ID :
98957
Sat, 01/09/2010 - 07:48
Auther :
Shortlink :
https://www.oananews.org//node/98957
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S. Korean baseball team vows gold medal in Asian Games
By Kim Boram
SEOUL, Jan. 8 (Yonhap) -- The manager of South Korea's national baseball team
said Friday that he will select the best players to win the gold medal at this
year's Asian Games.
"I'll select players based not on their name value, but on quality of their play,
regardless of whether they are in the domestic league or in foreign leagues,"
said manager Cho Bum-hyun at a press conference. Cho led the Kia Tigers to a
Korean series championship last year and automatically became the national team
manager.
"I will check every player's condition before I submit the final roster by
September," he added.
The Korea Baseball Organization (KBO) has to submit the 60-man preliminary roster
by June 30 and the final list of 22 players by Sept. 30 to the organizing
committee of this year's Asiad. The 2010 Asian Games kick off Nov. 12 for 16 days
in Guangzhou, China.
After capturing the first Olympic gold medal in Beijing last year and reaching
the final at the second World Baseball Classic (WBC) in 2009, South Korea is one
of the hopefuls at this year's Asian Games.
The South Korean baseball squad won gold medals at the 1998 and 2002 Asian Games,
but finished third at the Doha Asiad in 2006.
Young baseballers, including Choo Shin-soo of the Cleveland Indians, will compete
for the 22-man roster. He will be exempted from his two-year compulsory military
service if he and other Korean players win the gold medal.
South Korean draft law exempts male players from mandatory military service if
they win an Asian Games gold or at least a bronze medal in the Olympics.
A number of South Korean sports stars, including Philadelphia Phillies pitcher
Park Chan-ho, have benefited from the rule. Park ducked the obligation when the
Korean baseball team won the gold at the 1998 Bangkok Asian Games.
Japan, which has sent amateur players to previous Asian Games, will reportedly
send only professional players to Guangzhou. Other hopefuls, including Korea, are
trying to collect the best players to win the gold medal.
"We have to come up with the most competitive squad to win the gold. Although we
have to consider exemption from military service for some young players, the
basic principle of selecting players is that we will pick only the best players.
You cannot guarantee the gold even if you collect only the best players for the
team," said Kim In-sik, manager of 2009 WBC national team and chairman of the
KBO's technical committee for the event.
"Choo contributed to the WBC last year and failed to get the exemption. His name
came to mind first," Kim said of Choo, who batted .300 with 20 home runs and 21
stolen bases in the 2009 season.
As baseball will be excluded from the 2012 Summer Olympics, the 2010 Asian Games
will be the only chance for the 27-year-old Choo to be exempted from mandatory
military service.
brk@yna.co.kr
(END)
SEOUL, Jan. 8 (Yonhap) -- The manager of South Korea's national baseball team
said Friday that he will select the best players to win the gold medal at this
year's Asian Games.
"I'll select players based not on their name value, but on quality of their play,
regardless of whether they are in the domestic league or in foreign leagues,"
said manager Cho Bum-hyun at a press conference. Cho led the Kia Tigers to a
Korean series championship last year and automatically became the national team
manager.
"I will check every player's condition before I submit the final roster by
September," he added.
The Korea Baseball Organization (KBO) has to submit the 60-man preliminary roster
by June 30 and the final list of 22 players by Sept. 30 to the organizing
committee of this year's Asiad. The 2010 Asian Games kick off Nov. 12 for 16 days
in Guangzhou, China.
After capturing the first Olympic gold medal in Beijing last year and reaching
the final at the second World Baseball Classic (WBC) in 2009, South Korea is one
of the hopefuls at this year's Asian Games.
The South Korean baseball squad won gold medals at the 1998 and 2002 Asian Games,
but finished third at the Doha Asiad in 2006.
Young baseballers, including Choo Shin-soo of the Cleveland Indians, will compete
for the 22-man roster. He will be exempted from his two-year compulsory military
service if he and other Korean players win the gold medal.
South Korean draft law exempts male players from mandatory military service if
they win an Asian Games gold or at least a bronze medal in the Olympics.
A number of South Korean sports stars, including Philadelphia Phillies pitcher
Park Chan-ho, have benefited from the rule. Park ducked the obligation when the
Korean baseball team won the gold at the 1998 Bangkok Asian Games.
Japan, which has sent amateur players to previous Asian Games, will reportedly
send only professional players to Guangzhou. Other hopefuls, including Korea, are
trying to collect the best players to win the gold medal.
"We have to come up with the most competitive squad to win the gold. Although we
have to consider exemption from military service for some young players, the
basic principle of selecting players is that we will pick only the best players.
You cannot guarantee the gold even if you collect only the best players for the
team," said Kim In-sik, manager of 2009 WBC national team and chairman of the
KBO's technical committee for the event.
"Choo contributed to the WBC last year and failed to get the exemption. His name
came to mind first," Kim said of Choo, who batted .300 with 20 home runs and 21
stolen bases in the 2009 season.
As baseball will be excluded from the 2012 Summer Olympics, the 2010 Asian Games
will be the only chance for the 27-year-old Choo to be exempted from mandatory
military service.
brk@yna.co.kr
(END)
