Taiwan plays ball -- and broadcasts live games to the world

(CNN)Sports of all types have been canceled around the world due to the coronavirus pandemic.

But not in Taiwan.

Taoyuan International Baseball Stadium echoed with the thwack of bats hitting balls on Thursday, as the Rakuten Monkeys clobbered the Uni Lions 15 to 3.
Taiwan is still playing ball.

"That is because we did a pretty good job on the pandemic prevention," said Richard Wang, a Taiwanese broadcaster who provided live English-language commentary broadcast worldwide.

The numbers suggest he's right.

As of Friday, Taiwan, with its population of around 24 million people, had detected only 395 cases of coronavirus and just six deaths.

On Tuesday, it also reached an important milestone. No new cases were reported that day, for the first time since March 9. Grand Hotel Taipei celebrated the achievement by spelling out the word "zero" in lights on the façade of the building.
Taiwan started moving to control the virus even before the first case was reported on the island on January 24.

Taiwanese officials began boarding and inspecting passengers for fever and pneumonia symptoms on flights from Wuhan, the original epicenter of the virus in China.

Within three weeks, more than 120 action items had been put in place by the island's Central Epidemic Command Center, according to a list published by the Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA).

Taiwan's relative success battling the virus has allowed professional sports to be played, albeit with some adaptations. Human audiences aren't allowed in the stadium for Thursday's match-up. Instead, workers erected cardboard cut-outs and even mannequins in the stands.

"We obviously miss the audience," Wang told CNN by videophone near the dugout before the game.

Baseball games in Taiwan, Japan and South Korea are usually incredibly noisy as cheerleaders dance to booming music and lead the crowds in singalongs.

In the age of coronavirus, it's much more quiet. "But we still have the music on," Wang said. They also have robot drummers.

Overlooking the field were four metal robots, complete with glowing eyes and swiveling heads. Armed with drum sticks, they banged snare drums throughout the game.

"The club got these robot figures that play the drums during the games," Wang said. "We never saw that before. It's fun!"

Another thing Taiwan has never done before is broadcast games for free to the world -- in English.

"The only #LIVE Pro-baseball game on EARTH," announced Eleven Sports Taiwan in a tweet before Thursday's game, which was streamed live on the platform.

"We hope we can cheer up all the people who might be under the impact of coronavirus," said Simone Kang, general manager of Eleven Sports Taiwan.
"Don't feel sad ... just watch Taiwan professional baseball."

Eleven Sports Taiwan said they counted close to a million views during two games live-streamed in English this week.

Among those celebrating the start of Taiwan's professional baseball season was Taiwanese President Tsai Ing-wen.

She posted a photo on Facebook of herself watching a league game with her cat.

"I really welcome everybody to enjoy our games especially when there's no game in the States, no game in Japan, no game in Korea, no game anywhere!" said Wang.

"This is the only live sport you can have right now."

[ I DON'T KNOW IF THE GAMES WERE LIVE FOR THE WEEKEND OPENING SET OF GAMES ONLY OR IF THEY WILL CONTINUE THROUGHOUT THE SEASON ]

[ HERE'S A LINK TO THE GAMES ?!?! ]

https://twitter.com/ElevenSportsTW/stat ... 84387?s=20

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Report: ESPN, KBO nearing agreement to televise games

Field Level Media

April 28, 2020 at 12:24 am.

Live professional baseball games could be televised in the United States as early next week, with South Korea’s Yonhap News Agency reporting Monday that ESPN and the Korea Baseball Organization are nearing an agreement.

KBO games could be broadcast on the cable network as early as May 5, when the season is set to start. The KBO season was scheduled to begin in late March, but has been put on hold because of the coronavirus pandemic.

A deal between ESPN and KBO reportedly fell apart last week when the network offered a percentage of revenue from broadcasts but no up-front payment.

The KBO season will start without fans in the stands. According to Daniel Kim of South Korea’s MBC Sports, the plan is to gradually allow an audience back into stadiums starting with stands filled at 20 or 25 percent of capacity before increasing from that point.

According to previous reports, KBO players will have their temperature taken multiple times before each game once the regular season begins, with no spitting allowed on the field. Players will not be required to wear protective masks, but umpires will wear both masks and gloves.

