USA -VS- KOREA

Krak:

quote:

Originally posted by Krakatoa:
...it may not be safe for me to walk home. I can always just stay on base and sleep in my classroom!

The picture you paint has me worried Krak...perhaps you should listen and heed the Kenny Rogers classic...

KRAKY
Sung to the tune of Ruby


You've tarred your bat, rolled up your sleeves, you're loaded for bear.
Kraky are you contemplating going out somewhere?
The score on the board tells me the Koreans are (not} going down.
Oh Kra...ky
Don't take your glove to town.

It wasn't you that started that old crazy Asian war.
But you were bound to go and do your patriotic chore.
And yes, it's true that you're not the man you used to be...
Oh Kra...ky, you still suffer lunacy.

It's hard to stop a man whose mind is bent and not too wise.
And the bunts and the knees of a man your age, Kraky you realize...
But it won't be long you've heard them say until you will be found.
Oh Kra...ky
Don't take your glove to town.

You're leavin' now 'cause I just heard the slammin' of the door.
The way I know I've heard it slam one hundred times before.
And if you could play you'd get your fun and pitch from on the mound.
Oh Kra...ky
Don't take your glove to town.
Oh Kra...ky
For Selig's sake...turn around!

Need a big inning here, Krak, down by 5 in the top of the 5.....

If I can climb over the compound wall and through the razor wire, I can sneek home without anyone ever seeing me!!
What's up with the D-Train? We canNOT lose this game!! Down 6-1 now - but still time left!!

7-1, Krak. It's time to notify the umpires!

Slammin' of the door!

You want some kimchi on that Ball Park frank?

Baseball, apple pie, and Hyundai!

The Lee brothers have left the park...contented!


Red Rover, Red Rover...send Krakatoa right over!
We've got ya' covered Krak!...run like the dickens! Serpentine! Serpentine! Peter Falk's advice to Alan Arkin in The In Laws.

I've now got dried squid on my face.....I will replace it with the apprpriate amount of egg when we land at Sea-Tac in June......

gaaaaaaaaaaaarrrrggghhhh.

Dang--Korea flat dogged us.
What's the level of excitment, over there?

JT, I'm sure there's a huge party going on downtown right now.

Does anyone else feel as I do--the rest of the baseball world has caught up to us.

FUNDAMENTALS -- FUNDAMENTALS--- FUNDAMENTALS

quote:

Originally posted by TRhit:
Does anyone else feel as I do--

No one feels like you do.

Another example of a quote taken OUT OF CONTEXT !!!!


You all seem to want to help me prove my point about how many of you read and interpret

The Korean and Japanese teams have certainly shown some exciting baseball against the US: crafty pitching, superb D, aggressive baserunning. Particularly on the basepaths, I hope US ball (at al levels) is taking note.

In the World Cup (not that I think many people here watch it ), you see the same thing --- different areas of the world emphasize different skills. To compete, a team has to make theselves more well-rounded.

This is good for the game.

I agree with TRhit, the Asian brand of baseball emphasizing fundamentals has been a pleasure to watch.

We had our kids in the batting cages Sunday, I told them to watch the Asian teams. I told them to watch how fundamentally sound they are. To get that way you have to practice cut-offs, relays, situations. Still two weeks in, they’ll want to take batting practice for two hours.

Orlando:

I agree with you...this is ultimately good for the game!

And TR is right...FUNDAMENTALS, FUNDAMENTALS, FUNDAMENTALS!

Can anyone answer this...is the ability to execute FUNDAMENTALS near flawlessly projectable?

All of this talk and emphasis on physical projection...what about the skills and mental aspect of the game?

We don't have cable and were not able to view any of the games...are the Asian teams physical hulks?

Considering the results against the US team my hat is off to the Japanese and Korean teams...a job well done on their part...not so well done on the US team's part...I think.

gotwood

In a word NO!!!!!

They just know how to play the game

Who knew you could pitch well and play good defense and win games? I mean, our guys are so big and can hit the ball so far, and Derick Jeter (or Alex Rodriguez, I forget which) is the best player in the history of sports. ESPN told me that.

Interesting case study for young players, this!

sonsbaseballvalet:

quote:

Originally posted by sonsbaseballvalet:
I agree with TRhit, the Asian brand of baseball emphasizing fundamentals has been a pleasure to watch.

Welcome aboard the HSBBW...I've labeled myself as a baseball and softball chauffeur on my public profile...it appears we view ourselves similarly!

If we had been able to view these games I'm certain we would have enjoyed them too.

Hello;

Since 1993, we have organized the Goodwill Series games against the National High School Team of Japan and Korea. This is the World Cup of High School baseball.

Unfortunately, few of our American players can adjust to the challenge of the discipline and focus for 9 innings of the Japan and Korean High School player.

Today in the 4,300 high schools in Japan the high school team is practicing from 6 to 8:30 AM and go to school [very academic] and again practice 3 to dark, seven days each week.
Only 48 teams qualify for Koshien, where 45,000 people watch every game in August and 40 million on TV. Our American Team will play the best 18 players from this tournament in Cooperstown August 31 and in Los Angeles September 2-5, 2006.

We travel to Japan June 7-20 and I am worried. We have a good defense.

We need pitchers, who can pitch to Ichiro type hitters for the 6 games played in high school stadiums seating 20,000.

This is our 15th Japan/America Goodwill Series.

