The Korea Times

Heroes on upswing as Tigers in slump

By Jung Min-ho Nearly two months into the season, the Nexen Heroes, with six consecutive wins, are challenging reigning champions the SK Wyverns at the top of the league, while the Kia Tigers are headed the other way. “There are three important factors that determine the results of games: pitching, defense and batting. In recent games, the Heroes have shown a great combination of pitching and batting, which has obviously led the team to positive results,” said OBS sports commentator Gu Kyung-baik. “It reminds me of teams like the Haitai Tigers and the Hyundai Unicorns when they were in their heyday.” The Heroes are climbing the table with a balanced record in both offense and defense. As of Monday, the team had 180 runs and 36 home runs, ranking first and second in the KBO, respectively, and a 3.84 ERA, the third-best number. They are now second, having finished the last campaign bottom among the eight teams. Kang Jung-ho is leading the club’s winning streak. Ranked first in 13 home runs and 32 RBIs, his bat has been hot. In the bullpen, Brandon Knight and Andy Van Hekke

May 21, 2012By Jung Min-ho

Sports

Lee, Choo flying high

By Jung Min-ho Lee Dae-ho of Japan’s Orix Buffaloes saved his team from falling to a seventh consecutive loss while the Cleveland Indians’ Choo Shin-soo had another multi-hit game on the weekend. At the top of the ninth, it appeared Saturday the Buffaloes would suffer another frustrating result. They trailed the Tokyo Yakult Swallows 2-1 before Lee hit a two-run homer. But Buffaloes fans had to wait a little longer to celebrate when Swallow’s hitter Atsushi Fujimoto leveled the scores to send the match to extra innings. At the top of the 11th, Lee was walked and Kawabata’s hit with the bases loaded gave Orix a 6-3 victory. Although the Buffaloes are still bottom of the Pacific League with Although the Buffaloes

May 20, 2012By Jung Min-ho

Sports

Park Chu-young left out of national team

By Jung Min-ho Arsenal forward Park Chu-young was left out of national football team manager Choi Kang-hee’s 23-man squad on Thursday. He will not feature in the upcoming friendly against Spain and at least the first two matches in the final round of Asian qualifying for the Brazil 2014 World Cup. The Taeguk Warriors will face No. 1 ranked Spain on May 31 in Switzerland, before travelling to Qatar on June 8, followed by a home match against Lebanon four days later. Choi, 53, took the bold step of excluding Park after he had made several attempts to persuade the Premier League player to join the team on the condition he explains the postponement of his military service to the public. However, Park has kept silent on the issue, implying that he is not willing to do so. “I was waiting for his call until midnight yesterday, but I didn’t receive any word from him. I was considering if he could join the roster,” Choi said after the announcement. “I excluded him because of controversy over his performance and military duty. Although players’ performance matters, it is also impo

May 17, 2012By Jung Min-ho

Sports

'Korean Zombie' stops Poirier’s five-win streak

By Jung Min-ho Jung Chan-sung, also known as “Korean Zombie” took a step toward the championship belt, clobbering Dustin Poirier in Wednesday’s Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) main event at the Patriot Center in Fairfax Va. “He got me in trouble at the beginning of the third round,” Jung said. “The thought of (losing) was in my head, but I just kept fighting, and I won.” The featherweight bout ended 1:07 minutes into the penultimate round when Jung locked Poirier into a choke hold following a right uppercut and flying knee strike which left the 24-year-old American stunned. The referee stopped the match in the fourth after Poirier fell unconscious in what many are calling one of the bouts of the year. The encounter kicked into gear as soon as the fight started. Jung caught a kick and tripped Poirier near the cage and struck him with an elbow. Jung maintained his dominance in the second round, again catching a kick and landing a huge elbow on the takedown, making constant submission attempts including triangle chokes. The American fighter tried to be more aggressive

May 16, 2012By Jung Min-ho

Sports

ET Land Elephants looking for new owner

By Jung Min-ho The ET Land Elephants are up for sale having told the Korean Basketball League (KBL) they are looking for a new owner and need help finding one. The KBL now faces an unexpected challenge of finding bidders for the club. If there is no new owner by October when the season starts, the league would have to operate with nine teams, disrupting each side’s momentum as they would have more breaks between games. The issue was addressed at a KBL board of directors meeting Monday. “At the meeting, the Elephants asked the KBL’s board of directors to proactively find companies that could take over the team,” KBL public relations director Kim Jeong-bong said. “The issue was addressed and discussed. We will cooperate to find the best solution.” The news broke as ET Land is reportedly also on the block, raising concerns over the fate of the Incheon-based outfit. Although some companies have expressed an interest in acquiring the Elephants’ parent firm, none of them have shown any interest in taking over the basketball club. “Lotte, SK Networks, and E-Mart, (a subsid

