or any other South Park episode click this link. What a great website eh?
But…
add “to each other”, (for those of you who are drunk or slow on the uptake, “Why are people such assholes to each other?”), and now you’re a caring, deep thinking, compassionate, informed, socially conscious, make a difference, do-it-don’t-just-say-it, world shaking, life embracing, people person.
What the hell? It’s true isn’t it? Well? What the fuck? Is there that much difference? I mean grammatically, mathematically it’s three words, 11 letters, one prepositional phrase. How can it make such a big difference? You know, don’t you? It’s because, “Why are people such assholes” implies the continuation, “to me?” (For those of you who are drunk or slow on the uptake, “Why are people such assholes to me?”). We hate it when people are selfish, self-important, self-indulgent, self-involved, thinking only of themselves, making it all about themselves, narcissistic, vain, conceited, nose in the air, finger never broke through the toilet paper, shit don’t stink, possessed of a bloated sense of personal worth shitheads. There’s not much we hate any more than that is there? Well, there might be one thing. You know what it is, don’t you? I don’t think I’m an expert on human nature, but if I were there’d be no proof. I certainly don’t think any degree from any school qualifies anyone as such. However, by my reckoning, generally folks hate it even worse when people are selfish, self-important, self-indulgent, self-involved, blah blah blah, to our personal detriment.
It doesn’t take Dr. Phil McGraw to figure out what I’m saying here. Quickdraw McGraw could figure it out. Oh don’t tell me you don’t know Quickdraw! Babba Louie? “That Queekstraw, he’s got a lot of stuff up here. No brains just a lotta stuff.” El Kabang? “Now hold on there Babba Louie. I’ll do the thinnin’ around here and dooooon’t you for git eeyit!” Oh well, then…
We hate this because we do it ourselves. EVERYBODY is selfish. It’s no less human nature than dog nature. When I was young and cruel, (and for my own selfish amusement), I’d sometimes throw one doggie treat to my two dogs. Or as Quickdraw McGraw would call it, a dog "bis que eet". Oh come on you KNOW you watched that show!!!
So what do you think happened? With my dogs. It doesn’t matter if they’re full to the point of blowing up, they’ll fight over that doggie treat. You offer one job to two people and they’re not gonna have a Chip & Dale courtesy contest, “You take it. No you! No I insist! No it’s all yours. Absolutely not I must insist you take it. No no you were here first. I was not. Besides you’re more qualified. Oh surely YOU’Re the better candidate…” Wait a minute, you know Chip and Dale don’t you? Chipmunks in Donald Duck’s tree? Well if you don’t know Donald Duck I’m gonna quit now. Okay, note to self, easy on the cartoon references.
So anyhoo, the point I’m leading up to, and what a lead-up it was!!!, is today I was out walking and something happened that brought all this to mind. Well, it didn’t instantly pop into my mind complete with flashbacks to Saturday mornings as a kid and all. I was walking. In the rain. There’s narry a time when I do better thinnin’. I was waiting for the walk signal to cross the street at the main entrance of Seokang University. The light turned green. I looked both ways anyway, unlike most Koreans who tend to blindly walk across streets even when they HAVEN’T waited for the light to turn green. Which is most of the time. It’s not just the drivers’ fault that most people in this country have been hit by a car at least once. Anyway, I am glad I looked because the driver of a big, yellow bus full of kids decided that his needs outweighed mine and superceded the law so he just blasted through the light. Now let me be clear here. There is a crosswalk, the motorists have a red light, there are people on both sides of the crosswalk waiting, there are no impediments to the sight of the bus driver at all, there are 4 lanes of traffic, two both ways AND there was a car STOPPED at the crosswalk blocking the lane closest to the center line. So this jackass changes to the lane closest to my curb and blows through a good 2 or 3 seconds after he had a red light and I had a green.
But hey! This is Korea. It wasn’t really THAT guy I was pissed off at. It was the guy BEHIND him that blew through the light a good 4 or 5 seconds after the lights had changed. It was, (no surprise to anyone I’m sure), a fucking taxi. So I jumped in front of this prick and leaned right over with a big hand held out in the internationally accepted STOP position. Probably not expecting him to stop but trying to ensure that the car behind him stopped. Don’t give these lemmings a window. Rather than stop the taxi driver missed me and the stopped car by inches, proceeded through the red light AND fucking blew his horn in annoyance at ME!
Now I know beyond a shadow of a doubt you all agree that this guy was a shithead. But, I got to thinking, cuz it’s raining and I was walking in it. Was I upset at this guy for breaking laws, endangering me and others, probably doing this sort of thing chronically like most taxi drivers, or was it the 4 to 5 seconds he cost me? I still made it across the street. I had nothing pressing to do. I gave my one exam today and I’m done. I was just out cranking baseballs and getting some exercise cuz I wasn’t quite ready to sit down and MARK those exams. And this guy made me wait 4-5 extra seconds.
I don’t need to reiterate the various doctor horror stories that I’ve blogged about. Other friends too. In fact, I was out with my friend April buying her birthday lunch at Outback Steakhouse this Sunday and she told me that she was really sick one day at work but her employer, Korea Exchange Bank, wouldn’t let her go home. So she called her boyfriend and asked him to go to the doctor, fake her symptoms and ask for medicine. The “doctor” looked him over and said, “Yeah you ARE really sick!” and gave him the medicine. April and her b/f are both Korean by the way. I would have been FUCKED if that car had hit me! Proper fucked! Like the bunny in Snatch. Are movie references okay? Snatch? Brad Pitt as a Pikey. Coursing? Dog chasing the rabbit? Betting? Hello? Is this thing on? Okay no more referencing.
