Lately, Anthony and I have been taking shots at US Soccer in the wake of their embarrassing showings versus Italy and Brazil in the Confederations Cup. Not exactly the World Cup, but it’s still a stage for the U.S. to match up against the very best International teams in the world.

Personally, I had assumed that the US was eliminated from the event until I read the wrap up from the Egypt match which stated that the U.S. had moved on out of the group stage after an unlikely scenario arose where the U.S. beat Egypt by 3 or more (US 3 – Egypt 0) and Italy lost to Brazil by 3 or more (Brazil 3 – Italy 0).

Anthony’s initial take was to give Stars and Stripes Soccer a nice pat on the back for a decisive win over a really solid and underrated Egypt team. Remember, Egypt is the same team that won the African Cup of Nations, outclassing teams full of Euro club stars like Cote D’Iviore, Cameroon, Nigeria and Ghana. Further, in Egypt’s first round match ups versus Brazil and Italy, the Pharoahs lost a tight 4-3 shootout with Brazil and pulled a tough 1-0 win versus Italy.

But while Anthony brought up the positives of a solid win over a success International team, I brought up the very valid question regarding U.S. Soccer. How is it that we can look like an AYSO squad against Italy and Brazil but trounce Egypt when Egypt can give those aforementioned teams a real game?

To me, the biggest issue is that the U.S. players seem to take themselves out of games mentally, before the matches even start. When we play teams like Brazil, or Germany, or Italy, our players, in interviews, are deferential to these historic powers and they put their chances of winning at slim. While it’s correct to acknowledge the greatness of these teams, American athletes are known for their swagger and self-confidence. For some reason, this hasn’t carried over into the realm of soccer. The U.S. Basketball team remained confident, even as they lost the gold medal in the 2004 Olympics. Would you expect to hear U.S. Baseball or Track not portraying confidence, even while praising the ability of the opponent?

I usually have to rely on Anthony’s knowledge of soccer to explain the outcome of matches, but I believe that U.S. soccer’s biggest problem is simply confidence and a bit of bravado. Against Italy, the U.S. team seemed to lose their cool over some questionable calls and a red card. It is frustrating that the U.S. never seems to get the benefit of the doubt in International play, but this is a fact of all sports. The better teams earn the grey area calls and the lesser teams ending up playing both the referees and their oponent. But maintaining your cool as a team is key to beating top opponents, and the U.S. can’t seem to do that.

It just ends up being frustrating to watch the U.S. play so well against teams like Egypt and Mexico, who are no slouches in their own right. These teams are going out, playing well and winning in International play. But then we come out lifeless in other matches. Here’s hoping that in our next game against Spain the real U.S. team shows up. I believe we have the talent, we just need to finally make the leap mentally.

Reasons why I am still a little in between on my feelings on Noraebong:

Ah well.  Personally, its a fine time so long as I am not too sober.  Without enough libation in me, noraebong always lulls me sleep. 

I can’t put this on my Korea blog (esp with the recent dearth of posts) but with a return trip stateside about a month and half from now, I couldn’t help but think about stuff I will hop on as soon as I get home.  One of those things will be the rest of Flight of the Conchords Season 2.

Here is a great clip from Season 1.  The best scenes usually involve Murray, the wonderfully bungling manager and I don’t usually rate the songs as my personal high points from the shows, but this love serenade to Bret’s special lady always gets me.  This scenes doubles as a “things I miss about NYC” memory too because its set with the globe at the New York World’s Fair Grounds in Queens in the background.  Enjoy.

Flight of the Conchords Ep 4 If You’re Into It

“I was talking about this the other day with my Grandfather. I don’t think pitch counts are all that important. If guys just got into the right shape, and learned to pace themselves, I think they could pitch more complete games.”

And so another correspondence was begun between me and my cohort Anthony. Sports Illustrated has taken the lead of ESPN and begun posting email back and forth based articles on their website. The following link is a recent article on the effectiveness of pitch counts.

READ ARTICLE HERE

And this is why I love sending these articles on to Anthony, because I’m almost always guaranteed a response. Our discussion follows.

Anthony

Couple problems with your idea:

1) Guys throw harder than they used to.

2) Guys lift more weights (bigger muscles, maybe steroids), meaning more strain on joints.

