5 Days In and Going Strong

So its been 5 days since I first met the guys and put on a LG uniform for the first time. Every day gets a 

little bit easier as I learn the way things are done. None of this would be easy without my right hand 

man, Jay. He is my translator that follows me everywhere (and makes sure I don't myself look stupid!) 

Jay has been a translator in the Korean Baseball Organization for a few years and worked last year for 

the Hanwha Eagles. We've been getting along great and he really does look out for me, which I truly 

appreciate. Jay is already looking into how he recommends I get from my residence to the stadium once 

the season starts in Seoul. On top of Jay being a baseball fan and good translator, he loves golf. He has 

explained to me multiple times how it is substantially more expensive to play golf in Korea than it is in 

the U.S. Most of my spare time is spent either playing golf or fishing so I can talk about it for days. I'm 

going to do my best to take him golfing before we leave for Okinawa, Japan. 

     

     As far as baseball activities, I'm getting used to the Korean way. Some things are very different and 

others are almost identical to the way I've done it in the states. Pitcher fielding practice or PFP's are the 

same with a huge emphasis on doing it the right way and taking lots of repetitions. The part that really 

differs is the conditioning. The last couple years I have done all my running at shorter distances and 

high intensities. The running thus far has been lots of longer distances and an ample amount of time to 

catch your breath between reps. After the second day of running close to 2 miles, I was pretty pretty 

sore. As we go along, the training coaches have made it clear I have the freedom to alter my program to 

cater to the way I have done it in the past. I will see how my body reacts and what adjustments need to 

be made.

     Today was an off day so I was delighted to be able to hit the golf course and actually got paired up 

with Willie Wilson, an ex-Kansas City Royal from the 80's who is now in their Hall of Fame. Pretty 

cool. The rest of the guys took a shopping trip to an outlet mall an hour away to buy American clothes 

and goods at a much cheaper price than it would be in Seoul. I'm excited to get back to work tomorrow 

and work on getting my body ready for the rigors of the next 8 months. I can't stress enough how great 

the LG Twins' fans have been to be, showing nothing but support and hope for a great season. I'm very 

eager to contribute and to explore Korea.  It is very refreshing to wake up and be excited about going to 

work. I'm very lucky and blessed to be able to play baseball for a living and I owe it to my family and 

fans to give it my all each and every day. I'm posting two pictures: one being "Riordan" in Korean on 

the back of my jersey and two being the Korean game baseball. The ball is slightly different than an 

American baseball because the seams are a little higher. If anyone ever has any questions for me or 

comments, please ask away @CRiordan22 on Twitter. Until next time...