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KBO: Teams, odds, how to watch, ex-MLB players and everything to know about Korea Baseball Organization
The Korea Baseball Organization kicked off its 2020 season on Tuesday

Major League Baseball was supposed to launch its regular season in March. But the spread of the novel coronavirus forced the league to delay Opening Day until later in the year, with the exact date still to be determined. If there is good news for seamheads, it's that another league is about to resume play. The Korea Baseball Organization (KBO), described before as delivering the "wildest, most outlandish" version of the sport, kicked off its season on Tuesday.

KBO teams will play a full 144-game schedule, but if a player or coach is infected with COVID-19, the league will be shut down for three weeks minimum. There will not be fans in attendance, at least to start the season.

Most Americans fans are too preoccupied with MLB to concern themselves with foreign leagues, be it KBO or Japan's top league, Nippon Professional Baseball. That could change now if KBO is the only game in town. As such, we put together the following primer to help educate everyone about the ins and outs of the KBO.

How many teams are in the KBO?

There are 10 active teams. The Doosan Bears, Kia Tigers, LG Twins, Lotte Giants, and Samsung Lions are the oldest clubs, each having been founded in 1982. The newest teams are the KT Wiz (2015), NC Dinos (2013), and Kiwoom Heroes (2008). The Hanwa Eagles and SK Wyverns round out the group.

As you probably noticed, the teams are not named for their geographical locations. While that's a departure from MLB norms, it does help differentiate the three teams that share Seoul, South Korea's capital city: the Bears, the Heroes, and the Twins. For those curious, the Eagles play in Daejeon, the Tigers in Gwangju, the Wiz in Suwon, the Giants in Busan, the Dinos in Changwon, the Lions in Daegu, and the Wyverns in Incheon.

What is the season structure of KBO?

Every KBO team plays a 144-game season. Because KBO uses a balanced schedule, each team plays the other nine an equal 16 times. That is a departure from MLB, in which teams play within their division more often and don't play everyone else. KBO, despite starting its season later than intended, still hopes to play a full 144-game slate.

How about the playoffs?

Because KBO has fewer teams, the playoff structure is different from MLB's as well. The top five squads qualify for the postseason, with the top overall team receiving a pass to the best-of-seven championship series, otherwise known as the Korean Series.

Before the Korean Series can begin, the No. 4 and No. 5 teams play in a best-of-three (sort of) Wild Card series. The catch is that the No. 5 team starts in an 0-1 hole, permitting the No. 4 team to advance with a single victory or tie (yes, the KBO allows ties, even in the playoffs).

The Wild Card winner advances to play the No. 3 team in a best-of-five series, with that winner then playing the No. 2 team in another best-of-five series.

In other words, there is a greater emphasis placed on the regular-season results.

Who are the best teams?

The Doosan Bears have been the most dominant team in the KBO in recent times. The Bears won the 2019 Korean Series, their third title in five years, and they finished as the runners-up in the other two years. Their 22 postseason appearances are the second most among KBO franchises, behind only the Samsung Lions.

The Lions (eight) and Bears (six) have the second and third most championships to their name. The team with the most, or the KBO equivalent of the New York Yankees, is the Kia Tigers, who have won 11 titles. Five of those came during the '80s, and only one (2017) since 2010.

How can I watch?

ESPN and KBO agreed to a deal where one game per day will air on the American network. That means six games per week since KBO doesn't typically play on Mondays. Here is ESPN's broadcast schedule for the first week, with game times in the early morning hours on the east coast.
Any other differences worth knowing?

We'll mention two others. First, the designated hitter is universal in the KBO. Second, games are declared ties after 12 innings during the regular season, and 15 during the playoffs. Keep that in mind the next time a baseball purist tells you there's no room in the game for DHs or ties.
Kwang Hyun Kim, now with the Cardinals, was one of the top performers in the KBO last season. USATSI

Who are the best players?

The top performer during the 2019 season, according to STATIZ's Wins Above Replacement metric, was Kia Tigers left-hander Hyeon-jong Yang. Yang, who posted a 2.29 ERA over 184 innings while striking out nearly five times as many batters as he walked, throws from an over-the-top slot. He deserves credit for making strides with his command, as he had walked at least five per nine innings in five of his first six seasons; he's walked 2.1 or fewer per nine in each of his last three seasons.