3) Batters are bigger and stronger today.

4) Guys care more about injuries today and won’t pitch through pain because of the money.

5) Teams don’t want pitchers throwing with pain because of the money.

Basically, it’s a different game than the 1950s or 60s. I can’t believe that pitchers today are not as strong as pitchers of a different era because of training.

Also, for the most part, using a reliever is a better option than an average starter who is pitching past the 6th inning. A reliever can come in and throw his best stuff for one inning.

Pitchers are babied and 100 pitches is arbitrary, but its unfortunately a new facet of the modern game.

Wallace

1) I don’t fully believe that guys throw harder than they used to. Sure, guys can reach the upper 90s on the gun more often than in the past, but in every game I’ve watched this year guys were throwing about 90-93 for their fastballs. Halladay, Sabathia, Lester, Peavy and lots of other top pitchers throw this hard for their fastball. And from what I’ve read, guys back in the day threw low 90s also. Nolan Ryan probably could throw 97 mph. I don’t think your statement is right on this, but I’d have to research it more.

2) Guys may be bigger, but that’s a problem. If being bigger causes you to pitch less effectively, then clubs should be encouraging leaner muscle and increased stamina.

3) Batters being bigger and stronger has nothing to do with pitcher stamina and durability. If a pitcher is pitching well why is there a reason to take them out? There isn’t. They take out guys in the 9th so the “Closer” can get saves, because that’s a stat now, but you would never take a pitcher pitching a shutout out of a game in the 6th inning or the seventh unless you were employing the pitch count.

4) Guys caring about injury is fine but it’s probably not as true either because in baseball you get long term guaranteed contracts. You think a guy like Teixiera is worrying about the next contract when he has 5 years, or whatever it is, left on this one? Or A-Rod, or Sabathia? Maybe, but the whole point of the long term guaranteed contract is that if you do get hurt you still get paid. This is unlike football where you have to protect yourself to keep from getting cut due to injury.

5) The last point I can go with you on. But I also think that with how unreliable bullpens are from year to year, it makes more sense to invest your conditioning efforts on starters to keep them healthy. You want your starter out there more than anyone because starters are your best pitchers. How often have teams lost games on bullpens? This year there have been multiple games every day lost by bullpens. Bullpens suck on average.

Is using a reliever better than most starters past the 6th inning? I dont’ know about that. Like I said above, I think most relievers suck. There are plenty of very good ones, but most are just as average as the starters they come in for.

In the end, it’s just a part of the game, but I think Nolan Ryan has the right idea. If you can start a trend of starters going longer and it gets results, the rest of the league will follow. At the very least, 100 pitches is way too small. It should be like 120-130 for young guys and like 150 for older guys. That’s what I think. It’s annoying watching a game when they take out a starter after the 5th who is pitching great and you have to sit there and watch the bullpen suck and lose you the game.

Anthony

I tried to research the pitch speeds. Maybe I am inaccurate.

One thing I do know is that with batters so much bigger, and with much more batspeed, pitchers do have to throw more “A” pitches in a game than they once did. And we know that it’s the offspeed pitches that really kill a pitchers arm. Before the 1990s, there were probably 3 guys in every lineup who had the power to hit a homerun on a mistake pitch. Most teams had no power from middle infielders, many catchers and from usually one outfielder at least.

So let me replace my argument about pitch speed with the argument that pitchers have to throw many more tough pitches every game than they ever have.

Also, before the 1970s, the mound was higher by a considerable amount. This may sound insignificant, but I think everytime Al Leiter announced a Yankees game, he always brought this up as a way to cut down on pitcher injuries and offense.

I dunno, I think you really can’t compare the modern game (the post-steroid era game) to baseball previous. I think the mound thing is not insignificant. More importantly though, the idea of 2nd basemen like Chase Utley or the more ridiculous example of Bret Boone (when he was juicing and hitting 44 homeruns) was unthinkable when Ryan pitched or Gibson or Koufax pitched.

About relievers, from the very boring sabremetrics measurements, relievers as a population generally have an ERA of a full run better (I think, but it might be a half run, still significant). Mostly cause they can pitch an inning and just throw it all out there.