So why the frig did I feel I had to endanger myself so much? I think it was at least partially selfishness in myself. I admit it. I’m a dick for doing that. I should know SO much better! There’s no way I would have taught the driver anything even if he’d hit me and killed me. He would have blown the next red light I guaran damn tee. Still I felt empowered by the first profligate motorist to righteously rebuke this taxi driver. I guess it was like chucking pearls to swine. But for reasons unbeknownst to me I had to do it. I just had to!
This worries me. I think the symptoms of that most evil of all plagues that is a worldwide epidemic, GREED, are getting worse in me. I need some medicine. I should volunteer this weekend. Or give away some money. Maybe I should give really REALLY generous grades to my students on their midterm exams. Nah, that’s not gonna happen. I already made the tests ridiculously easy. Hmmmm. I could go a day without using power. Well except fridge and stove. Maybe I’ll visit a friend who doesn’t expect it. Write a letter to my Grandma. I have to self-flagellate this greed away. Okay, I got it! I’m gonna watch the latest episode of Southpark again. AND I’m gonna post the picture of the Earth blocked off from all other planets because of its greed right here.
There I feel a bit better now. To watch it or any other South Park episode click this link. What a great website eh?
Tuesday, April 07, 2009
Game #3 Another loss and I saw it live
Folks this is fast becoming a Kia Tigers blog but I'm telling ya things are interesting in Tigerville! Tonight was the first home game for the Tigers so I went. I figured I'd get there early and beat the crowd so I left right after work at 4ish. The game didn't start till 6:30. I got into the stadium a little after 5. It was PACKED! I mean I had to sit WAY over in the lousy seats behind the light tower. There were all kinds of performances for opening day. I guess that was the reason there were so many people.
Rick Guttormson pitched his first game. He had a rough first inning but escaped down only one. The rest of the game he was pretty good. Kia was winning 3-1 in the 4th inning when he got into a bit of trouble. Gave up a legitimate run and had a guy on first. Then the opposing player hit a ball that was CLEARLY foul. I mean if that thing was fair it went 1000 meters cuz it was on the foul side of the pole for a good 3 seconds from where I was sitting. The first base ump totally blew the call. He called it a homer and I guess he was older than the home plate ump, (who has veto power in countries that don't defer that power to age), didn't overrule him although I'm sure, like everybody in the building, he saw it was foul. A riot ensued. I have never seen so many bottles and shit thrown onto the field. I don't care who's older than who, get the frigging call right!
And just to show you that I'm not just saying that cuz it cost my team the game, there was another blown call later in the game. SK had guys on 2nd and 3rd and the batter hit a line drive to the SS. He threw it home and the catcher chased the runner back to 3rd. The runner who had been on 2nd was occupying 3rd. So the throw goes to third and the Kia player tags the runner out. BUT the ump calls him safe. Bad call but okay if he's safe that means the other guy's out cuz when two guys occupy the same base the lead runner gets it and the following runner is out. Perhaps to try to make a right with two wrongs??? the ump called them both out. The guy he had just called safe got sent back to the dugout. That pissed me off too although Kia got the next guy out so it didn't make a diff. Still I like a clean game. See what happens when stupid Confucianism is carried too far? It just snowballs out of control.
This was a game that Kia LITERALLY won but they won't get the W. Now if they miss the playoffs by a game or miss first place or something I'll think of THIS game right here. The final was 4-3 but would have been 3-2 without the non-homer being called a homer. Still and all, that happened in the 4th. Kia had 6 at bats, (18 outs), to rectify the situation and they didn't. Doesn't make me feel MUCH better but a little.
But that's not the worst thing that happened. Oh no! I found out my favourite cheerleader is GONE! Not sure if she's with another team or retired. Dammit!
BUT THAT'S not the worst thing that happened! Lee Yong Gyoo, the MVP of the Tigers BROKE his ankle in the game. He was piggybacked off the field. What a blow!
3 games into the season and already things are dismal! UNREAL!
On the good news side Choi Hee Sup got a homer. He also got a really ugly strikeout but overall a good game for him. Han Ki Joo pitched well too. And the guy I've been talking about noticing in preseason, #8 Ahn Chi Hong, who's a rookie, came in for Lee Yong Gyoo and got a hit and made a couple nice catches. I think we'll need him. And while Kia didn't score to make up for that hideous call they didn't give up any runs for the last 5 innings either.
I am going to the game tomorrow I think but I probably won't report on it. But then again, you never know...
Rick Guttormson pitched his first game. He had a rough first inning but escaped down only one. The rest of the game he was pretty good. Kia was winning 3-1 in the 4th inning when he got into a bit of trouble. Gave up a legitimate run and had a guy on first. Then the opposing player hit a ball that was CLEARLY foul. I mean if that thing was fair it went 1000 meters cuz it was on the foul side of the pole for a good 3 seconds from where I was sitting. The first base ump totally blew the call. He called it a homer and I guess he was older than the home plate ump, (who has veto power in countries that don't defer that power to age), didn't overrule him although I'm sure, like everybody in the building, he saw it was foul. A riot ensued. I have never seen so many bottles and shit thrown onto the field. I don't care who's older than who, get the frigging call right!
And just to show you that I'm not just saying that cuz it cost my team the game, there was another blown call later in the game. SK had guys on 2nd and 3rd and the batter hit a line drive to the SS. He threw it home and the catcher chased the runner back to 3rd. The runner who had been on 2nd was occupying 3rd. So the throw goes to third and the Kia player tags the runner out. BUT the ump calls him safe. Bad call but okay if he's safe that means the other guy's out cuz when two guys occupy the same base the lead runner gets it and the following runner is out. Perhaps to try to make a right with two wrongs??? the ump called them both out. The guy he had just called safe got sent back to the dugout. That pissed me off too although Kia got the next guy out so it didn't make a diff. Still I like a clean game. See what happens when stupid Confucianism is carried too far? It just snowballs out of control.