The best position player was Eui-ji Yang, a catcher with the NC Dinos. He hit .354/.438/.574 with 20 home runs and more walks than strikeouts. He was formerly a member of the Doosan Bears, but he signed a four-year pact worth roughly $10 million in December 2018. That represented the second-richest contract in the KBO, behind only Dae-ho Lee's deal with the Lotte Giants.

Three other players finished with more than six Wins Above Replacement: Kiwoom shortstop Ha-seong Kim; then-SK pitcher Kwang Hyung Kim (now with the St. Louis Cardinals); and SK third baseman Jeong Choi.

Could any of them end up in the majors?

When people think about players jumping to the majors from across the Pacific Ocean, they tend to think of players from NPB. Even so, the KBO has served as a launching pad for a number of players.

Just this past offseason, the aforementioned Kwang Hyung Kim signed with the St. Louis Cardinals and outfielder Jae-hwan Kim was also posted over the winter, but didn't draw enough interest.

That paragraph doesn't include American players who have reestablished themselves overseas, like Milwaukee Brewers right-hander Josh Lindblom.

Of the four players mentioned in the previous section who remain in the KBO, the most promising (in MLB terms) is Ha-seong Kim. Kim won't turn 25 until mid-October, but hit .307/.389/.491 with 19 home runs and 33 stolen bases (on 37 tries). Kim is expected to be posted after the upcoming season, and should draw interest as a second-division starter.

Of note: Hyeon-jong Yang was already posted for MLB teams back in fall 2014. The Tigers did not accept the winning bid, however, preventing him from embarking on a big-league career.

There are others who could come to the States in due time, but it's important to remember that MLB isn't everyone's goal.

Find more about players to watch in the KBO and Chinese Professional Baseball League (CPBL) here.

Are there any former big-league players?

Fans looking for familiar names should be happy to see that, yup, there are some ex-big-leaguers present in the KBO. Teams are limited to three foreign-born players apiece, though, limiting the ranks.

Veteran pitchers Dan Straily, Adrian Sampson, and Mike Wright are all new additions to KBO this season. They'll join a group that includes Warwick Saupold, William Cuevas, Casey Kelly, and Tyler Wilson, among others who have experienced life in the majors before.

On the hitting side, a pair of former outfield prospects who ended up in KBO are Aaron Altherr (best known for his time with the Philadelphia Phillies) and Preston Tucker (Houston Astros). Former minor-league journeyman Jamie Romak is one of the top home-run hitters in the KBO, having smashed at least 29 in each of his three seasons in Korea.

https://www.cbssports.com/mlb/news/kbo- ... anization/

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BASEBALL

Taiwan to allow baseball fans back into stands this week

Rakuten Monkeys cheerleaders perform in front of lifesize cutouts depicting a crowd of spectators during a Chinese Professional Baseball League game between Rakuten and CTBC Brothers in Taoyuan, Taiwan, on Saturday. | RAKUTEN MONKEYS CHEERLEADERS PERFORM IN FRONT OF LIFE-SIZE CUTOUTS DEPICTING A CROWD OF SPECTATORS IN EMPTY SEATING DURING A CHINESE PROFESSIONAL BASEBALL LEAGUE (CPBL) GAME BETWEEN THE RAKUTEN MONKEYS AND CTBC BROTHERS AT THE TAOYUAN BASEBALL STADIUM ON MAY 2, 2020, AMID THE COVID-19 CORONAVIRUS PANDEMIC. (PHOTO BY SAM YEH / AFP)

TAIPEI – Taiwan will start allowing baseball fans back into stadiums this week as the government begins relaxing some controls implemented to prevent the spread of the coronavirus, the health minister said on Wednesday.

Taiwan has been relatively successful at controlling the virus, with 439 cases to date and six deaths, with only 100 active infections, thanks to early prevention and detection efforts. The island has never gone into total lockdown, although the government has promoted social distancing and face masks.

Both the baseball and soccer seasons got under way in Taiwan last month, but without spectators, providing rare live action for fans at home at a time when the pandemic has shut down most professional sport around the globe.

Health Minister Chen Shih-chung told reporters that 1,000 spectators would be allowed in to baseball matches on Friday in Taipei and the central city of Taichung.

“Starting from the 8th, fans will be allowed in for professional baseball games,” Chen said.

