I have to admit that my admiration for the Korean team and their fine WBC performance and the good it might do for Asian baseball’s world profile was tempered by concern that they would be either insufferable winners or sore losers.

http://english.chosun.com/w21d.....70025.html

‘Classic’ Japan Baseball Draws Frank Praise in Korea

When the Japanese team made it into the finals by defeating Korea 6-0 the Chosun-ilbo, Korean Netizen fan-sites and fan sites on ESPN, the official broadcaster of the WBC, were swamped with posts from Korean fans complimenting the Japanese on their game.

“This is true baseball. It was such an interesting game,” wrote one. “The Japanese team has superb pitchers. They are good at fielding and have strong fundamentals,” said another. “Such a great game that I haven’t seen for ages. It was the best-ever!” said a third. At least one Netizen also paid tribute to the Japanese team’s appearance saying, “Japanese are so handsome and cool,”

The response may owe something to the high hopes Korean fans at that point had for their own legendary team. Even after that hope was dashed, Korean fans still compared their luckless heroes unfavorably with the Japanese. “The Korean team is such a loser compared to Japan. They are overestimated,” wrote one disgruntled fan.

The Korean media has also been frank in its admiration. The Korea Times cited Korea’s team manager, as praising the Japanese team’s talent, spirit and preparation. MLB.com went further, hailing Japan as the best team in the world right now, a “Classic” formation.

Clearly, Japanese baseball has left a strong impression in Korea, impressing with its beauty as well as its undeniable success over opponents.

Oh, here’s the link, by the way, if for some reason you feel you need to verify the source.

http://english.chosun.com/w21d.....70025.html

Wait! It doesn’t stop there! The Chosun Ilbo has more!

Japanese Baseball Team Shames Korea in WBC Triumph

The Japanese national team dealt an ego-bruising 6-0 defeat to Korea on Sunday during the semi-final game at the World Baseball Classic in the Angels Stadium at Anaheim, California. By sending the Korean team home packing, Japan has once again shown Korea that Japan is still the teacher, and Korea is still the student.

It was Japan great Kosuke Fukudome, easily the best hitter in the Japan League, who threw open the door for Japan’s ascent to the finals with a 2 run homerun. At the top of the seventh inning, Fukudome managed to reel in a pitch thrown by the Korea’s KIm Byung-hun, sending it sailing out of the park in a sign of the thrashing that was to come.

Team Korea served up some last-minute fireworks when one batter managed to get a walk in the 9th inning. A far cry from the needed comeback, it at least provided a bit of relief for fans who had managed to stick out the heartbreak and unseasonably chilly weather

Great article boys. That’s some of that ‘fair, balanced, you report, we decide’ type stuff you guys have become famous for.

Oops, almost forgot the link for that classic piece of sports journalism.

http://english.chosun.com/w21d.....40026.html

Chamsil stadium in Seoul, where legions of Korean fans came to watch the Japan team “spank” the Koreans on the big screen.

By the way, anyone got a Japanese flag? I understand it’s customary to plant the winning teams flag on the pitcher’s mound.

And finally one more from our mighty Chosun sports crew:

Korea Smarts at Japan Blow to Its Pride in WBC Game

Korea is in a state of shock after its defeat at the hands of Japan baseball aces in the ongoing World Baseball Classic. The sting of defeat was all the worse coming from a team the Koreans had begun to consider inferior. On Sunday evening, the local press chorused in unison on Lee Seung-yeop’s failure to produce and Ichiro’s strong performance, some referring to the match as “the Great Korean Defeat.” Ichiro’s face was on all the TV channels, with big broadcasters covering the match in every last detail.

The Korea Times was covered in bold print that read, ” Kosuke Fukudome the Pulverizer — Seventh inning spankfest”. Korea’s top internet portal, Naver, was forced in pathetic desperation to come up with wild stories about how America conspired to keep Korea down. The online edition of the Korea Herald was forced to avert its eyes from the WBC. It ran news about the upcoming World Cup instead.

Most of the sports dailies led with a picture of Korea’s top player, Lee Seung-yeop in despair. The Sports Kochu titled “Zero hits in the last 7 at bats, Shame, Seung-yeop”.