This was a game that Kia LITERALLY won but they won't get the W. Now if they miss the playoffs by a game or miss first place or something I'll think of THIS game right here. The final was 4-3 but would have been 3-2 without the non-homer being called a homer. Still and all, that happened in the 4th. Kia had 6 at bats, (18 outs), to rectify the situation and they didn't. Doesn't make me feel MUCH better but a little.
But that's not the worst thing that happened. Oh no! I found out my favourite cheerleader is GONE! Not sure if she's with another team or retired. Dammit!
BUT THAT'S not the worst thing that happened! Lee Yong Gyoo, the MVP of the Tigers BROKE his ankle in the game. He was piggybacked off the field. What a blow!
3 games into the season and already things are dismal! UNREAL!
On the good news side Choi Hee Sup got a homer. He also got a really ugly strikeout but overall a good game for him. Han Ki Joo pitched well too. And the guy I've been talking about noticing in preseason, #8 Ahn Chi Hong, who's a rookie, came in for Lee Yong Gyoo and got a hit and made a couple nice catches. I think we'll need him. And while Kia didn't score to make up for that hideous call they didn't give up any runs for the last 5 innings either.
I am going to the game tomorrow I think but I probably won't report on it. But then again, you never know...
Sunday, April 05, 2009
Kia Tigers Program
As I write this the Tigers are playing, (and losing), their second game of the new KBO season. They just brought Son Young Min in to replace Lee Beom Seok. This is when I get nervous!
As promised, or threatened, I am going to give you my thoughts on the new season and who will probably be playing for the Kia Tigers. Since I love offense, I'll start with the batting line-up the way I think it oughtta be.
#15 Lee Yong Gyoo: Mr. Excitement. Definitely their MVP last year since pitchers, (who miss more games than they play), can't be MVP's. He makes things happen even when he's NOT hitting. Gets his share of walks and has great speed so he can steal a bag or reach a fly ball in center field that an average guy wouldn't. He is prone to OVER excitement and will err on the side of aggression sometimes but I don't mind that at all. I wish he'd choke down a bit on the bat after the first inning so he can hit more homers. He didn't get any last year but I know he can hit the ball out of the park. Kia needs all the dingers they can muster.
#7 Lee Jong Beom: When he's 90 he'll be playing ball somewhere. He looked great in pre-season and has a real chance to hit for a high average as usual this year. He's lost speed and won't hit many, (if any), homeruns but he's still better than most. He's a great hitter and he's very good in Right Field although he won't throw many baserunners out. I bet he'd be a fantastic playing coach too.
#1 Jang Sung Ho: Taylor made for #3 in the batting order. He can hit for power and average. But I don't think his hitting has been NEARLY what it should. Somtimes it's not the players hitting bad that makes the team lose it's the other way around. Since he's been on the Tigers for such a long drought, maybe he's a little too complacent in his mediocre hitting. If Kia can start the season off strong look for his average to be over .300. Or if his average is over .300, Kia can start the season off strong. He's a pivotal player for the Tigers. Also he's much better on first base than Choi Hee Seop.
#25 Lee Jae Joo: Yes, that's right, #25 Lee Jae Joo. Just because Choi Hee Seop lost some weight in the off season doesn't mean he's earned back the clean up hitter spot in this line-up. Lee Jae Joo should have started last season in this spot, (and I said that last season) and it wasn't till half a season of Choi's rally killing that Lee was put here. Now the coach figures fans will forget and he'll be playing Choi here at the start of the season. Let's hope he doesn't stick with him as long and Lee Jae Joo can play.
#29 Na Ji Weon: I think this will be a break-out year for Na Ji Weon and it will be good to have him protecting the #4 hitter. Who knows, if he does really well maybe he'll BE the clean-up hitter. I don't think he has as much power or size as Choi Hee Seop but he's got a much better eye at the plate. And he's not too bad in left field.
#31 Lee Hyeon Gon: It seems like #6 is late in the order for such a good hitter but if Jang Sung Ho doesn't show enough interest this year they can swap. He's a very good contact hitter. Not a lot of strikeouts. Good average too. Strong #6. And I really like his cat-like reflexes at 3B although he can also play SS.
#3 Kim Sun Bin: I'm not sure if he'll be starting shortstop or not but if he does, this is the slot in the batting order where I'd put him. I see talent in Kim but I see some problems that might be hard to overcome. He is a bit error prone for a shortstop and I think he plays a bit too nervous. Even though he gets some solid hits to right field, he never pulls the ball. I think this is a sign that he's just a fraction unsure of himself. Needs some intensive work in the batting cage. On the other hand, I saw #8??? Ahn Chi Hong at shortstop and third in pre-season and he looked good both in the field and at the plate. I like to see competition. It makes everybody play harder. Don't be surprised to see a platoon situation between these two or maybe Ahn will play himself into a regular spot. We'll see.
#22 Kim Sang Hoon: I like him. He's a good catcher, calls a good game and is great at blocking wild pitches. His average is average and his speed is catcheresque. No frills but no real weaknesses.
#16 Kim Jong Gook: He's a steady second baseman. Doesn't make many errors in the field. At the plate he's streaky. He's great to have hitting before the leadoff hitter when he's getting on base. And that's quite often. Which is why I would like to see Lee Yong Gyoo hit for a bit more power.
Other position players to watch for: #51 Kim Weon Sup, #23 Choi Hee Seop, #33 Kim Ju Hyung, #66 Choi Yong Gyoo, #6 Park Jin Young.
Now for the pitchers.
#20 Yoon Suk Min: I've predicted a 20-win season for the "Smiling Ace" this year and even though he lost his first outing he looked good. A littel smarter baseball and he would have got a no decision. At any rate, he's so good I sometimes don't like watching him pitch. I like offense, remember?
#61 Lee Beom Suk: He's a skinny, little powerhouse. I don't know how he can throw so hard but I've never even seen Han Ki Joo throw a ball as hard as him. And he did it after several innings of pitching. I feel comfortable with Lee on the mound.
