Pride : Corea's Strength and Weakness

All that was accomplished and gained throughout the WBC, Corea had it all unravel because they could not let go of their pride.

With the dominance of Japan and all that Ichiro had said up to this game, I know deep down, Corea and it's manager lost sight of what they needed to do and let their egos get the best of them. With two on second and third and with first base open, the wise and only decision needed to be made at the time was to walk Ichiro, who already had three hits in the game. But with two outs, the temptation to have Ichiro be the goat and fail to lift his country and be the hero was too much for Corea to pass up. That is why we let a right-handed submarine pitcher throw to Ichiro. I won't lie, I even fell into the trap. After Lim got Ichiro into a 1-2 hole, I told myself that we could pull this out. But after a couple of foul tips and a wide outside pitch, anyone could see that Lim was going to lose this battle. It was time for a walk. It was time for us to play smart, not prideful.

Instead of bringing Ichiro down, we made him into a national hero. After an eight-pitch duel and after throwing everything he had at him, Lim finally threw one right down the middle and the rest is history. That's not to say that if we had walked Ichiro, it would have secured our victory, but there was no reason in the world to pitch to him. No reason at all.

There was a lot to learned by the Japanese team. Their ability to stay poised and do whatever it takes to win is what we need to learn; not to get distracted by the smaller things. After two very simliar elimination losses to Japan, I hope that Corea learns from its mistake and puts its pride on the backburner and plays like the champions that they are.

I am very proud of Team Corea and all they did in the WBC. Our team showed we are a force to be reckoned with.

**Now I don't know if this is true or not, but I was listening to my parents and my pastor talk about the game the day after, and they were saying that the coach of the Corea had advised the pitcher to walk Ichiro and the pitcher didn't follow directions and is now getting a lot of flak for it.

I don't know about you, but this sounds like some classic, intense Corean deflection. Correct me if I'm wrong, but aren't we a team that prides ourselves in respect and following orders? If a coach says something, it usually gets done. Now, even if this dude was a rogue pitcher looking for glory, why didn't the pitching coach or the manager come out to confront the guy? They just stood there watching. The cameras panned to the coaches several times and they just stood there while all this was going on.

Corea, please don't bring shame on all the hard work you've done. You made a mistake and don't make the pitcher  a scapegoat to save the face of the manager and his errors. Be proud of what you've done. Geez.

Like most Korean men, my relationship with my father was about as horrible as one can imagine. Always with the nagging, high expectations, rules, and judgements, I found myself coming to grips with the fact that I hated the man.

It wasn't until recently that my father started to change. I'm not sure if it was his fading health or his renewed fervor with God that changed him, but he became softer, more understanding. The things that would set him off no longer bothered him. He rarely raises his voice, and when he does, its used to be boisterous and funny and playful.

I went over to my father's place for New Year's dinner, and after an hour of just talking about nothing, we stumbled on the topic of church. Not sure what compelled me to spill my guts, but I basically laid it on him about how much I despised the Korean society and how they were ruining our church. As I continued to state example after example of why I hated our church's state, I could see his mind churning. I could feel his body tensing and the hurt in his eyes, but he remained calm. After I finished my rant, he sat there for a couple of minutes and processed all I had given him. He took a sip of his water, folded his napkin, and began to speak...

What he said was for my ears alone, but while he was talking, I came to a startling revelation. I think I love my father. It takes a long time to undo 22 years of unabashed Korean ignorance and stubborness. Even as my father softened, there was always something inside my head warning me, telling me to be skeptical, in case he reverted back to his old ways. No matter how many times he would tell me he loved me, I would always have this strange feeling of guilt and shame clouded over me. Whenever I was with him, I felt alone.

But hearing my father speak today, listening to what he said, something in my mind clicked. In no way did he become God-like, nor did he make up for all the disappointments and hurt he placed upon me, but for the first time, I felt as though he heard me. He listened to me speak, and instead of having a speech prepared to retort with, he confirmed everything I said. He spoke with compassion. He spoke with empathy. And because what I had said meant so much to me, his understanding of my heart made me love him more.

It breaks my heart when I realize that although he is still strong, his time is nearing. It angers me that it took so long, caused so many tears before we could get here. But, when I look around me and see other Korean parents and children with similar or more severe situations, I take heart and am glad that I got to experience this.

I'm pretty sure we have a ton of arguments waiting for us in the future. I'm probably going to disappoint my father and he's going to disappoint me. But from this point on, I know he understands me... and that means everything.

I never believed in the concept of having a hero in my life. Things change.

The Trouble With...

.... snow is that my Civic, as hard it tries, cannot handle any inclines. I was going alright the first day it snowed, but now I just get stranded from house to house. I finally got my car to bust out of my garage and make it to work, but after my shift was over, I got stuck trying to leave the damn parking lot. I would gas it up there only to slide down cause the idiot in front of me is took his/her time to merge into traffic. Over and over again, I'd slide, reset, gas it, and slide again. Damn it all... and I love snow...

... friends who "care" is that they don't seem to really care. They just seem to want the latest scoop on anything mildly interesting, then they're done with you. It's kind of a bummer, but also not that bad cause I just need to make up something here and there, and I get my privacy. My new best friend is the PS3; doesn't ask questions and gives me days of entertainment in exchange for my eyesight and brain cells. Even Steven!

... trying to impress a girl is that the harder you try, you end up looking more like an ass. I'm all out of sorts right now, but I guess in a good way cause no matter how bad I seem to mess it up, she's still there. Hmm.... should I fall for a person who is such a glutton for punishment? Absolutely, I should.

... Christmas is that the things I loved the most like the presents, attending church, the snow, and other things have become a massive headache for me. Is it cause I'm older and poorer and more ornary? I wish it was Thanksgiving again...

On that cheery note, Merry Christmas. I'm going to hide out until the sun comes out again. I miss you, you big, flaming gas ball.

Hi

 Hi Xanga.

Life's good. Not really but I'm coping with a lot of Netflix and booze, er, soda. I transferred to my new store and realized that maybe it was a mistake because apparantely, money is important. I'm banking on Obama not only saving this country, but personally dropping off a bag o' cash at my doorstep.

Speaking of Obama, I voted. Woooo. It may seem like my vote was insignificant, but I've persuaded myself into thinking that it was a close race until people found out I voted for Obama and the nation swayed its vote for my choice.

So, for some depressing news, Youngsoo's gone from our church. He made his grand exit and tears were flowing and the kids made him a makeshift scrapbook and video that brought on an onslaught of emotions. I tried to contain my emotions, or at least tried to cry "cool", but I ended up blubbering again. But good for him, nonetheless. Our awkward butterfly is spreading his wings right into the bug zapper. GoodLuck.

Welp, I'm going to dive into some heavy self-loathing before I bury my face into another awesome Seattle Deli's Tofu Sandwich (thanks to 21 for the recommendation). Nothing makes some serious guilt dissapate like eating and a season of The Wire and Chuck.

Your friend,

Satchel Shin. Mameshiba!!

Stuck

Welp, all was well when I was chillin' with David+Dari. But now that I'm on my own, its kind of strenuous.

The place i have has absolutely no source of communication to the outside world, aside from books written in the late seventies.

I'm trying to get a phone right now in Corea, and boy is it a pain in the ass. AhHH!.