Bob Williams

Its Great to be taught how to play baseball again.
The Right Way, Team Team Team.
Not a bunch of pumped up, hit the long ball, don't run out the pop up fly, thinking there bigger then the game, yelling at the Umps to get a call, Bush league, Primadonna's.
Was that enough are can you think of some more.

Consultant knows. My son was invited by a local Korean school team in Seoul (only foreigner ever so invited) to train with them for a season. It was exceptional. I enjoyed every minute watching. However, the Korean players are basically asked to give up almost everything in order to train for baseball. Consultant mentioned that in Japan the short time they are in school is 'very academic', but that is not the case in Korea. The wheels are greased for these kids and they have little if any serious academic demands placed on them. So, what we see on their National team is the absolute cream of the crop -- remember that behind those guys are thousands and thousands of kids who, starting around age 9 or 10, gave up everything to try and make it. And in this system, if you don't make it, it's too late to go back and get that serious degree like we can in the States. It's a huge dice roll, and we must remember the remnants of such a system that we will never see. They are out there across Korea trying to figure out now how to make a living with a minimal education.

Thanks for the "other side of the story" Krak. I'd prefer my kids have a life.

I wonder how many scouts will be entering the country NOW? Ane even though China got its doors blown off, a country of how many billion people is sure to grow into a huge power soon enough.........it does give one pause.

I have enjoyed watching how different countries approach the same game so differently. The quickness on defense and very precise pitching is incredible. Fundamentals are great...but is swinging like Ichiro really what "we" call good fundamentals??? Is the rotational inside out swing no longer what should be taught??? It kind of makes me wonder if everything I have learned about hitting is about to become as outdated as the "keep your elbow up" routine I learned about thirty years ago.

DG

I dont like Ichiro's swing but when you look at his stats here in MLB how do you argue---the guy is a complete player---excellent at the plate and one of the best arms in the outfield-fundamentaly sound

I will take him on my team--

And Matsui in NY is also a fine player to say the very least--I am talking the Yankee Matsui not the Mets Matsui


As for hitting procedures, no two hitters do it the same way--if they are successful it may only mean it works for them--by the way the "keep your elbow up" is not outdated--it has just been morphed into todays terminology and claymation images

Gotwood

Thanks for the welcome. It does seem sometime between games, practice, tournaments and rides to friends houses that we are valets. But what a ride it has been, having a blast.

sbbv:

I'm with you on that one...just hope that all of them truly appreciate our efforts!

TRhit

quote:

I dont like Ichiro's swing but when you look at his stats here in MLB how do you argue---the guy is a complete player---excellent at the plate and one of the best arms in the outfield-fundamentaly sound

If you really take a look hard at how Ichiro's swings, you will see that he covers all angles.
Mostly with his legs and feet, and the way he can rock back on an inside pitch, and forward on a outside pitch.
He looks for a pitch to hit, and it doesn't have to be a strike.
He could walk a lot of the time's but he say's the fan's don't pay to see him walk.

I'm not that old, but I'm wondering how Ty Cobb and some of the other old timers hit. I'm thinking that they also slap hit alot of balls.
I personally like that type of baseball. Get on base anyway you can. Line drive's in the gap, Stealing bases, Sac. Bunt.
Its more exciting to me then the long ball. the EH

Heck of a game last night; I thoroughly enjoyed it. And I was exceedingly disappointed that ESPN couldn't find a way to broadcast the Cuba - Puerto Rico game live, perhaps on a local affiliate.

The fans in Korea must be going bonzo, Krak, particularly in light of Ichiro's trash talking before the tournament. A Scottish fan described the shot of him post game perfectly: "he had a face like a bulldog licking p*** off a nettle".

I am impressed with the tournament play and (with a few tweaks) look forward to the next time the season is bookended with classic games!

theEH:

I totally agree with you!


Orlando:

You gotta' hand it to them Scots! I love it!

Ichiro has always been a favorite of mine. I'm really a bit disillusioned that he was talking such hard smack - didn't fit with my image of him at all. But when it comes to Korea and Japan, there are a LOT of hard feelings, politically, historically. The Korean defeat of the USA probably felt like getting an A on a test to the Koreans. Beating Japan TWICE, however, must feel like kicking your former jailer right in the old apple cart - two times as hard as you can.

I'm looking forward to all that cool t-shirts that will start appearing in the market stalls this week! Should be some great stuff!

Keep this in mind, too, when you see how hard the Koreans play - there's more at stake than the game itself!!

"...And as an added bonus, none of its players will be going into their country's military after the tournament ends. Prior to the start of the second round, the Korean government announced that it would waive for its players the mandatory three-year stint in the armed forces -- imposed on every Korean male -- if the team reached the semifinals in San Diego..."

Heck of a motivator, there, Krak. I had heard that was under consideration; glad to hear the boys got it.

Hey Krak--did you design that cool hat logo for them?

JT, as a matter of fact, I did!! I've been working on it for ten years over here, with only summers off. It took me forever to get those 3 white lines JUST SO, but I finally pulled it off. Thanks for noticing!!

Were I a pitcher, I'd love to have a big old clear "K" staring at every batter at the plate! What other logo would they have?!

Well, we just didn't score runs. Very disappointing. Japan will play Korea again; I certainly hope they maintain their intensity. If you haven't been watching, do --- there's some great baseball being played...I only wish we would have played more of it.

I do like Team Korea, and would love to watch their style match up against the Latin's.