- Thread starter Mr. Lu
- Start date
DR Loses!!!!!!! in WBC
The 2009 WBC proves one thing: though the DR and Latin America have the best individual talent, Asians (Korean and Japan) play the best baseball, fundamentals included. I guess by spreading the game the Americans have diluted their own talent base.....
Mr. Lu
Mr. Lu
plus this gives us some some great rivalries: DR vs. PR, Japan vs. Korea
great baseball is played worldwide, hats off to the asians, they played a good game last night!
great baseball is played worldwide, hats off to the asians, they played a good game last night!
It was a great game and you could feel the excitement the Koreans and Japanese had at Dodger stadium. Hats off to both of them who played their hearts out and of course had some of their biggest stars represent (Ichiro, Matsuzaka, etc). Funny to see some of the Japanese guys amongst the crowd dressed in traditional Japanese (Samurai) garb. I was hoping Korea would pull it off if nothing else because Japan won it last time, but still Japan did play great.
Their season never ends.
Nonetheless, congrats to Japan. I wonder however, if the winner should host the championships in the following tournament. Although there is a huge Asian population in SoCal, the games seemed out of place in LA.
I don't necessarily disagree with you, but the Asian teams don't really have an off-season. So, when the WBC is being played, they are weeks ahead - if not more - than the Americans. That could - at least partly - explain all the physical breakdowns they had.
Nonetheless, congrats to Japan. I wonder however, if the winner should host the championships in the following tournament. Although there is a huge Asian population in SoCal, the games seemed out of place in LA.
I read an interesting article a few years ago on Alfonso Soriano in Sports Illustrated magazine.
When he played in Japan, he sometimes took batting practice up to 8 hours a day. Imagine that.
That takes an incredible amount of discipline. You can make the argument that it also leads to player burnout, but the Japanese work at baseball year-round and their workout regimens are grueling. Same with the Koreans.
?
How is 8 hours per day possible?? I mean wouldn't Soriano or anyone else be to the point where they don't want to play anymore? However, the cultural distinction here is one to note. Work ethic vs. Natural talent...which is the case demonstrated in these games.
Also, the fact that the Japanese and Korean teams probably spend more time playing together, as a unit, throughout the year, could have added to this. The Dominican teams plays together once every X amount of years.
One more note, why didn't Hideki Matsui play? I thought part of playing for Japan was that they "feared" not playing because they would be "shamed." Does anyone have any insight to this?
Mr. Lu
How is 8 hours per day possible?? I mean wouldn't Soriano or anyone else be to the point where they don't want to play anymore? However, the cultural distinction here is one to note. Work ethic vs. Natural talent...which is the case demonstrated in these games.
Also, the fact that the Japanese and Korean teams probably spend more time playing together, as a unit, throughout the year, could have added to this. The Dominican teams plays together once every X amount of years.
One more note, why didn't Hideki Matsui play? I thought part of playing for Japan was that they "feared" not playing because they would be "shamed." Does anyone have any insight to this?
Mr. Lu
Speaking of what gives the Asians an edge, I think it could be due to the fact that because they are generally somewhat smaller and lighter than other countries and therefore aren't always concerned with koncking one out of the balpark but just getting one in play. I think this is evident by the very common "Ichiro" style of batting for lack of a better term where they start the swing with an exxagerated lower body movement at the time the ball is pitched and almost seems to cause them to loose balance. It looks akward to me but is apparently effective and helps smaller players generate more bat speed w/o sacrificing their batting average.
I don't know. There is a pitcher for the Yankees who went through a similar grueling training regimen I believe in Korea-it was mentioned in another article written in Sports Illustrated.
I will dig up the articles and post the links.
I think the batting practice story was from another article in another magazine(I'll keep looking for it) but in the meantime here is a quote from SI, with the link right below-
"Soriano dedicated himself to the game, and at 16 he was invited to a baseball academy run by the Hiroshima Toyo Carp just 20 minutes from his home. In his uncle's tales there were Yankees and Mets and Cubs and Tigers. No Carp.