And the link for that little gem can be found here.

http://english.chosun.com/w21d.....60002.html

Keep up the good work, Chosun-ilbo. The world has never seen a team of sports writers quite like your crew. Keep keepin’ it real fellas.

Korea was also the only country to have been clobbered 6:0 scoreless in the tournment.

Korea is also the only country which bragged about its players somehow being admired by the US female population.

Korea is the only nation which would make death threats against an opponent who got the benefit of the doubt on a lucky call. Umpire Bob Davidson is probably saying a thousand hail marys that it was Japan to whom he made the controversial call and not Korea. Korea would probably have sent out a dozen warships to Hawaii (close to Dokto) and already made a song called “F_cking Bob Davidson” by now.

Why are using such a name for your post?
In case you don’t know, Its disgusting!!

Change your name.

Hmm…sounds really stupid, doesn’t it? Face it, despite the fact that so many of the haters are jealous and hate the fact that Japan won, Japan won and deserves every single bit of the praise and glory it is receiving.

http://english.chosun.com/w21d.....70025.html

The article states that American girls are going ga ga over Koreans now because “Koreans are so handsome and cool.” LOL!!!

If the article above wasn’t so funny given that the members of the Korean team look about as attractive as a rabid chimp, it would be very fitting that a piece of work like this resorting to made up lies so that the home crowd can feel so proud of themselves could come straight from something out of a Nazi eugenics manual. Well, I guess that is the only way Koreans can feel good about themselves.

But we all know how they are the most tasteless winners in the world, bragging and gloating whenever they win or beat Japan/US, but of course, when they lose, they are worse (making death threats to American olympic atheletes who beat Korean atheletes fair and square, whining and throwing chairs at boxing officials in the 1988 Olympics, etc.) You dont see Japanese fans making death threats at the US umpire for the bad call. Completely different mindset.

Looks like a case of sour grapes…I love it! Korea..u guys sucked and Japan clobbered you guys 6:0!!! Hahahah

http://english.chosun.com/w21d.....90005.html

There is a huge difference between an argument in which the aim is to disscuss AFTER the tournament the problems which were left, and could be bettered for the next one, and an argument in which the aim is to minimize others efforts and justify their own failor.

In case you don’t know, team Japan became the champinon of this tournament, and there is no need to minimize others or to suspect any conspiracy theory which robbed a deserved championship.

As far as I know, any paper in Japan did that (Nihon Keizainichi, eh sorry, Nihon Keizai Shinbun included) after the tournament pointing out that although the tournament was a success (bear in mind that the japanese were also very skeptical about it success), but that the problems of umpiring (in that you just make a rule that an umpire should not umpire a game in which his own native nations is involved. A common rule in the soccer world cup), or the problem of timing of the tournament, or the problem of the format (almost all as far as I know, crediting team korea as the most victim).

And so do many American papers and media (USA today, eh sorry, “Zainichi today” and Sports ESPN, eh sorry, “Kimchi ESPN” maybe?).

That said, I am interested whether there are NO CRITICS in korea about the attidude of the their players after the second win against Team Japan.

Don’t get me wrong, I am not referring to the manner, but the fact that they were just cheering as if they had won the championship.

If the Japanese players did that, I assure you that the media, critics and fan will literaly lynch them.

The aim of Team Japan was to become the champion but not just to win against Team Korea and reach the semi final.

A japanese commentator said that maybe Team Korea was the best team of the tournament, but they don’t deserve the championship because they were overjoyed with just to reach the semi final and to win again Japan.

But if the goal of the Korean team was to suprise the world, and reach the semi final, then no reason to be disappointed. Mission accomplished!!

But then again, with Korea claiming Orange County as part of the ROK, controlling the news outlets must have been one of the first orders of business.

Oh, and despite their team being crowned champions, it seems some in the Japanese media are still not happy about that one errant call and are pointing out that the umpires were all American.

Must all be Korean, eh? I guess the Nihon Keizai Shimbun should be renamed the Nihon Keizainichi.

By the way, the Ducks appear playoff-worthy, so says the OC Register.