#40 Seo Jae Eung: He was injured a lot last season. I don't know how he feels for this season but when he was healthy he was good. I hope he stays healthy this year.
#? Aquilino Lopez: His nickname is Senior Smoke. I remember him from the Blue Jays. He got 14 saves for them one year and had a lot of strikeouts. It'll be really cool to see a major league player I recognize. Not sure how his game is but I can't see him NOT helping a struggling bull pen. If they use him as a save guy maybe Han Ki Joo can work as a set-up guy or longer relief.
#? Rick Guttormson: All I know about this guy is he's from the States, he was the first player to pitch a no-hitter in Japanese interleague history and he was the first guy to fail a drug test too. It was not a steroid, it was a hair growing agent that can be used to mask steroids. If he can pitch no-hitters he'll be welcome on the Kia staff hair or no hair. Also, if Choi is as bad as last season and they just can't find anyone to hit for power...
#37 Yang Hyun Jong started in pre-season and looked very good. He won a 2-1 pitchers duel. I don't know where they got him but if he can keep the other team to 1 run, welcome.
#19 Son Young Min: My pick for goat of the year on the pitching staff. He blew a lot of good starting pitching performances last year. However, he did clean up his act a little late in the season and he has looked better in pre-season. I'm hoping he can pitch better because there's NO WAY Jo Beom Hyun is gonna stop calling his number! He's the baseball version of the teacher's pet. I'm hoping he'll go from goat of the year to most improved player this year.
#10 Han Ki Joo: The guy throws the ball hard. No doubt. But it's actually easier to get a hit off a hard pitch if you can time it. When the guy never throws anything else it just makes it easier to time. I'm really hoping that Seo Jae Eung or one of the other pitchers took some time in the off season to teach Han another pitch. If he could throw a breaking ball or off-speed pitch with any effectiveness he'd be dangerous.
Other pitchers I like: #45 Lee Dae Jin, #35 Im Joon Hyuk. I hope there will be others or it'll be a long season. AGAIN.
And I thought I'd include the coach.
#70 Jo Beom Hyun: "Jo don't know." I don't need to tell you I am not a big fan of this guy. I think his biggest problem is he's Korean. It sounds bad but let me splain. He's older than any of the other guys so who's gonna tell him when he's making mistakes. Doesn't happen in Korea. In fact I see that in other coaches in the league too. I won't bring up the monumental coaching errors I saw in the WBC highlighted by Kim In Shik's failure to walk Ichiro. Okay I DID bring it up. And I see the opposite for the one team that HAS a foreign coach. Look what happened when the Lotte Giants got Jerry Royster. The same thing could happen if Kia got a foreign coach. Like me for instance. Well I'm not sure about that but I AM sure I could get Kia half a run a game more with three words: HIT AND RUN! Aparently Jo don't know that strategy. Aside from two out, full count I NEVER see a hit and run and Kia has a team BUILT for it! What I DO see is more double plays against than any team I have ever witnessed; 3, even 4 hits in an inning with no runs; an INCREDIBLE number of players stranded on base; Kia outplaying, outpitching and outhitting oponents and losing. ALL of these demoralizing problems could be lowered with the hit and run. Other teams destroy the Tigers with it. He's got guys with good speed but only a couple who can actually steal. He's got a ton of good contact hitters. This is a hit-and-run team. Why Jo won't do it is beyond me.
Instead of the hit and run Jo will have a very good hitter like Jang Sung Ho SAC BUNT with a guy on first and nobody out when Kia is down by 3 or 4 runs. I've also seen him do that in the first fucking inning! This is a really good way to show your hitters you don't trust them at all. Hence, I don't think they're playing as hard as they can for this guy. You don't see it in the KBO as much as in the majors but I am starting to see Kia Tigers FAKE sacrificing. You know professional ball players can lay down a bunt. Especially if they have two chances. But some would rather try for a hit with only one chance. I.e. "miss" two bunts then swing for a hit with two strikes against. I'm positive I've seen that happen with the Tigers a few times. That's when you know the coach is pissing the hitters off.
Also, he pays very little attention to whether starting pitchers are cruising along. In the 6th or 7th it's time for his favourite: Son Young Min to come on and blow the game wide open. I'm SURE I've seen him pull pitchers working on one hitters or two hitters. The guy seems to have no faith in his starting pitching either. Only the bull pen WHICH SUCKS! I'm sorry.
There are other little coaching mistakes like player positioning, playing the infield or outfield shallow when they shouldn't be. I'm not even sure these things are Jo's calls.
Good news though! I've seen some signs that Jo HAS faith in Yoon Suk Min. And I saw him pull Son when his first hitter got a hit too. Maybe somebody disrespected him and caused him severe loss of face by telling him. Or maybe a foreigner did it. Now if we can just get him to call hit and runs...
But no team is perfect. I think the Tigers will improve this year. I'm hoping to see them in the playoffs. I think they can do it if they just read this blog!
See you at the ball park Tigers Fans!
As promised, or threatened, I am going to give you my thoughts on the new season and who will probably be playing for the Kia Tigers. Since I love offense, I'll start with the batting line-up the way I think it oughtta be.
#15 Lee Yong Gyoo: Mr. Excitement. Definitely their MVP last year since pitchers, (who miss more games than they play), can't be MVP's. He makes things happen even when he's NOT hitting. Gets his share of walks and has great speed so he can steal a bag or reach a fly ball in center field that an average guy wouldn't. He is prone to OVER excitement and will err on the side of aggression sometimes but I don't mind that at all. I wish he'd choke down a bit on the bat after the first inning so he can hit more homers. He didn't get any last year but I know he can hit the ball out of the park. Kia needs all the dingers they can muster.
