Sunday, April 12, 2020

Time to board the Seoul Train: South Korea launches spring exhibitions in 10 days

That was the week that was. It's over, let it go. Oh, what a week it was...

Did you know that neanderthals made string? I didn't, until last week. 

Did you know that Lady Gaga wears glasses?* I didn't, until last week.

(*Note: In longstanding celeb tradition, Lady wears specs when being intellectual.) 

Did you know the virus kills people under age 25? The governor of Florida didn't, until last week.

Now comes the kicker: Did you know we may soon have baseball again? I didn't, until today!

The South Korean Baseball Organization has resumed workouts and plans to re-launch its exhibition season April 21 - only two Netfix binges from Tuesday. In recent KBO intra-squad games - I swear I'm not making this up - some players wear masks. This I gotta see.

Today's Gray Lady reports concerns about the re-start. Though South Korea has reduced the number of new coronavirus cases to just 64 - (that's nationwide, mind you) - nobody knows if the relaunch can work. All players remain quarantined. Before hitting the field, their temperatures are taken. One outbreak could sink the season. Basically, this experiment will dictate whether MLB can play in 2020. 

But here's the takeaway: Any games, however weird, are still baseball. 

The crack of the bat! The whoosh of a slide! The flump of a fastball hitting ribs! And the wheedle of commentators as we each pick our favorite team. Here's how the KBO finished 2019.


Who should we support? This is no easy choice. Way I see it, the Twins, Bears, Tigers, Giants, Lions and Eagles - because of their namesake affiliation with U.S. franchises - should be disqualified. That leaves the Wiz, Dinos, Heroes and Wyverns as our potential house team.

I am open to suggestions. Many of us are Dinos. We consider ourselves Heroes. I have no idea what a Wyvern is. Right now, I'm leaning toward the KT Wiz, in part because they have a 19-year-old slugger named Baek-ho Kang, who hit .336 last year. A budding star the Yankees could sign? Nobody beats the Wiz, right? 

Hold onto your masks, comrades. We may soon have baseball after all. 

27 comments:

TheWinWarblist said...

The Wiz. Definitely the Wiz!


Also, Crazy Eddie is insane!!

TheWinWarblist said...

Merry Spring Bacchanalia!

ranger_lp said...

If you can't beat the Wiz, you take one...

13bit said...
This comment has been removed by a blog administrator.
TheWinWarblist said...
This comment has been removed by a blog administrator.
ranger_Ip said...

BTW, just in case anyones confused, "The Wiz" is a laughably bad musical film from 1978 starring Diana Ross and Michael Jackson, i just thought i`d clarify.

Local Bargain Jerk said...


I have no idea what a Wyvern is.

I didn't either until now.

el duque said...

Woah. The Wyverns might just take it.

Wezil1 said...

So Jerry! What’s the story?

Anonymous said...

Lions? Tigers? Bears? Oh my! THE WIZ? Seriously?

Do people stand on third and click their ruby red shoes and wish they were home? Does the winning team get a Garland?

Something is not right.

Doug K.

Anonymous said...

As to Crazy Eddie and Jerry... Good times.

I'm more of a Leo Wiser guy ("Automobile Club of America did you have to be this good")and of course our own "Phil Rizzuto for the Money Store."
I still don't know how he knew I needed money. But to be fair there was a Peter Lemongello album I wanted to buy.

Doug K.

Anonymous said...

I think eating Wyverns is what got us into the quarantine mess.

Doug K.

HoraceClarke66 said...

I'd like to go with "Heroes" just because we could play that David Bowie song endlessly.

But I think Wyverns is kind of irresistible.

I hear they used to be called "Dragons," until the Wyverns objected that this was typical, cultural exploitation. They actually wanted to be called, "Inuit," but that was already taken, so they settled for Wyverns.

Platoni said...

I chuckled at the Wyverns getting eaten. Take that you stupid, mythical, virus-laden creatures! ... oh, wait ... goddamit!

JM said...

Slim Whitman has sold more records than the Beatles. So take that, Lemongello.

Korean baseball is all well and good, but no name tops the classic Japanese League Hokkaido Nippon-Ham Fighters. Nobody fights Nippon Hams better, and nobody ever will.

Anonymous said...


JM,

LOL! Yes, yes he did.

Doug K.

Anonymous said...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=swdOHvB2ekc Vaya con dios mi amigos!

Doug K

Local Bargain Jerk said...


Slim Whitman did not sell more records than the Beatles. He's not even listed on this Wikipedia page of all-time best selling musical artists, because the cut-off is 75 million records and Whitman's Wikipedia page says that he had 70 Million confirmed sales. (Not that that's a small number...)

Here are some interesting Slim Whitman/Beatle-related facts I just read on his Wikipedia page:

Beatle George Harrison cited Whitman as an early influence: "The first person I ever saw playing a guitar was Slim Whitman, either a photo of him in a magazine or live on television. Guitars were definitely coming in." When a young Paul McCartney purchased his first guitar, the left-handed musician was unsure how to play an instrument that was manufactured and strung for a right-handed player. It was not until McCartney saw a picture of Whitman playing left-handed that he re-strung his guitar so that he too could play left-handed.

Ok, those are all the facts I'll ever know about Slim Whitman. Are they playing baseball yet?

Anonymous said...

LBJ

Are you saying that the commercials lied? Does this mean I can finally cross the street in the middle, in the middle, in the middle of the block?

Doug K.

Local Bargain Jerk said...


Does this mean I can finally cross the street in the middle, in the middle, in the middle of the block?

It would seem so, seem so, seem so. :)

How is your health? Are you doing ok?

Anonymous said...

Thanks for asking.

I think I'm done with it. My son is a few days behind me. It's weird because I thought I was done a couple of times already. But now I'm over the number of days it's supposed to take to pass through. So maybe this will stick.

We just took a walk around the block throwing a football to each other like we used to. So we will see.

One scary note...

There's a house around a block away that I would hear bad coughing coming from on other walks. Today the doors and windows were open and we smelled burning sage. It felt like the person there died and they were trying to purify the house.

Truly disturbing, made even more so because of the juxtaposition with the rest of the neighborhood was was filled with "normal" activity. Surreal.

Doug K.

Local Bargain Jerk said...


Doug K: I know we're all glad to hear it. Thanks for the update.

TheWinWarblist said...

I happy for you Doug K.

TheWinWarblist said...

Hoss, I've been listening to a lot of Bowie.

Rufus T. Firefly said...

I have more Beatles records than Slim Whitman records.

N, >0 is always >0


For best ad, I'm torn.

The Money Store? (thank you for the great rates Mr. Gambino!)
Crazy Eddie? (he's insane! and indicted!)
Carvel Ice Cream? (who knew fudgy the whale, cookie-puss, hug-me-the-bear AND santa-puss were separated at birth?)

HoraceClarke66 said...

Carvel was such a regular on the old Yankees games.

Doug K., so glad the recovery continues—for you and your son.

Happy Easter to all!

Isiyku Abdulahi said...



I really want the world to know about this great man who brought back happiness into my life again after my husband left me and the kids 3 years ago for another women online when i contacted Dr Believe he cast a love spell for me within 48 hours my ex husband start calling me and begging for forgiveness for everything that have happened between us. I was so happy to have my family back together with love again here is the email of Dr Believe via believelovespelltemple@gmail.com a man with the great powers you can also call him or add him on Whats-app: +2348156148821
God bless you
I am very grateful for your help in my marriage.