Thursday, January 16, 2014

First Day in Arizona

안녕하세요
That is how to say hello in Korean. So far its the only thing I know but I will try my hardest to learn as much as possible. Let me start off by saying that I cannot wait to experience what I am about to experience over the course of the next 9 months. Playing baseball in Korea is something few people get to take part in and I am eager to get this season going. The team I play for, the LG Twins, are based in Seoul, South Korea and have a much storied history. I will do my best to take it day by day and to write as much as I can to share my experiences with as many people as possible. 
     With that being said, today was my first day as part of the team. I had the pleasure of meeting one of the other two foreign players last night at the airport. His name is Radhames Liz, he is from the Dominican Republic, and this is his 4th year with the team. He couldn't be a nicer guy and he was happy to help me with whatever I needed. I also received a healthy supply of baseball gear last night bearing the LG Twins logo. I felt like I was ready to go and prepared enough to get going on Thursday for the first day of workouts. 
      My first interaction with the team was at lunch before we headed to the ballpark, which is the Dodgers facility in Glendale, Arizona. I walked downstairs with Liz and into a room full of possibly 30-35 South Korean men all wearing LG Twins gear. I was the only person wearing street clothes so I was off to a fast start. I'm not a person easily rattled or shaken in awkward social situations whatsoever. In fact I often love putting other people in those situations to get a quick chuckle but this was a taste of my own medicine. I'll admit I started to get a little hot and sweaty as I approached the food line. At that point, players started walking up to me and introducing themselves as politely as possible so it put me at ease. I then met the manager, Kim Ki-Tae, who explained he was very excited to have me and welcomed me a few times. Lunch was great. For those who have never had Korean food, I recommend you try it. I'm not going to lie and say I always know what I'm eating but it tastes good and it can be pretty spicy, which I also enjoy. 
      From there, we got on a bus to head to the complex. I walked into the clubhouse to meet the other American on the team, Josh Bell. He'll be playing both first and third base for us and we both smiled indicating we're ready to do this. I found my locker with the number 57 on it, which is going to be the Cory Riordan special this coming season. We then made our way outside to the bleachers near the field. The whole team sat down for staff introductions. A few coaches spoke and then sure enough, he motioned for both Josh and I to make our way to the front of the bleachers to be introduced to the team. I gave a nice bow to the team and said annyeonghaseyo. This is how to pronounce those Korean characters at the top of this. I made a quick 3 line speech through my translator for the team indicating I can't to get to Korea and how I will do whatever it takes to help them win and be a good teammate. After a raucous applause(not really), I sat back down and listened to lots of words I had no clue of the meaning.
      It was then stretch time which is something I wasn't quite prepared for. It lasted approximately 45 minutes and consisted of several stretches and motions including push-ups and sit-ups. Amongst all this, the younger guys on the team are screaming things which are then answered by the team screaming back. I asked the translator, Nick, what all that meant and he told me they were Korean military chants meant to pump up the troops. Very interesting and cool. Us pitchers threw, then went to the weight room for shoulder care and abs, followed by conditioning. Our day was done. 
     I was told the days will be longer from now on consisting of morning and afternoon workouts divided by lunch at the clubhouse. I don't know what tomorrow will bring but I'm eager to find out. I will do my best to update this as many times as possible and will post pictures as they come along. Until next time...

      



24 comments:

  1. This comment has been removed by the author.

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  2. your first day story is quite impressive. i believe you'll get used to the team soon. all the players are very friendly and kind (i think). enjoy your time at the camp and i will look forward to see at the Jamsil Stadium!!

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  3. welcome join the team! enjoy warm weather in az! korea is gonna be bit cold in early march lol looking forward to see you at jamsil!

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  4. Good luck, pal. I'll be rooting for ya. Congrats on the Ram HOF induction, too. Wish I could come see ya thrown!

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  5. Awesome story with some details! wish you the best luck and as the season begins, you'll figure out you've come to the best team with such passionate fans and supports!

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  6. So, you joined the twins, huh? Be sure all us Bears will check in every day just in case you say something useful to our demolition of you at the Jamshil derby. *grunt*

    I actually find rivalries enjoyable purely for the sake of entertainment, so I will read this blog for an insight to the life of a new player in Korea as if you were playing for my very own team :)

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  7. Welcome to LG Twins!! I'm Fan of Twins. I will expect you becoming one of TEAM speedly.