But the Japanese League club would provide room, board and a small salary. "I was very happy," Soriano says, "because somebody would pay for me to play baseball. The academy could be torturous: Dominican boys herded in and out like sheep, up at the crack of dawn for batting practice and defensive drills that would last for 10 hours."
For the Yankees' Alfonso Soriano it's been a breakout year - 08.26.02 - SI Vault
"Soriano dedicated himself to the game, and at 16 he was invited to a baseball academy run by the Hiroshima Toyo Carp just 20 minutes from his home. In his uncle's tales there were Yankees and Mets and Cubs and Tigers. No Carp.
But the Japanese League club would provide room, board and a small salary. "I was very happy," Soriano says, "because somebody would pay for me to play baseball. The academy could be torturous: Dominican boys herded in and out like sheep, up at the crack of dawn for batting practice and defensive drills that would last for 10 hours."
For the Yankees' Alfonso Soriano it's been a breakout year - 08.26.02 - SI Vault
Here's the other article on the Yankees' Chein-ming Wang from Taiwan and the workload these Asian players are subjected to-
Grueling training regimens in Taiwanese colleges and professional leagues have been blamed for the short careers of pitchers. When he was 18, Tsao says, he followed a half hour of long toss with a three-hour bullpen session and an hour of pitching live batting practice. He once started three games in a four-game tournament. But many believe that the arm abuse begins even earlier. "By the time they get to college, they're already damaged," says the director of Asian scouting of one major league team.
"In the Little Leagues, it's about quantity of practice, not quality," says Kao, Wang's college coach who also was an assistant on the Tainan team that won the 1986 Little League World Series. "Mentally, we push the kids too hard, which is why so many don't go further. [At Williamsport in '86] we had lunch once next to an amusement park, and I remember seeing the boys crowded at a window watching the players from the other teams go. We wouldn't let them go play. They'd waste their energy, the [other] coaches said. I felt sorry for them."
His popularity in Taiwan, where he's bigger than the - 04.21.08 - SI Vault
Grueling training regimens in Taiwanese colleges and professional leagues have been blamed for the short careers of pitchers. When he was 18, Tsao says, he followed a half hour of long toss with a three-hour bullpen session and an hour of pitching live batting practice. He once started three games in a four-game tournament. But many believe that the arm abuse begins even earlier. "By the time they get to college, they're already damaged," says the director of Asian scouting of one major league team.
"In the Little Leagues, it's about quantity of practice, not quality," says Kao, Wang's college coach who also was an assistant on the Tainan team that won the 1986 Little League World Series. "Mentally, we push the kids too hard, which is why so many don't go further. [At Williamsport in '86] we had lunch once next to an amusement park, and I remember seeing the boys crowded at a window watching the players from the other teams go. We wouldn't let them go play. They'd waste their energy, the [other] coaches said. I felt sorry for them."
His popularity in Taiwan, where he's bigger than the - 04.21.08 - SI Vault
Smart ball
They are more tuned into doing whatever it takes to get a 'W' as opposed to - say the Dominicans for instance - who, 1-9 were swinging for the fences and trying to be the lead on SportsCenter.
The Japanese were very impressive in their diligence towards a gameplan.
I hope the WBC stays, but there are certainly some obvious kinks that need to be worked out.
Further, did you notice how they picked on Adam Dunn in RF? They are aware of who is playing where, and the value of forcing Dunn to play defense certainly played into their gameplan, and the resulting victory.
They are more tuned into doing whatever it takes to get a 'W' as opposed to - say the Dominicans for instance - who, 1-9 were swinging for the fences and trying to be the lead on SportsCenter.
The Japanese were very impressive in their diligence towards a gameplan.
I hope the WBC stays, but there are certainly some obvious kinks that need to be worked out.
The next wbc is in 2013 but has all of the host sites and team pools been decided already? or when will we know who plays who and where. Maybe we get a third shot at the Netherlands. Is it possible to think that there could be some games played in Republica Dominicana this year? okay until the next time. take care God bless
Biggs
Biggs