#7 Lee Jong Beom: When he's 90 he'll be playing ball somewhere. He looked great in pre-season and has a real chance to hit for a high average as usual this year. He's lost speed and won't hit many, (if any), homeruns but he's still better than most. He's a great hitter and he's very good in Right Field although he won't throw many baserunners out. I bet he'd be a fantastic playing coach too.
#1 Jang Sung Ho: Taylor made for #3 in the batting order. He can hit for power and average. But I don't think his hitting has been NEARLY what it should. Somtimes it's not the players hitting bad that makes the team lose it's the other way around. Since he's been on the Tigers for such a long drought, maybe he's a little too complacent in his mediocre hitting. If Kia can start the season off strong look for his average to be over .300. Or if his average is over .300, Kia can start the season off strong. He's a pivotal player for the Tigers. Also he's much better on first base than Choi Hee Seop.
#25 Lee Jae Joo: Yes, that's right, #25 Lee Jae Joo. Just because Choi Hee Seop lost some weight in the off season doesn't mean he's earned back the clean up hitter spot in this line-up. Lee Jae Joo should have started last season in this spot, (and I said that last season) and it wasn't till half a season of Choi's rally killing that Lee was put here. Now the coach figures fans will forget and he'll be playing Choi here at the start of the season. Let's hope he doesn't stick with him as long and Lee Jae Joo can play.
#29 Na Ji Weon: I think this will be a break-out year for Na Ji Weon and it will be good to have him protecting the #4 hitter. Who knows, if he does really well maybe he'll BE the clean-up hitter. I don't think he has as much power or size as Choi Hee Seop but he's got a much better eye at the plate. And he's not too bad in left field.
#31 Lee Hyeon Gon: It seems like #6 is late in the order for such a good hitter but if Jang Sung Ho doesn't show enough interest this year they can swap. He's a very good contact hitter. Not a lot of strikeouts. Good average too. Strong #6. And I really like his cat-like reflexes at 3B although he can also play SS.
#3 Kim Sun Bin: I'm not sure if he'll be starting shortstop or not but if he does, this is the slot in the batting order where I'd put him. I see talent in Kim but I see some problems that might be hard to overcome. He is a bit error prone for a shortstop and I think he plays a bit too nervous. Even though he gets some solid hits to right field, he never pulls the ball. I think this is a sign that he's just a fraction unsure of himself. Needs some intensive work in the batting cage. On the other hand, I saw #8??? Ahn Chi Hong at shortstop and third in pre-season and he looked good both in the field and at the plate. I like to see competition. It makes everybody play harder. Don't be surprised to see a platoon situation between these two or maybe Ahn will play himself into a regular spot. We'll see.
#22 Kim Sang Hoon: I like him. He's a good catcher, calls a good game and is great at blocking wild pitches. His average is average and his speed is catcheresque. No frills but no real weaknesses.
#16 Kim Jong Gook: He's a steady second baseman. Doesn't make many errors in the field. At the plate he's streaky. He's great to have hitting before the leadoff hitter when he's getting on base. And that's quite often. Which is why I would like to see Lee Yong Gyoo hit for a bit more power.
Other position players to watch for: #51 Kim Weon Sup, #23 Choi Hee Seop, #33 Kim Ju Hyung, #66 Choi Yong Gyoo, #6 Park Jin Young.
Now for the pitchers.
#20 Yoon Suk Min: I've predicted a 20-win season for the "Smiling Ace" this year and even though he lost his first outing he looked good. A littel smarter baseball and he would have got a no decision. At any rate, he's so good I sometimes don't like watching him pitch. I like offense, remember?
#61 Lee Beom Suk: He's a skinny, little powerhouse. I don't know how he can throw so hard but I've never even seen Han Ki Joo throw a ball as hard as him. And he did it after several innings of pitching. I feel comfortable with Lee on the mound.
#40 Seo Jae Eung: He was injured a lot last season. I don't know how he feels for this season but when he was healthy he was good. I hope he stays healthy this year.
#? Aquilino Lopez: His nickname is Senior Smoke. I remember him from the Blue Jays. He got 14 saves for them one year and had a lot of strikeouts. It'll be really cool to see a major league player I recognize. Not sure how his game is but I can't see him NOT helping a struggling bull pen. If they use him as a save guy maybe Han Ki Joo can work as a set-up guy or longer relief.
#? Rick Guttormson: All I know about this guy is he's from the States, he was the first player to pitch a no-hitter in Japanese interleague history and he was the first guy to fail a drug test too. It was not a steroid, it was a hair growing agent that can be used to mask steroids. If he can pitch no-hitters he'll be welcome on the Kia staff hair or no hair. Also, if Choi is as bad as last season and they just can't find anyone to hit for power...
#37 Yang Hyun Jong started in pre-season and looked very good. He won a 2-1 pitchers duel. I don't know where they got him but if he can keep the other team to 1 run, welcome.
#19 Son Young Min: My pick for goat of the year on the pitching staff. He blew a lot of good starting pitching performances last year. However, he did clean up his act a little late in the season and he has looked better in pre-season. I'm hoping he can pitch better because there's NO WAY Jo Beom Hyun is gonna stop calling his number! He's the baseball version of the teacher's pet. I'm hoping he'll go from goat of the year to most improved player this year.
#10 Han Ki Joo: The guy throws the ball hard. No doubt. But it's actually easier to get a hit off a hard pitch if you can time it. When the guy never throws anything else it just makes it easier to time. I'm really hoping that Seo Jae Eung or one of the other pitchers took some time in the off season to teach Han another pitch. If he could throw a breaking ball or off-speed pitch with any effectiveness he'd be dangerous.
Other pitchers I like: #45 Lee Dae Jin, #35 Im Joon Hyuk. I hope there will be others or it'll be a long season. AGAIN.
And I thought I'd include the coach.
