Take me out to the ball game...

Take me out with the crowd!!!! You can't really buy peanuts OR crackerjacks.... But I still don't care if I never get back... Let me use thunder sticks and do organized cheers for the home team... if they don't win it's a shame! Ah, for it's ONE, TWO, THREE strikes your out, at the old ball game!

If you know me at all, you know I love sports. And even more so, I love BASEBALL. And Korea being a HUGE baseball loving country may or may not have played a deciding factor in where I decided to move. But MAN these Koreans know how to cheer on their home team! It is nothing like back home... in good (and some not so great) ways...

First of all, the Samsung Lions hold the title of the Korean Champions, equivalent of our World Series. They have won it 6 times... so this year they are going for 7... and their motto is "Yes, Keep Going!" So their following is pretty thick... but most Korean baseball teams have pretty loyal fans... Another thing, half of our stadium is for the home team, and half is for the away team... the 3rd baseline (home team side) always sells out. NEVER FAILS. And the 1st baseline (away team) usually gets close to selling out (but I think that this might be from the overflowing home team fans). Either way, it is tons of fun.

Another thing to note, our stadium is open air... something I'm not used to (I'm spoiled by Tampa's airconditioned Tropicana Field). This was definitely something I didn't know if I would enjoy, but it has been really nice out the last two games that we went to, so I didn't mind at all, and actually really enjoyed it.

Daegu's stadium

But the atmosphere at a Korean baseball game is amazing. There is a "cheering" section behind the home dugout... on top of the dugout, they have a cheerleader type guy that leads the crow in organized cheers.... ranging anywhere from claps to chants. He is actually really fun to watch... and they also have 4 cheerleaders that do dances and cheers on top of the dugout. All of whom are accompanied by instruments (maybe just drums? I can't really remember)... But it is definitely worth the extra few dollars to buy a cheering section ticket (BTW did I mention that ALL tickets are under $15 here?) but you have to act fast because they sell out quick! They also have the CUTEST 4 mascots that run around before the game acting adorable and entertaining the crowd and also make appearances throughout the game... they crack me up... But being in the thick of Korean's yelling at the top of their lungs, dancing, cheering, clapping and waving their thunder sticks and looking all cute with their Minnie Mouse ears (they wear these type of headbands EVERYWHERE in Korea) you can't get more pumped for the game.

Cheering section

Another great thing about the games is the chicken and beer. Yes, I keep complaining that they don't have good beer here, but whats good about the beer at the baseball games... it is the same price as if it were on the street corner. In fact, sometimes I think it is cheaper! So you don't have to worry about spending a TON of money. So you grab a box of chicken (without knowing what flavor it is), grab some beer (and soju for some people) and maybe a snack or two- like dried squid or kimbap (which is kind of like a sushi roll). No, I don't eat the dried squid, but it is extremely popular and you can smell it from a mile away. And, if dried squid isn't your thing, you can bring in any snacks you want. Bring a cooler, bring a pallet of beer (we saw it happen), bring a bang of goodies, they don't care! So yes, it is hard for me to go to a ballgame and NOT have a hot dog, a good beer, and a pretzel or nachos, but it is still a blast. Also, their memorabilia is pretty well priced. I bought my jersey for around $45... and thunder sticks are around $2 a pair... not bad if you ask me!

And because the tickets are so cheap and the atmosphere is so fun, it keeps those that don't really know whats going on interested... and it lets me do a little different type of teaching :)   We have successfully converted several people into baseball lovers in only 2 games, and I plan on making a lot more people love the game...

Which brings me to my next point... DID YOU KNOW... that baseball is non-existent in South Africa and Europe? I COULDN'T BELIEVE IT! How do people live without this wonderful sport in their lives?! I just can't imagine... which also makes me realize that I couldn't live in these areas for an extended period of time... I just love my baseball too much!

So I'm extremely glad that I have an amazing team (who actually aren't doing the best right now, but our season just started) to cheer on... and LOVE the fact that it is such an awesome time!

>>> I'm trying something new... instead of loading a ton of pictures on the post, I'm posting pictures on my Photos page. Click here for more pictures from the baseball games!<<<