[그렉의 한국 엿보기] Play Ball!

Lotte! Lotte! Lotte! Lotte! The fans chant wildly and violently shake shredded newspaper pompoms at the field. Cheerleaders dance on top of the home team's dugout. It's a Friday night at Sajik Stadium in the beginning of the baseball season and even though it's only the first inning, the energy is as heavy as yellow dust. The opposing pitcher fires in a high fastball and the batter fouls it off down the firstbase line. As the spectators grapple for the souvenir the fans around them erupt into a harsh yell. Are they angry at the batter for deflecting a danger into their midst, or at the pitcher for starting the chain reaction? As I find out, they are demanding that the ball be given to a child. It's just one of the many differences between baseball in America and baseball in Korea.

Baseball in America has been the 'national pastime' since the 1870's. I remember going to the stadium with my dad every Tuesday night and supporting the local Philadelphia Phillies even though they rarely gave us any hope. It was a relaxing way to spend a few hours, eating hotdogs and crackerjack in the outfield. Games were short and we could lounge in the bleachers and, unless it was the playoffs, passively enjoy the evening and the company around us. The fans were spectators and not extra players on the team. However, as I've come to realize, attending a baseball game in Busan requires a very different attitude.

[그렉의 한국 엿보기] Play Ball! 청취

First the food is different. Instead of hotdogs and pretzels and nachos you have salted potatoes and ramyeon vendors who roam the stands with canisters of hot water. There are also no assigned seats. Even the order of the pitch count is different. In Korea, strikes come first, in America, balls. The biggest and most obvious difference though is the enthusiasm of the fans. In my first experience I was shocked at the passion of the Lotte fans. There is rarely a quiet moment. If the pitcher tries to pick a runner off the fans shout. Cheerleaders perform routines between innings and another cheerleader whips the crowd into a frenzy. There are special chants for individual players, most notably the power hitters. There is usually more action off the field than on. While American baseball has its seventh inning stretch, when all the fans stand up in the middle of the seventh inning and sing "Take me out to the ballgame," Korean fans are involved and active from the beginning. Especially in a close game, all their energy must last until the end.

Now back inside the stadium, it's the bottom of the tenth inning and the Lotte Giants are down by a run. There are runners on second and third and there are two out. Up to bat is their last hope: slugger Lee Dae Ho. The comet-like ball streaks towards the mighty hitters bat as the stadium freezes. We are all standing with our mouths open, fingers clenched around our newspapers. It doesn't matter who we are or where we are; it's the same baseball game and we all want the same thing. The cheerleaders are suspended in mid turn. Orange bags full of air hang above people's heads like rally balloons. All eyes focus as the ball nears the hitting zone. There is no sound in Sajik as Lee Dae Ho begins his swing.
/ 입력시간: 2008. 05.06. 09:51