Taiwan’s baseball league said in a separate statement that it will sell tickets on a “real name” basis with designated seats, meaning authorities can more easily trace people if there are any infections linked back to attending the matches.

Fans will be required to undergo temperature checks and wear face masks, and seats will be kept one meter apart, it said.

“Wear your mask properly and show our unity and discipline. Let the world see the pride of Taiwan,” the league wrote in a Facebook post on Wednesday, adding it will be the world’s first professional baseball league to allow audiences back in.

Baseball is wildly popular in Taiwan, thanks to a strong cultural influence from Japan and the United States.

To meet global appetite for any sports events at a time when many other countries have been locked down, baseball games in Taiwan have been providing English-language commentary and have attracted rare attention from foreign fans and media.

However, it has not all been smooth sailing, and controversy has developed in Taiwan about the name of the baseball league, called the Chinese Professional Baseball League, after several overseas sports commentators confused the island with China.

Some Taiwanese politicians have pushed for the league to rename itself, something it has rejected.

Taiwan has a fraught relationship with its giant neighbor, which claims the island as its own.

Taiwan’s official name is the Republic of China, a throwback to when defeated Nationalist forces fled to the island in 1949 after losing the Chinese civil war to the Communists, and some companies and bodies in Taiwan still have China in their names.

ESPN and KBO Come to Broadcasting Agreement

May 4, 2020 12:48 pm | by B.J. Martin | Posted In MLB, Worldwide, Worldwide Sports

Sports fans in North America will be getting their first taste of live baseball since mid-March as ESPN and the Korean Baseball Organization (KBO) have come to terms on an agreement to broadcast Korean league baseball games on their network.

The KBO began their preseason games mid-April as their nation recovers from the COVID-19 crisis. The games have returned to empty stadiums, while umpires and players practice social distancing by wearing protective masks and gloves. They will be opening their regular season this week and now those Americans missing baseball will have live games to follow––albeit most games will be played in the early morning or late in the evening.

The preseason games have been broadcast on Korean television networks and highlights have been available on YouTube to an American audience of die-hard baseball fans with Korean language commentary.

The ESPN agreement presumably includes English-speaking play-by-play commentary and provides the American audience a glimpse into what North American sports fans can be prepared to see in the coming months. MLB has yet to reveal a confirmed return to the field and the introduction of KBO baseball to an American audience could pressure MLB to announce the return in the coming days.

Baseball fans may recognize some former MLB players playing in the Korean Baseball Organization but the majority of Korean-born talent in the league will be new to the American baseball fan. Former Athletics and Cubs pitcher Dan Straily is among the American-born, former MLB players playing in the league and he will be the Opening Day starter for the Lotte Giants Tuesday.

Straily will be facing off against former Marlins and Angels starter Odrisamer Despaigne of the KT Wiz.

The Korean Baseball Organization was founded in 1982 and has been the developmental league for many future MLB stars including Hyun-Jin Ryu and Jung-Ho Kang. Additionally, current MLB players like Eric Thames and Josh Lindblom have taken their talents from the MLB to KBO and earned Most Valuable Player honors in the league before returning to the states.

While most of the players we will watch in KBO broadcast games on ESPN will never play North American baseball, they will provide professional baseball to American sports fans.

https://primetimesportstalk.com/2020/05 ... agreement/

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OPINION

OP-ED: No handshakes, more face masks: What I learned from Japan about battling COVID-19

Michael Lev, Chicago Tribune (TNS)Published 11:57 a.m. ET May 5, 2020

Japan's Princess Aiko, daughter of Emperor Naruhito and Empress Masako, wearing a face mask following an outbreak of the COVID-19 coronavirus, bows as she attends her graduation ceremony at Gakushuin Girls' Senior High School in Tokyo on March 22, 2020. (Issei Kato/POOL/AFP/Getty Images/TNS) (Photo: ISSEI KATO/AFP, TNS)

When the pandemic lifts, what will you look forward to doing? Choices include getting a haircut, going to a baseball game or exchanging palm sweat with strangers. I’m sorry, I meant, shaking hands.

To defeat the coronavirus and prevent future outbreaks, Americans need to reassess some ingrained social customs and lax sanitary practices that once were no big deal but during this crisis generate a collective “ewww.”

