We knew each other’s existence since high school, but after joining the pros, we only exchanged greetings occasionally. The 2000 Sydney Olympics were rapidly approaching. Although the teams were different, they recognized each other’s talents and formed a friendship as best friends.
Those who enjoyed the joy of winning Korea’s first Olympic baseball medal wearing the Taegeuk mark have grown into superstars who are called ‘people’, and prepare for the new season as rookie command towers side by side. ‘National hitter’ Lee Seung-yeop (Doosan) ‘national shortstop’ coach Park Jin-man (Samsung, 47 or higher) left a lasting advice to his juniors who are preparing for a great challenge as a national team legend, not as a rookie command tower. Sports Seoul met the two directors, which are difficult to put in one frame, in celebration of the Year of the Cat.
◇ Half-pounding, half-thin, leisurely vs. edgy
Leadership coach Park Jin-man is ahead of coach Lee Seung-yeop. Coach Park retired from SK in 2015 and immediately turned into a leader, and last year, he led the team as acting manager of the first team at Futures coach. Since he was appointed as the new Samsung command tower in October of last year, only his leadership career has entered the 8th year. Director Lee, who retired from Samsung in 2017, watched baseball outside the ground while serving as the chairman of the scholarship foundation, commentator, and public relations committee member of the Korea Baseball Organization (KBO). Although his coaching experience is nil, he was honored to make his coaching debut as a coach in recognition of his rich experience.
Director Lee said, “Director Park is not a beginner,” and he said, “Because he is a veteran leader, he will have more room than me.” In fact, coach Park said, “I plan to take a break by spending a lot of time with my family during the inactive period,” contrasting with coach Lee, who looked nervous, saying, “I have to spend the whole winter trying to figure out the players.”카지노
◇The most important thing is to keep the basics
The space inside and outside the field was different, but the desire for the KBO league to revive is the same. Manager Lee is a hitter and Manager Park is a person who made a family out of defense, so there is a difference in perspective, but “there is no shortage of emphasis on strengthening the basic skills” in unison.
The two legends said, “If you look at young players in their early 20s, their physical conditions and talents are much better compared to our time. It is a pity that the power to demonstrate good skills is lacking.” Their diagnosis is that they cannot demonstrate their skills because their basic skills are weak, but they often miss important things because they focus only on acquiring skills.
Director Park said, “When I first learned throwing in elementary school, I trained to throw a tennis ball. If he doesn’t spin properly, the ball won’t stretch out, so he naturally gets better at throwing. He gave this training to players who joined the pros, and he said it was a method that he had never encountered before.” He needs to learn the basics from his infancy so that he can perform at a professional level when he becomes an adult. Director Park emphasized, “It is very difficult to correct the throwing posture after joining the pros.”
Director Lee also said, “It is an era where baseball videos from around the world can be easily accessed. It’s good to watch the video, but I don’t think you should blindly believe in it. Everyone has different strength and speed, so you have to hit the right blow to survive.” Director Lee, who caught both speed and distance by rotating the batted ball, said, “A pop fly and a home run are separated by a difference of 0.1 mm at the smallest and 0.5 mm at the largest. Narrowing this fine gap is the realm of the senses, but if you train hard enough, you will feel it at some point. Once caught, it seldom disappears,” he explained. In the end, ‘basic and training’ is the beginning and the end.
◇Korea’s unique strength “I will do well”
The World Baseball Classic (WBC) is a competition in which those who stand at the pinnacle of basics and skills compete. The two coaches also participated in the first tournament in 2006 and led the legend of the semifinals. They jointly won the first Olympic gold medal in history for Korea at the 2008 Beijing Olympics. Coach Lee became a national hero with a home run in the semifinals and finals, and coach Park with a double play that confirmed the gold medal.
The two commanders, who agreed that “the Beijing Olympics kids led to the revival of the KBO league,” first said, “No matter what the result, please run hard so that the people can cheer and clap.” Director Lee said, “From the moment you wear the Taegeuk mark, you must completely abandon yourself. Even because of the uniqueness of the national competition, there is no need to dwell on individual performance,” he emphasized. He said, “I’m sorry for the team, but the national team should abandon their team and do their best for Korean baseball and the country.”
Coach Park also said, “There are times when the national team performs well and sometimes not. When I think of the international competitions I have attended, there are times when the unique strengths of Koreans stand out. The power to sacrifice and unite without saying anything is the strength of the Korean national team that other countries are most wary of.” In the 2006 WBC game against Taiwan, Kim Dong-joo’s head-first sliding from first base is a representative moment of ‘sacrifice and unity’ that director Park recalls. Kim Dong-joo’s shoulder fracture was a major obstacle to his career, but Korea laid the foundation for an Olympic gold medal and 2009 WBC runner-up with a semifinal myth.
The two commanders said, “Through the joy and emotion that the soccer team gave to the people at the World Cup, we proved what role sports should play. I hope that juniors will carry on this momentum at the WBC. I believe that if I go to the tournament with the confidence that I am at the world’s best level, I will do well. We can definitely do it.”
The candid and sincere stories of the national batter and national shortstop to the national team juniors and the future of Korean baseball can be found on the Sports Seoul YouTube channel.