#70 Jo Beom Hyun: "Jo don't know." I don't need to tell you I am not a big fan of this guy. I think his biggest problem is he's Korean. It sounds bad but let me splain. He's older than any of the other guys so who's gonna tell him when he's making mistakes. Doesn't happen in Korea. In fact I see that in other coaches in the league too. I won't bring up the monumental coaching errors I saw in the WBC highlighted by Kim In Shik's failure to walk Ichiro. Okay I DID bring it up. And I see the opposite for the one team that HAS a foreign coach. Look what happened when the Lotte Giants got Jerry Royster. The same thing could happen if Kia got a foreign coach. Like me for instance. Well I'm not sure about that but I AM sure I could get Kia half a run a game more with three words: HIT AND RUN! Aparently Jo don't know that strategy. Aside from two out, full count I NEVER see a hit and run and Kia has a team BUILT for it! What I DO see is more double plays against than any team I have ever witnessed; 3, even 4 hits in an inning with no runs; an INCREDIBLE number of players stranded on base; Kia outplaying, outpitching and outhitting oponents and losing. ALL of these demoralizing problems could be lowered with the hit and run. Other teams destroy the Tigers with it. He's got guys with good speed but only a couple who can actually steal. He's got a ton of good contact hitters. This is a hit-and-run team. Why Jo won't do it is beyond me.
Instead of the hit and run Jo will have a very good hitter like Jang Sung Ho SAC BUNT with a guy on first and nobody out when Kia is down by 3 or 4 runs. I've also seen him do that in the first fucking inning! This is a really good way to show your hitters you don't trust them at all. Hence, I don't think they're playing as hard as they can for this guy. You don't see it in the KBO as much as in the majors but I am starting to see Kia Tigers FAKE sacrificing. You know professional ball players can lay down a bunt. Especially if they have two chances. But some would rather try for a hit with only one chance. I.e. "miss" two bunts then swing for a hit with two strikes against. I'm positive I've seen that happen with the Tigers a few times. That's when you know the coach is pissing the hitters off.
Also, he pays very little attention to whether starting pitchers are cruising along. In the 6th or 7th it's time for his favourite: Son Young Min to come on and blow the game wide open. I'm SURE I've seen him pull pitchers working on one hitters or two hitters. The guy seems to have no faith in his starting pitching either. Only the bull pen WHICH SUCKS! I'm sorry.
There are other little coaching mistakes like player positioning, playing the infield or outfield shallow when they shouldn't be. I'm not even sure these things are Jo's calls.
Good news though! I've seen some signs that Jo HAS faith in Yoon Suk Min. And I saw him pull Son when his first hitter got a hit too. Maybe somebody disrespected him and caused him severe loss of face by telling him. Or maybe a foreigner did it. Now if we can just get him to call hit and runs...
But no team is perfect. I think the Tigers will improve this year. I'm hoping to see them in the playoffs. I think they can do it if they just read this blog!
See you at the ball park Tigers Fans!
Saturday, April 04, 2009
Kia Tigers Season Opener
I thought long and hard about going to Seoul to watch the first game of my beloved Kia Tigers this year but it just wasn't happening. For many reasons I've decided to stay in Gwangju and wait for the home opener on Tuesday night to be my first regular season game this year. I think it was a smart choice. Instead today I cleaned up the house. This week at the dorms was a hot waterless week. Well there WAS hot water in the mornings but none at night. So I had no clean dishes in the house. I'm too busy in the morning showering and dirtying dishes to wash them. I was eating cup-o-spaghetti and mixing bowl ramyun for a while. Today I got up at 7 am just to wash the damn dishes. Since I was up so early I thought about going to the game in Seoul. But it takes about 5 hours to get to Chamshill stadium from here. Closer to 6 all things considered, and the game was at 2. I couldn't have made it.
Instead I went downtown and stocked up on things from the underground grocer. I also went to get my vitamin M from McDonalds, which is just around the corner from the underground grocer. There was a foreign guy who walked into Macdonalds just in front of me and was trying to order two all beef patties special sauce cheese pickles onions on a sesame seed bun. That's right a Big Mac without lettuce. I have a hard time getting Sprite instead of Coke so I applauded his positivity. But they couldn't understand what he wanted in English. I was behind him trying to think of the word for lettuce in Korean and all I could get was "yang bae chu" which is cabbage. Then it hit me and I said, "sang chu eopseoyo. Sang chu pirieopseoyo. Sangchu animnida. Sangchu anwanayo." And finally sangchu with my arms crossed into a big X. She understood. lol. No it wasn't that bad. My grammar sucks but I think those mean "lettuce none, lettuce don't need, lettuce isn't, and lettuce don't want". The grammar is not perfect but I've gone through the same broken Korean song and dance before to stunned Macdonalds employees only to have them panic and run to get someone who can understand a foreigner speaking Korean. Not for lettuce but for something else. This girl was young but she was pretty good.
So the guy actually got a Big Mac with no lettuce. I was impressed. I didn't sit with him although we were both alone. I try not to give the impression to Koreans that like Koreans we foreigners feel like it's us against them when we're outnumbered. But for English lunch conversation I called David and Angie and invited them to the Kia game on Sunday. My friend Min Ha, his new wife and I are going. So it'll be a nice outing. Min Ha and I are long time friends. He used to be my student at Chonnam University. Now he works for Samsung. His English is really good. Well, he had good teachers. cough cough. But really he's been overseas to places where English is required for his job. He just went to Russia last week I think. So it's nice to think I'm making SOME difference over here. He's a good guy too. Here's Min Ha and me at a game a few years ago.
Anyways, I asked the guy if he got a Big Mac with no lettuce and confirmed that he had and then I waved to him as he left. Then to my surprise he came back in and gave me his card. Turns out this guy was well known to me. He's the new editor of the Gwangju News, a little English language magazine I've written for before. Doug Stuber is his name. So THEN we started into some baseball talk and it turns out HE's a fan too. I'll probably see him at the game on Tuesday. It's always nice to have some convo, (and even nicer if it's English), during the game.
