Recent book

A Man Who Goes to the Ballpark Everyday

Jung Woo-young; Hans Media Publishing: 317 pp., 12,800 won

This is a baseball book written by television sports presenter Jung

Woo-young that isn’t concerned with the game itself. The stars of this book are the ballparks and the people that fill them every day during the long baseball season.

Jung says he’s attempting to explore the cultural impact of ballparks and how they continue to change the way people spend their leisure time, drawing from his observations as a lifetime baseball fan and sports journalist. But it’s hard to say if the book reaches the intellectual depth it aims for and is more useful as a traveler’s guide to the best ballpark food and recommendable restaurants and attractions near the stadiums.

Jung’s choices for the country’s best ballparks will be controversial to baseball fans. He defends Daegu Stadium, notorious for its shabbiness and aging facilities, simply because the broadcast booth is located close to the batter’s box, giving Jung a stunning view fans will never be able to enjoy.

Jung also recalls in gushing tones his meeting with ESPN sportscaster Chris Berman, who he regards as his idol, during the Major League Baseball All-Star Game in Kansas last year.

_Baek Byung-yeul