This was cute!
Happy Friday!
~ baseballrebecca
spring training
Best of the Week: 2/11/2023 – 2/17/2023
Spring Training is here!
Best of the Week: 2/12/2023 – 2/18/2023
SO much baseball last week – from teams gearing up for Spring Training and the World Baseball Classic, to celebrating baseball love. So, here’s the best of last week:
Films on Friday: Gunnar Henderson
Gunnar Henderson is getting ready for Spring Training:
Happy Friday!
~ baseballrebecca
The KBO’s Heroes, Wiz, Twins, Giants, and Landers
Yesterday, I introduced you to half of the teams in the Korea Baseball Organization – the animals of the league: Lions, Tigers, Bears, Eagles, and Dinos. Today’s post features the remaining five teams: the Kiwoom Heroes, KT Wiz, LG Twins, Lotte Giants, and SSG Landers.
The Kiwoom Heroes were founded in 2008 as the Woori Heroes, this team joined the KBO after the Hyundai Unicorns were dissolved in January 2008 (the Unicorns were previously known as the Sammi SuperStars (1982-85), Chungbo Pintos (1985-87), and Pacific Dolphins (1988-95)). Due to issues with naming rights, the team has also been know as the Seoul Heroes (2008-9) and the Nexen Heroes (2010-18); Kiwoom bought the naming rights in November 2019. The team is located in Seoul.
The KT Wiz were founded in 2013 and played in the KBO Futures League, a developmental/minor league of the KBO, in 2013 and 2014. They joined the KBO in 2015. The team is located in Suwan.
LG Twins were created in 1982 and were originally known as MBC Chungyong, as they were owned by the Munhwa Broadcasting Corporation. The team was purchased by the LG Corporation in 1989 and changed their name to the LG Twins. The team is located in Seoul and shares their stadium with the Doosan Bears.
Lotte Giants were founded as an amateur team in Seoul in 1975. When the KBO was created in 1982, the Giants became a professional team and relocated in Busan, South Korea. The team is owned by the Lotte Corporation which also owns the Chiba Lotte Marines of the Japanese baseball league.
SSG Landers were established in 2000 as the SK Wyverns. The Wyverns took the place of the Ssangbangwool Raiders in the KBO after it was dissolved and, thus, took on many of the Raiders’ players. The team was renamed the SSG Landers in 2021 after the Shinsegae department store franchise bought the team from the SK Group. The team is located in Incheon, South Korea.
The KBO’s Lions and Tigers and Bears (oh my!) and Eagles and Dinos
The Korea Baseball Organization was founded in 1982 and oversees two baseball leagues: the KBO League and the KBO Futures League. The KBO League currently is comprised of 10 teams, which are named after their corporate sponsors:
- Doosan Bears
- Hanwha Eagles
- Kia Tigers
- Kiwoom Heroes
- KT Wiz
- LG Twins
- Lotte Giants
- NC Dinos
- Samsung Lions
- SSG Landers
The Samsung Lions were one of the first KBO teams founded in 1982. They are currently owned by marketing company Cheil Worldwide, which is a subsidiary of Samsung. The team is located in Daegu, South Korea, and has played in Daegu Samsung Lions Park since 2016.
The Kia Tigers also were founded in 1982 and were know back then as the Haitai Tigers. Facing financial difficulties due to the Asian financial crisis, Haitai sold the team to Kia in 1998. The team is located in Gwangju.
The Doosan Bears were founded in 1982 were the first team to join the KBO. They were originally known as the OB Bears and were owned by the Oriental Brewery. In 1985 they relocated to Seoul, South Korea, where they still play today. They changed their name to the Doosan Bears in 1999 when the Doosan Group became owners of the Oriental Brewery.
Hanwha Eagles: Founded in 1985 as the Binggrae Eagles (Binggrae was the trademark of Hanwha’s confectionary business); renamed the Hanwha Eagles when Binggrae separated from Hanwha. The team plays in Daejeon.