As for today's game, I got home, bought some beer and turned on the TV to watch it. It was Yoon Seok Min pitching for the Tigers. I was psyched cuz I thought he'd win his first of 20 this year. But things didn't quite work out. Like most of his losses last year it wasn't his fault. But he got the L today. Dammit.
Things were going swimmingly into the 5th inning. It was 1-1. Yoon Seok Min had been throwing a lot of pitches per inning but I knew he had the arm to survive. He got the first two guys in the 5th out. Then with two out the Kia jinx kicked in. The lead-off hitter for the Doosan Bears, Lee Jong Wook, who admittedly has lots of speed and played for Korea's national team hits a ball straight into the dirt that jumps over the head of the 3rd baseman who was inexplicably playing far in to guard against the bunt with 2 out and nobody on. Just bad positioning. Some coach's fault. No worries, we'll get the next guy. Next guy hits a ball softly to where the shortstop SHOULD have been but he was inexplicably covering second in case the guy on first wanted to steal. With two out and one on. Next guy, Ko Young Min, who was also on the national team, works Yoon and really earns an impressive walk. Next guy hits a fly ball to center field. Playing center is, ANOTHER guy who was on the national team, Lee Yong Gyoo, who is ALWAYS solid and usually makes it to balls other fielders CAN'T. Lee is inexplicably playing shallow like there's only one out. The ball goes over his head but he STILL could have cought it if he'd turned the right way. He didn't and it dropped short of the warning track on the grass. He should have cought it. And there should have been an error.
A frustrated Yoon understandably gives up a couple REAL hits and before he gets, (essentially) his SIXTH out in the inning it's 6-1.
But it's only the 5th. Next inning last year's Superstar-turned-goat Choi Hee Seop comes up and CRUSHES a single to right field. He lost weight in the off season and in his first game it paid dividends because I don't think Lard Ladd of last season would have dug in and stretched that single to a double but this year's version DID! To the surprise of everybody including the right fielder of Doosan who just lobbed it in to second base. Because of that hustle Lee Hyun Gon was able to knock him in to make it 6-2.
Then in the 8th one of my break-out picks for this season, Han Ki Joo got a solid base hit with the bases loaded to make it 6-3 with nobody out. Then Lee Hyun Gon, a good contact hitter STRUCK OUT! Dammmmmmiiiiittt! Next up, my favourite power hitter on the Tigers, Lee Jae Joo. He goes deep over the fence with the bases loaded and it's... still 6-3 cuz it was foul. But he did hang on for a bases loaded walk/RBI. 6-4. Then little used Choi Kyung Hwan hits a ball that looked deeper than it was. Wind must have been blowing in. But gets the sac fly anyway. 6-5. Now men at first and third with 2 out. Kim Jong Gook pops out. AAArrrrggh! A lot of guys left on base last year and so far that trend is continuing.
Guess who comes out for the bottom of the 8th. Son Young Min. Okay now it's time to prove that you've been working hard to make up for so many awful relief appearances last year. One batter-one hit. He gets yanked for a guy named Kim Young Soo who if I understood the Korean announcers right is a guy we picked up from the Lotte Giants in the off season. He gets a strikeout. Then HORROR OF HORRORS!!!!! they bring in Lee Beom Seok!!! Kia's second best starting pitcher from last year. Well given that Seo Jae Eung was injured most of the year. Still I've seen this skinny little guy throw well into the 90's well into the game. He threw a pitch so hard last year that the game stopped briefly for the crowd to applaud the read-out on the big screen. He is NOT a relief pitcher! He gets his first man to ground out then that lead-off man for Doosan Lee Jong Wook tagged him for a very nice hit. This guy just sucked in the WBC. NOW he gets hot? But again the fielders were playing shallow with two out. I don't think it mattered but it's just not good coaching.
So the Tigers had their lead-off hitter, Lee Yong Gyoo, leading off the 9th. He always makes things happen. He's the MVP for the Tigers for sure. This game he got hit by a pitch, hit balls hard to the 2b, which he booted but it went for a base hit, and the SS, which he booted but it went for a base hit, stole a base, scored a run, got thrown out on a baserunning error. He's mister excitement! However, they went 1,2,3 in the ninth and the final was 7-5 for the Bears.
This was preferable to a 1-0 win for the Tigers to me. I liked the offense and the excitement. But there were like 10 errors in the game so it wasn't that pretty to watch. Still lots of drama and excitement. I'm guessing they'll put out one of the new foreigners as the starter tomorrow. If it's "Senior Smoke" okay I've heard of him. But I still think these guys should have to earn their spots in the starting rotation. We'll see.
Instead I went downtown and stocked up on things from the underground grocer. I also went to get my vitamin M from McDonalds, which is just around the corner from the underground grocer. There was a foreign guy who walked into Macdonalds just in front of me and was trying to order two all beef patties special sauce cheese pickles onions on a sesame seed bun. That's right a Big Mac without lettuce. I have a hard time getting Sprite instead of Coke so I applauded his positivity. But they couldn't understand what he wanted in English. I was behind him trying to think of the word for lettuce in Korean and all I could get was "yang bae chu" which is cabbage. Then it hit me and I said, "sang chu eopseoyo. Sang chu pirieopseoyo. Sangchu animnida. Sangchu anwanayo." And finally sangchu with my arms crossed into a big X. She understood. lol. No it wasn't that bad. My grammar sucks but I think those mean "lettuce none, lettuce don't need, lettuce isn't, and lettuce don't want". The grammar is not perfect but I've gone through the same broken Korean song and dance before to stunned Macdonalds employees only to have them panic and run to get someone who can understand a foreigner speaking Korean. Not for lettuce but for something else. This girl was young but she was pretty good.
