Well, for a creature living in South Korea right now one could state with a high level of confidence that spring has finally greeted us with her warm touch. Sandals once again are the desired shoe choice and the chance to finally don a red Kia Tigers T-shirt with jeans(minus a sweater,) is a welcome added bonus.
Furthermore, the most awesome part of Spring in my opinion is of course baseball. What's even better is that I am fortunate to be in a country whose national baseball team is still reeling in their recent successes with a Beijing Olympic Gold Medal, and a WBC second place finish. As of now Korea is one of many exploding baseball nations in the world. Their team is quite talented, but I wouldn't say they stack up as one of the most talented teams in the world. What is unique about this nation and their baseball is the unflinching amount of energy and spirit the players and fans show. I think it is this mix of determination and their typical 'fighting spirit,' that makes them currently a standout nation on the diamond.
Because of this recent surge in baseball dominance, *it seems that more and more Koreans are coming out to the ball park and exerting some of their energy in support of their local teams. Last week was the opening week, and this last weekend I was lucky to visit two games between the Kia Tigers in Gwangju, and the Samsung Lions of Daegu. Both games in Gwangju were great. The crowd had spirit, and their pitching kept the Tigers competitive on both days-yet their offense lacked spirit and(more importantly) clutch hits that would've given them more runs.
Friday's result: Lions5, Tigers 2, Saturday's result: Lions 2, Tigers 1 (10 innings)
The offensive highlight of the two games was a solo shot from Che hisom,(who's an ex-Dodger.)while the overall highlight was the stellar pitching from the Tigers that kept them close in both games. Anyway, sometimes going to a ballpark to see a game isn't about winning or losing. Anyone who is a baseball enthusiast knows that, and also knows that there is more than a handful of wisdom about enjoying a ball game.
In Korea, the only thing you don't get(** other than hot dogs) is green grass. However, once one becomes accustomed to the lack of real grass in this nation, you can accept the fact that there are other nice things to enjoy here. So in the end you can enjoy coming to a ball game for a fun experience, even if your team doesn't win. So with out further adieu, I am going to give you a list of ten things to check out at a Korean baseball game.
1.) Buy Chicken(usually one for two people-costs about 12,000won)
2.) Get there early and take advantage of the incredibly boisterous cheering sections on the first base side.
3.) Pay a visit to the incredibly affordable souvenir stand! I bought a professional style Red Kia Tigers jersey for the equivalent of 30 dollars!...Get the red out!
4.) Check out the game and pay attention, because it seems like it's easier to catch a foul ball here. I think Koreans have a different style of swing and they are always spraying the balls into the stands. Not that I caught one though.***
5.) For the male audience-cheerleaders
6.) For the kids-a very animated mascot!
7.) The 6Th inning 'kiss' camera! The Jumbo tron screen shows couples between innings and they have to kiss if they are on the screen.
8.) Go with as many friends as you can and take advantage of the general admission style seating!
9.) The games are noisier than in America....much noisier!
10.) Affordable tickets-10,000 won and you can sit almost anywhere you want!
* The game on Saturday was so crowded that there several hundred people who couldn't even find seats, but were at least able to stand and enjoy the game.
** If you come to a game here you won't find a single hot dog stand, what you will find is a plethora of chicken restaurants selling off boxes of chicken with complimentary Pepsi in front of the stadium!
*** During the game Friday I asked my friend if he has ever caught a ball at a game, he immediatley said he hadn't. The next day I asked my Canadian friend Tim is he has ever and he also claimed that he has never caught a ball. I also have never caught a ball during a game. Anyway it seemed at the time surprising that 3 baseball enthusiasts have never caught a ball. Regardless, Statistically it seems difficult to catch a baseball at a game. Imagine an average game having 20,000 people. Well, how many balls are hit into the stands during an inning? Let's say 6 per inning for foul balls, and for home runs- let's say on average 3 per game. So that's 57 balls in the stands per game. However, I think that is quite a liberal amount. It is probably lower. Anyway that's about a 57/20,000 chance for you to catch a ball in a game. Another way of looking at it is to imagine a guy in the outfield who was never allowed to move anywhere. What are the odds of the ball just landing in his glove? I bet it's pretty low. Since there is alot of space in a ball park, and a fan isn't able to maneuver around for a ball, the fan is going to have a high amount of difficulty chasing a ball that is hit into the stands. Anyway, if you catch a home run from Boston or New York, just throw it back anyway! Go A's!
*** During the game Friday I asked my friend if he has ever caught a ball at a game, he immediatley said he hadn't. The next day I asked my Canadian friend Tim is he has ever and he also claimed that he has never caught a ball. I also have never caught a ball during a game. Anyway it seemed at the time surprising that 3 baseball enthusiasts have never caught a ball. Regardless, Statistically it seems difficult to catch a baseball at a game. Imagine an average game having 20,000 people. Well, how many balls are hit into the stands during an inning? Let's say 6 per inning for foul balls, and for home runs- let's say on average 3 per game. So that's 57 balls in the stands per game. However, I think that is quite a liberal amount. It is probably lower. Anyway that's about a 57/20,000 chance for you to catch a ball in a game. Another way of looking at it is to imagine a guy in the outfield who was never allowed to move anywhere. What are the odds of the ball just landing in his glove? I bet it's pretty low. Since there is alot of space in a ball park, and a fan isn't able to maneuver around for a ball, the fan is going to have a high amount of difficulty chasing a ball that is hit into the stands. Anyway, if you catch a home run from Boston or New York, just throw it back anyway! Go A's!
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