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  9. I'm very excited to hear LG Twins news from you here. ^^ Welcome to join in LG Twins! You'll see how much LG Twins fans are passionate to team when you come to Korea. Take care yourself in Arizona and I'm looking to seeing your pitching at Jamsil stadium soon. :)

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  10. Hey Cory,
    Welcome to a new challenging and fun world. It'll be exciting to see you on the ground! I am a big fan to LG Twins for 30 years from the beginning, we will rooting for you! I am also a member of online fan cafe for LG Twins(SsangDungEe Madang- literally Twins Ground) they will be your big fan too. Cheers

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  11. Welcome aboard��!!! I get to know this site through the best known portal website locally herw in Korea. 2013 season was a tremendously successful year for most of the Twins fans since the team made themselves to advance to the 1st playoff since 2002 season and on top of that the team has achieved a wide variety of good soils that make the team stronger and more consistent. And you are one of the most crucial factors to realize and integrate into our goals. Hope ypu do Not feel any burden and I think you are a professional player with ethics and mental. Hope u will be with a healthy body all the way with our team. GOOD LUCK AND WE WILL ROOT FOR YOU.

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  12. Lg fans welcome u
    Lets bring the team to the korean series

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  13. Welcome to LG Cory! I'm one of a handful of American LG fans here in Seoul. Don't worry though, you are going to love the energy at LG games. LG has a great crowd. Even when the team sucks (which would be every year since I got here, save last year) the fans are loud. It's nothing like a baseball game at home. It's more like a Duke home basketball game. You are going to love it here.

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  14. Welcome to Korea! Especially to LG Twins! Cory! :-) We are really looking forward to seeing you at Jamsil Baseball Stadium. Hope you could enjoy Korean life and stay healthy!

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  15. This blog is a really nice initiative!
    Wish you the best with the Twins!

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  16. welcome cory! I am LGTWINS fan in korea
    thanks for comeing to LG we belive in you
    I'll support you in Jamsil stadium Please show me a good look :)

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  17. Cory plays for Corean baseball team! Awesome!

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  18. Welcome to Seoul, Korea and join LG Twins! You will enjoy playing here Seoul. wish you best luck. And as a fan of Twins, many thanks for your first impression about team in detail.

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  19. Welcome to LG twins!! I'm looking forward to see you at the Jamsil stadium. Wish your choice to join LG twins will be the best choice for your career(and for numerous fans eagering to win Korean series like me). And It is impressive of you to write this essay, since there's few other way to get how your training goes. Seems your attitude to blend in gave nice first impression to a lot of fans, including me:) Again, nice to meet you and wish your best luck in 2014 season!!

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  20. Welcome~^^ i am really happy that you become a lagtwins player.it wil become a best choice to contract with lgtwins. Cause LG twins is the most popular baseball team in korea. You will feel nice in stadium where a lot of people always cheer you. Do not warry just focuss on baseball!. I love you~

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  21. I'm so excited to read your story and see your positive mind to get into LG Twins. I am sure that you will have an awesome season in LG Twins.
    We, the best fans in the world, are on your back. Just enjoy your baseball and be a LG Twinser. Cheers!

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  22. Welcome to LG Twins! I am a fan of LG Twins.. It is awesome to read your post on the first day of Arizona camp.. You will get to know lots of wonderful people in LG Twins! JungGeun Bon and SunWoo Kim who are both teachers experienced in MLB will help you out communicating with other pitchers.. And DongHyun Lee called the brother of Liz will be a good teammate of you..Hope to see your playing in Korea in spring!! Good luck!

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  23. Welcome to Korean Baseball, Cory!! ^^
    I'm glad to read your blog, hoping you would update it often.
    Korean Baseball is totally (is it too extreme to say it this way?) different to MLB, but I can assure you it is more interesting. You will see lots of devoted fans and awesome plays!
    And the cheering...!! You will be surprised! I'm sure about that~
    Enjoy your adventure in KBO~ Wish you luck...

    a neighbor team fan ;)

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