Shaking hands is one. I’m also wondering why we didn’t previously embrace the use of face masks in public to prevent contagions from spewing. And while I’m at it, have you ever considered how Americans regularly traipse into strangers’ homes wearing their dirty, germy shoes? Like I said, ewww.

I’ve been thinking about pandemic protections because I lived in Japan, where the traditions of bowing instead of handshakes, using face masks and removing shoes before entering homes are deep-rooted and hygienic. It’s too soon to know if practices common to Asian cultures have helped reduce the rate of COVID-19 transmission there, but it would make sense.

I arrived in Tokyo as the Chicago Tribune’s correspondent in February 1996 — in other words, during flu season. One of the first stories I wrote explored a fascinating phenomenon: Why did city streets look like surgery wards? Why did so many people — especially the elderly — wear face masks?

The answers I got were both practical and cultural. The Japanese told me they wore masks because they didn’t want to share their sniffles with anyone else, and to avoid the latest bug spreading through Tokyo’s packed commuter trains. They wore masks to reduce the effects of airborne pollen and just to keep warm. Some applied the reasoning of Eastern medicine: A mask helped preserve the delicate balance in nature between dry winter air and a person’s inner moisture. “When you get older, there’s less fat in your body, so you get drier,” one older gent said, explaining his theory to me. “The mask shuts down cold and dry air from coming into your body. It’s good for health.”

It remained an oddity to me until 2003 when I was reporting from China on the SARS epidemic. I couldn’t decide what was most eerie about Beijing in the grips of an epidemic — the normally packed Xidan Mall being devoid of shoppers, or the white masks covering the faces of all the sales clerks.

For my 1996 Tribune article about face masks, I wanted to understand how much of the Japanese tradition was based on cultural norms vs. universal practicality. In other words, was the concept exportable to the U.S.? Tadahiko Kuraishi, a professor of folklore at Kokugakuin University, told me he saw numerous ritualistic connections. Tradition holds that one covers the mouth with a white piece of paper when touching a sacred object in a shrine, he said. Samurai warriors did the same while polishing their swords.

Other customs embedded in Japanese culture include bowing instead of handshakes and the removal of shoes before entering a temple, shrine or home. None seem likely to gain widespread acceptance in the U.S. So much for identifying new tools to beat the coronavirus.

But then I thought about the many Americans who made Japan home and embraced the culture. People like Karl “Tuffy” Rhodes, a former Chicago Cubs outfielder who went on to have a spectacular playing career in Japan, where I interviewed him in 2004. The key to Rhodes’ success, I wrote, was his learning to speak Japanese and adapt to a tradition-bound culture that often is wary of foreigners. One time, after being suspended for charging the mound, Rhodes performed the required ritual of formally apologizing to the team president, the manager and his teammates — in Japanese — for hurting the team. With each apology, Rhodes bowed. “I am very sorry,” he said. “I won’t be allowed to play for three games. Please do your best and wait for me to return.” Imagine a member of the Cubs or White Sox doing that after a brawl. Rhodes changed his behavior because it was required for him to have success.

So maybe, under extreme circumstances such as the threat of a pandemic, American cultural practices can change. Maybe it’s already happening. Look around at the supermarket. We’re doing what’s necessary to keep safe. We’re all wearing masks. Take a bow. And leave your shoes at the door.

— Michael Lev is a member of the Chicago Tribune Editorial Board.

https://www.yorkdispatch.com/story/opin ... 084914001/

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Manny wishes to return

ESPN.com | April 30, 2020

Ramirez, 47, hopes to get a contract to play in the Taiwan League, where he was in 2013. He hit 555 home runs in his MLB career.
Manny Ramírez still misses getting into the batting box and wants to return to professional baseball at 47. The former MLB superstar has his sights set on the Chinese Professional Baseball League (CPBL) in Taiwan, where he briefly played in 2013.

In an interview published yesterday by the Taiwan Times, Ramírez told the newspaper that he hopes to get a place on the list this year at CPBL. The CPBL, which is made up of five teams, has attracted worldwide attention in recent months as the first major professional baseball league to begin its 2020 season amid the coronavirus pandemic.

Ramírez told the Times that his return to CPBL would only help the league more, citing an increase in attendance during his debut season in 2013.