May 15, 2012By Jung Min-ho

Sports

Pro basketball likely to see smaller leagues

By Jung Min-ho The future of Korea’s professional basketball leagues has been thrown into question amid growing speculation that both the men’s and women’s game are expected to feature fewer teams from next season. Along with the unexpected breakup of the Shinsegae Coolcat in the Women’s Korean Basketball League (WKBL), the ET Land Elephants continued existence in the Korean Basketball League (KBL) is in doubt due to the possible sale of its parent company. The latest projection of the downsized league came to light last week, as ET Land is reportedly on the market, with the fate of the Incheon-based team in the air. To make the situation worse, Lotte and E-Mart, a subsidiary of Shinsegae, are seen as valid bidders in the takeover of the electronic goods chain, making the Elephants future more uncertain because of Shinsegae’s history in the women’s league. The KBL’s board of directors is scheduled to hold an emergency meeting on Monday to discuss the ongoing issue. “It would be better to avoid any assumptions about the current situation. Listening to what the t

May 13, 2012By Jung Min-ho

Sports

Fans slam KFA for plans for Eninho, Park

By Jung Min-ho The Korea Football Association (KFA) is under fire for the special naturalization for Jeonbuk Motors midfielder Eninho and picking Arsenal forward Park Chu-young for the national squad due to the postponement of his national service. The Korea Olympic Committee (KOC), which rules on all major decisions concerning sport in the country, announced Wednesday that it has decided not to recommend special naturalization for Eninho last, stopping the KFA’s bid to allow the 30-year-old Brazilian to join the national team. However, a day after the KOC revealed its decision, KFA President Cho Chung-yun said, “We are going to file a request for the KOC to reconsider the verdict concerning Eninho’s special naturalization next week” in an interview with the Dong-a Ilbo. Although, as of Friday morning, the 30-year-old winger had a fine record with four goals in 10 games this season, many question the necessity of his naturalization that would set a precedent for other cases. They say his performances have been good but there are Koreans, including those playing overseas, wh

May 11, 2012By Jung Min-ho

Sports

Choo faces uncertain future

By Jung Min-ho A recent injury is posing a major challenge for UFC welterweight fighter Choo Sung-hoon, also known as Yoshihiro Akiyama, one that could even threaten his career in mixed martial arts (MMA). Choo announced Wednesday that he is withdrawing from the UFC 149 bout against Thiago Alves, scheduled for July 21 in Calgary, Canada, , due to an anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) injury. “I have something to tell my fans that have always supported me,” Choo said on his blog. “I was injured in training on May 5, which later turned out to be a ruptured ACL. I am planning on having an operation. With that said, I won’t be able to take part in the scheduled match in July.” His withdrawal sees Afghanistan’s Siyar Bahadurzada, who claimed a 42-second knockout victory over Paulo Thiago in his debut match, replacing Choo. The injury will indefinitely delay Choo’s plan to bounce back from his recent loss at against Jake Shields in February. With the news, concerns over his career in UFC have spread. Although many may miss seeing him in the ring, the 2002 Asian Games judo go

May 10, 2012By Jung Min-ho

Sports

Futures of Lee, Bolton on line

By Jung Min-ho Bolton Wanderers midfielder Lee Chung-yong and his team are in the hot seat before the final round of English Premier League matches on Sunday. Defeat in their match against Stoke City could see them dropping down to the Championship. As of Wednesday, Bolton were ranked 18th with 35 points, two points behind Queens Park Rangers who currently occupy the last safe spot. The 23-year-old Lee has made his return after breaking his leg in a preseason friendly, an injury that sidelined him for nine months. He made his first competitive appearance of the Trotters’ campaign in the 2-2 draw against West Bromwich Albion on Sunday. Although he did not score, his 10-minute run out suggests he could still play a role in his club’s survival, though he was clearly lacking match fitness. Bolton must win their last match to remain in the top flight, while needing one of the two teams above them to lose. There is hope as QPR have to travel to league leaders Manchester City, who themselves need a win to secure a first league title in 44 year. Victory for City would dethrone

May 9, 2012By Jung Min-ho

Sports

Dinos to join KBO‘s top flight next year

10th team delayed By Jung Min-ho The NC Dinos will join the Korean baseball league’s first division as of 2013, while there won’t be a 10th new team for a while, the Korea Baseball Organization (KBO) ruled Tuesday. “Although it is optimal to operate the league with ten teams, it has been decided to thoroughly go over the plan from different perspectives before making the final decision,” said a KBO official. “It was also decided that we will proactively support middle and high school baseball teams by enhancing the facilities, creating an audience-friendly environment, and providing jobs for them (after graduation).” The decision came at the board of directors’ fourth meeting held Tuesday. Commissioner Koo Bon-neung also participated in the meeting. Since the board of directors failed to reach a consensus over the issue of creating a new team, it is anticipated to draw criticism from fans and related-organizations that support the idea. “The decision came out the way we predicted,” Chang Yoon-ho, public relations director of the Korea Baseball Association, said. “Alt

May 8, 2012By Jung Min-ho

Jung Min-ho

Read more

Heroes on upswing as Tigers in slump

Lee, Choo flying high

Park Chu-young left out of national team

'Korean Zombie' stops Poirier’s five-win streak

ET Land Elephants looking for new owner

Pro basketball likely to see smaller leagues

Fans slam KFA for plans for Eninho, Park

Choo faces uncertain future

Futures of Lee, Bolton on line

Dinos to join KBO‘s top flight next year

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