East Windup Chronicle: Shinsano: Korea Puts Finishing Touches On Perfect Olympic Run

Congrats!

In the end, even the Olympics couldn’t screw up a great international baseball championship. It was a classic pitcher’s duel, generally well-played by both sides, and mercifully decided prior to penalty kicks. All in all a riviting game.

Thanks for the pancakes Olympics. Don’t forget your purse and shut the door on your way out. Bring on the WBC.

...A final note on what this means for Korean baseball: When I arrived in Korea back in 2003 the country was still in the afterglow of the 2002 World Cup. Between the popularity of soccer and general anti-Americanism that’s often percolating under the surface in many quarters of the country, there have been times that I wondered if baseball would ever regain it’s popularity. Well, it has. The KBO’s attendance levels are at an all time high, and this gold medal will really get people talking baseball again. A WBC win would raise baseball’s profile in Korea that much higher. But the true explosion will occur when the next great Korean player takes flight in MLB. It’s been a long time since the early years of Park Chan-ho to now.