Ramírez also said he had offers to play in the Atlantic Independent League, but that he would prefer to play in Taiwan. The 12-time All-Star told the Times that he is confident he will eventually have a chance to play at CPBL.

Ramírez appeared in 49 games with CPBL's EDL Rhinos team in 2013 before leaving the club and returning to the United States. He hit .352 with eight home runs and 43 RBIs. He finished his 19-season career with 555 home runs and 1,831 runs produced.

https://www.elcaribe.com.do/2020/04/30/ ... ea-volver/

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Baseball league enjoys strong TV, online ratings on Opening Day

By YonhapPublished : May 6, 2020 - 14:11 Updated : May 6, 2020 - 14:12

The South Korean baseball league has hit a home run with its television and online ratings on the first day of the new season.

The Korea Baseball Organization (KBO) announced Wednesday that the five Opening Day games from the previous day had an average rating of 1.47 percent on terrestrial and cable networks, up from 1.39 percent from last year's Opening Day.

The 2020 season began belatedly Tuesday, after the original, March 28 start date was pushed back due to the coronavirus outbreak. With the pro volleyball and basketball seasons canceled prematurely in March and the football season not kicking off until Friday, the KBO was the only game in the country Tuesday.

And with no fans allowed at stadiums yet, baseball enthusiasts tuned into watch in bigger numbers than last year.

This year's Opening Day fell on the Children's Day holiday. On May 5, 2019, KBO games drew a 0.7 percent rating.

According to the KBO, an average of 1.5 million people streamed five Opening Day games online on Naver, a major web portal that has new media rights to KBO games. The league said a little over 340,000 people watched 2019 Opening Day games on Naver and only about 164,000 did so on last year's Children's Day.

Buoyed by the steady decline in new COVID-19 cases and zero local infections in recent days, the KBO is considering allowing fans back into games in the near future.

But the teams will take gradual steps: They'll start selling only a small portion of the seats at first and then increase that number as the season goes on. (Yonhap)

Watch Replay: Doosan Bears Vs LG Twins - ESPN/Baseball/drop down to game link

https://www.espn.com/mlb/

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[ The players were showing great restraint when it comes to spitting and pitchers going to the mouth before pitches - Gotta be difficult

Imagine a baseball game with no spitting

Nice interview with Josh Linblom. RHP Josh Lindblom named KBO MVP after going 20-3 with a 2.50 ERA for the Doosan Bears. Singned a 3 yr deal with the Brewers

Moving interview with Chelsea Wilson & brief appearance by Tyler - Tyler just arrived in Korea and is in quarantine for 14 days before he can join his team. ]

https://www.espn.com/mlb/

This morning's game:

Scroll Down to KBO replay: Watch NC Dinos vs. Samsung Lions

Or:

Follow This Link:

https://www.espn.com/watch/player/_/id/ ... collection

Found this ESPN schedule link. Click on day to find games and times

https://www.espn.com/watch/schedule/_/t ... e/20200508

I guess Korean baseball is better than nothing but I doubt it will shatter any ratings records. I can't even watch MLB baseball a whole game on TV. People's attention spans (including mine) are so short, they are bored after a few minutes and start flipping channels. Baseball TV ratings were way down before the shutdown.

Even worse, is watching something that is not live and you can get results anytime you want to with the internet.

Back to Netflix.

Agreed Seagull,

Even though I subscribed to MLB the last umpteen years, I cancelled my subscription at the end of last season. Guessing, I would say that I might have watched twenty Indian games or so. Figured it was a waste of money. Besides, I found other ways to spend my time.

I posted information and the ESPN schedule in case anyone were interested.

I'm watching a few games to get a different perspective as to what the major league season would look like when the games begin.

No spitting! No pitchers hand-to-mouth routine! No fans! Umpires wearing face masks and gloves! No toiuching without gloves!

The KBO is not the MLB!

No spitting?????

What's baseball without spitting?

Thanks for posting the link, Joe.

It's not the content of the post but the fact you took the time to look it up and post it.

seagull wrote:No spitting?????

What's baseball without spitting?

Thanks for posting the link, Joe.

It's not the content of the post but the fact you took the time to look it up and post it.

Next think you know, scratching will also be banned!!!!!

Well I for one wouldn’t mind if they banned nose picking in the dugout. Every year a couple guys get busted, and it’s gross.