NC Dinos: The Dinos were created after Changwon, South Korea, was created from the merger of three cities, Changwon, Masan, and Jinhae, in 2010 – making it the 11th biggest city in the country. That year the video game company NCSoft submitted a plan to create the team. In 2012, the Dinos played their first season as a member of the KBO Futures League. The Dinos joined the KBO league in 2013.
Gearing Up for the KBO Season
Happy March! Baseball season is getting closer and closer – at least in other countries. I’ve highlighted leagues in other countries in the past, but over the next few weeks we’ll take an even closer look at some of the leagues that are actually having Spring Training right now and are getting ready for the 2022 season.
This week: The Korea Baseball Organization, which is celebrating its 40th anniversary this year
Exhibition games begin on March 12 (see the schedule below), leading up to Opening Day on April 2. To prepare for the season, these are the best websites I’ve found for information about the league:
Tomorrow and Thursday, I’ll discuss the 10 teams that make up the KBO and provide some links to the teams and schedules. In the meantime, check out my previous posts on the KBO – from the 2020 season when the KBO entered the consciousness of American baseball fans with daily updates of the games and better coverage by ESPN and others:
- Baseball with No Fans (posted May 1, 2020)
- Baseball in Korea (posted May 5, 2020)
- Korean Baseball Players in MLB (posted for “Stat-urday, 5/16/2020”)
- RiverDogs Partner with the Lions (posted May 20, 2020)
- NC Dinos win the Korean Series (posted for the “Best of the Week: 11/22/2020 – 11/28/2020”)
~ baseballrebecca
2022 KBO Exhibition Games
| Date | Time | Away | Home |
| March 12 | 13:00 | SSG | LOTTE |
| March 12 | 13:00 | HANWHA | SAMSUNG |
| March 12 | 13:00 | KIA | NC |
| March 12 | 13:00 | LG | KT |
| March 12 | 13:00 | DOOSAN | KIWOOM |
| March 13 | 13:00 | SSG | LOTTE |
| March 13 | 13:00 | HANWHA | SAMSUNG |
| March 13 | 13:00 | KIA | NC |
| March 13 | 13:00 | LG | KT |
| March 13 | 13:00 | DOOSAN | KIWOOM |
| March 14 | 13:00 | HANWHA | LOTTE |
| March 14 | 13:00 | KIA | SAMSUNG |
| March 14 | 13:00 | SSG | NC |
| March 14 | 13:00 | DOOSAN | KT |
| March 14 | 13:00 | LG | KIWOOM |
| March 15 | 13:00 | HANWHA | LOTTE |
| March 15 | 13:00 | KIA | SAMSUNG |
| March 15 | 13:00 | SSG | NC |
| March 15 | 13:00 | DOOSAN | KT |
| March 15 | 13:00 | LG | KIWOOM |
| March 17 | 13:00 | DOOSAN | LOTTE |
| March 17 | 13:00 | LG | SAMSUNG |
| March 17 | 13:00 | HANWHA | NC |
| March 17 | 13:00 | KIA | KT |
| March 17 | 13:00 | SSG | KIWOOM |
| March 18 | 13:00 | DOOSAN | LOTTE |
| March 18 | 13:00 | LG | SAMSUNG |
| March 18 | 13:00 | HANWHA | NC |
| March 18 | 13:00 | KIA | KT |
| March 18 | 13:00 | SSG | KIWOOM |
| March 19 | 13:00 | KIA | LOTTE |
| March 19 | 13:00 | DOOSAN | SAMSUNG |
| March 19 | 13:00 | LG | NC |
| March 19 | 13:00 | SSG | KT |
| March 19 | 13:00 | HANWHA | KIWOOM |
| March 20 | 13:00 | KIA | LOTTE |
| March 20 | 13:00 | DOOSAN | SAMSUNG |
| March 20 | 13:00 | LG | NC |
| March 20 | 13:00 | SSG | KT |
| March 20 | 13:00 | HANWHA | KIWOOM |