So the guy actually got a Big Mac with no lettuce. I was impressed. I didn't sit with him although we were both alone. I try not to give the impression to Koreans that like Koreans we foreigners feel like it's us against them when we're outnumbered. But for English lunch conversation I called David and Angie and invited them to the Kia game on Sunday. My friend Min Ha, his new wife and I are going. So it'll be a nice outing. Min Ha and I are long time friends. He used to be my student at Chonnam University. Now he works for Samsung. His English is really good. Well, he had good teachers. cough cough. But really he's been overseas to places where English is required for his job. He just went to Russia last week I think. So it's nice to think I'm making SOME difference over here. He's a good guy too. Here's Min Ha and me at a game a few years ago.
Anyways, I asked the guy if he got a Big Mac with no lettuce and confirmed that he had and then I waved to him as he left. Then to my surprise he came back in and gave me his card. Turns out this guy was well known to me. He's the new editor of the Gwangju News, a little English language magazine I've written for before. Doug Stuber is his name. So THEN we started into some baseball talk and it turns out HE's a fan too. I'll probably see him at the game on Tuesday. It's always nice to have some convo, (and even nicer if it's English), during the game.
As for today's game, I got home, bought some beer and turned on the TV to watch it. It was Yoon Seok Min pitching for the Tigers. I was psyched cuz I thought he'd win his first of 20 this year. But things didn't quite work out. Like most of his losses last year it wasn't his fault. But he got the L today. Dammit.
Things were going swimmingly into the 5th inning. It was 1-1. Yoon Seok Min had been throwing a lot of pitches per inning but I knew he had the arm to survive. He got the first two guys in the 5th out. Then with two out the Kia jinx kicked in. The lead-off hitter for the Doosan Bears, Lee Jong Wook, who admittedly has lots of speed and played for Korea's national team hits a ball straight into the dirt that jumps over the head of the 3rd baseman who was inexplicably playing far in to guard against the bunt with 2 out and nobody on. Just bad positioning. Some coach's fault. No worries, we'll get the next guy. Next guy hits a ball softly to where the shortstop SHOULD have been but he was inexplicably covering second in case the guy on first wanted to steal. With two out and one on. Next guy, Ko Young Min, who was also on the national team, works Yoon and really earns an impressive walk. Next guy hits a fly ball to center field. Playing center is, ANOTHER guy who was on the national team, Lee Yong Gyoo, who is ALWAYS solid and usually makes it to balls other fielders CAN'T. Lee is inexplicably playing shallow like there's only one out. The ball goes over his head but he STILL could have cought it if he'd turned the right way. He didn't and it dropped short of the warning track on the grass. He should have cought it. And there should have been an error.
A frustrated Yoon understandably gives up a couple REAL hits and before he gets, (essentially) his SIXTH out in the inning it's 6-1.
But it's only the 5th. Next inning last year's Superstar-turned-goat Choi Hee Seop comes up and CRUSHES a single to right field. He lost weight in the off season and in his first game it paid dividends because I don't think Lard Ladd of last season would have dug in and stretched that single to a double but this year's version DID! To the surprise of everybody including the right fielder of Doosan who just lobbed it in to second base. Because of that hustle Lee Hyun Gon was able to knock him in to make it 6-2.
Then in the 8th one of my break-out picks for this season, Han Ki Joo got a solid base hit with the bases loaded to make it 6-3 with nobody out. Then Lee Hyun Gon, a good contact hitter STRUCK OUT! Dammmmmmiiiiittt! Next up, my favourite power hitter on the Tigers, Lee Jae Joo. He goes deep over the fence with the bases loaded and it's... still 6-3 cuz it was foul. But he did hang on for a bases loaded walk/RBI. 6-4. Then little used Choi Kyung Hwan hits a ball that looked deeper than it was. Wind must have been blowing in. But gets the sac fly anyway. 6-5. Now men at first and third with 2 out. Kim Jong Gook pops out. AAArrrrggh! A lot of guys left on base last year and so far that trend is continuing.
Guess who comes out for the bottom of the 8th. Son Young Min. Okay now it's time to prove that you've been working hard to make up for so many awful relief appearances last year. One batter-one hit. He gets yanked for a guy named Kim Young Soo who if I understood the Korean announcers right is a guy we picked up from the Lotte Giants in the off season. He gets a strikeout. Then HORROR OF HORRORS!!!!! they bring in Lee Beom Seok!!! Kia's second best starting pitcher from last year. Well given that Seo Jae Eung was injured most of the year. Still I've seen this skinny little guy throw well into the 90's well into the game. He threw a pitch so hard last year that the game stopped briefly for the crowd to applaud the read-out on the big screen. He is NOT a relief pitcher! He gets his first man to ground out then that lead-off man for Doosan Lee Jong Wook tagged him for a very nice hit. This guy just sucked in the WBC. NOW he gets hot? But again the fielders were playing shallow with two out. I don't think it mattered but it's just not good coaching.
So the Tigers had their lead-off hitter, Lee Yong Gyoo, leading off the 9th. He always makes things happen. He's the MVP for the Tigers for sure. This game he got hit by a pitch, hit balls hard to the 2b, which he booted but it went for a base hit, and the SS, which he booted but it went for a base hit, stole a base, scored a run, got thrown out on a baserunning error. He's mister excitement! However, they went 1,2,3 in the ninth and the final was 7-5 for the Bears.
This was preferable to a 1-0 win for the Tigers to me. I liked the offense and the excitement. But there were like 10 errors in the game so it wasn't that pretty to watch. Still lots of drama and excitement. I'm guessing they'll put out one of the new foreigners as the starter tomorrow. If it's "Senior Smoke" okay I've heard of him. But I still think these guys should have to earn their spots in the starting rotation. We'll see.