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.
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