| March 21 | 13:00 | LG | SSG |
| March 21 | 13:00 | NC | LOTTE |
| March 21 | 13:00 | KIWOOM | SAMSUNG |
| March 21 | 13:00 | HANWHA | KT |
| March 21 | 13:00 | DOOSAN | KIA |
| March 22 | 13:00 | LG | SSG |
| March 22 | 13:00 | NC | LOTTE |
| March 22 | 13:00 | KIWOOM | SAMSUNG |
| March 22 | 13:00 | HANWHA | KT |
| March 22 | 13:00 | DOOSAN | KIA |
| March 24 | 13:00 | LG | DOOSAN |
| March 24 | 13:00 | HANWHA | SSG |
| March 24 | 13:00 | KT | LOTTE |
| March 24 | 13:00 | SAMSUNG | NC |
| March 24 | 13:00 | KIWOOM | KIA |
| March 25 | 13:00 | DOOSAN | LG |
| March 25 | 13:00 | HANWHA | SSG |
| March 25 | 13:00 | KT | LOTTE |
| March 25 | 13:00 | SAMSUNG | NC |
| March 25 | 13:00 | KIWOOM | KIA |
| March 26 | 13:00 | LOTTE | LG |
| March 26 | 13:00 | DOOSAN | SSG |
| March 26 | 13:00 | SAMSUNG | KT |
| March 26 | 13:00 | NC | KIWOOM |
| March 26 | 13:00 | KIA | HANWHA |
| March 27 | 13:00 | LOTTE | LG |
| March 27 | 13:00 | DOOSAN | SSG |
| March 27 | 13:00 | SAMSUNG | KT |
| March 27 | 13:00 | NC | KIWOOM |
| March 27 | 13:00 | KIA | HANWHA |
| March 28 | 13:00 | NC | DOOSAN |
| March 28 | 13:00 | LOTTE | SAMSUNG |
| March 28 | 13:00 | SSG | KIA |
| March 28 | 13:00 | KT | KIWOOM |
| March 28 | 13:00 | LG | HANWHA |
| March 29 | 13:00 | NC | DOOSAN |
| March 29 | 13:00 | LOTTE | SAMSUNG |
| March 29 | 13:00 | SSG | KIA |
| March 29 | 13:00 | KT | KIWOOM |
| March 29 | 13:00 | LG | HANWHA |
When’s Spring Training?
The Super Bowl and the end of football season are supposed to usher in the most important season. Spring Training was supposed start this week, and so far… nothing. The lockout continues and we really haven’t heard much about what is going on or if negotiations are really happening between MLB and the MLBPA. According to reporting by CBS Sports, the two sides are “expected” to meet this week, but, as per usual, there’s no info on when.
In the meantime, here are some of the most interesting recent articles (from the past 24 hours) about what’s happening:
- CBSSPORTS.COM: “MLB lockout: Timeline of CBA negotiations between MLBPA and owners as two sides continue to trade proposals,” by R.J. Anderson
- Kansas City Star: “Tin-eared MLB posturing is threatening to alienate lifeblood of baseball … again,” by Vahe Gregorian
- Sports Illustrated: “Report: MLB Seeks Ability to Reduce Minor League Roster Size,” by Kade Kistner
- The Athletic: “Exploring the MLB Players Association’s top priorities, and how they might achieve them,” by Ken Rosenthal
- MLB Trade Rumors, “Why MLB Players Went On Strike In The Past And What It Tells Us About The Current Lockout,” by Tim Dierkes
You also might want to read up on Marvin Miller and the Major League Baseball Players Association.
~ baseballrebecca
Best of the Week: 2/6/2022 – 2/12/2022
We might not get MLB Spring Training this week, but Spring Training started in Taiwan Last week and continues elsewhere:
Best of the Week: 2/28/2021 – 3/7/2021
The Orioles’ Trey Mancini received a standing ovation last Sunday when he returned to the lineup after his battle with colon cancer. Watching these a week later still gives me goosebumps:
The Baseball Sociologist 