Ryan is not completely wrong, but its very easy for him to talk down on how the modern pitcher is “babied” when he never had to face a lineup where every batter can realistically slug. Also, his 97 MPH fastball can get pulled foul by many players of the current era because of improvements in bat speed.

Maybe I making things up, but you know how much I love shooting down nostalgic blowhards.

Wallace

I’m with you, and I’m not really trying to compare the different eras. I just feel pitchers could go more than 100 pitches. The days of guys pitching 20 complete games a season are over, that’s for sure. But 100 pitches is nothing.

I think you’re right about batters, it definitely makes a difference how good hitters are now. That’s why ERAs are higher. But does this mean that arms are getting more taxed? I don’t know because pitchers never really go long enough to find out. Also, guys have always gotten hurt, it’s just magnified now between media and the huge contracts rookies get.

Anthony

They probably could do more than 100.

The other thing I always remember hearing about pitch counts during Yankee games from Jim Kaat (he invented K-Sori so he’s a smart guy) is that sometimes 100 pitches is not always 100 pitches. He meant that up 11-0, 100 pitches is no biggie, but in 1-1 in September, each pitch is meaningful.

They probably could throw more though. I just think the steroid era changed baseball a lot (as have bandbox ballparks). Especially during Ryan’s heyday. No one hit homeruns during that time they way they did in the 90s and 00s.

More Korean Pop.  Again, catchy as hell.  If the “Sorry, Sorry,
Sorry, Sorry”’s don’t get stuck in your head then the perhaps the “Nekkid,
Nekkid, Nekkid”’s just might.  Also, the boy band performing this song,
Super Junior, has approximately 22 members.

Since I have received a few emails from family and friends with concern after news of former South Korean President Roh Moo-Ryun’s suicide, I feel compelled to blog on this topic.  Especially since his suicide was to have been reported internationally as having occurred in my Korean hometown, Busan (it is the closest large city to the cliff President Roh jumped off of). 

I am in no position to comment on his politics or his successes/failures as a leader, but in conversations I have had with Korean people, President Roh was certainly a person that seemed to spark people.  He was known as a clean politician as well, a reputation that certainly took a knock when allegations of he and his wife receiving roughly $6 million in bribes from a business man in Korea. 

The bribery investigation apparently took a toll on Roh, especially with regards to the scrutiny it placed on his family and close associates. 

Here is a good NY Times article about the situation and the reaction of people here in Korea:

http://www.nytimes.com/2009/05/25/world/asia/25iht-korea.html?ref=asia

Yeah, I love my time in Korea to this point, but I am human and there’s definite stuff I miss about NY (do or die M-Fers, lol).  Also, no mention of friends or family on this list because, obviously I miss those close to me from back in the states.   

-Deli’s, Pizza Joints, basically anyplace where you can walk in and then walk out with really good food (besides fast food places). 

-Being able to buy clothes pretty hassle free (6-4, 220 is not who Koreans make clothes for).

-NBA Playoffs, MLB (its not that I can’t follow it here, its just that a 13 hour time difference makes it real hard to ever see a game live). 

-Real Hip-Hop (too many people here either dislike hip-hop or think that Soulja Boy is the best rap act going.  No further comment needed). 

-Miller High Life

-American Country Breakfasts

-non-Korean food (I love Korean food, but the non-Korean options in Korea just don’t match up in my opinion)

-Calling in sick for work (not really something you do here)

-American National Holidays (Korea has national holidays, but they have not yet figured out the benefits a firmly scheduled 3-day weekends.  I will be very ornery on Memorial Day). 

-All that stuff you can do in NY. 

Ok, I’m done. 

More Korean Pop music. Enjoy.

First post on Korean Pop Music.  I don’t think I actually like this music, but its still gets stuck in my head.

This is my favorite pop song I have heard here thus far.  I like bubble-gummy type stuff in general and the song is good and peppy.  I am still uncertain how a girl group works when their are NINE MEMBERS.  Destiny’s Child had much drama with first with 5 members and then with just 3 members.  This is Girls’ Generation with “Gee”.

Girls’ Generation (SNSD) – Gee Music Video

I have been sitting on this story for too long.  Its not as though the tale surrounding my White Day (March 14, analogous to our Valetine’s Day) was real salacious, but it took me sometime to get the picture I needed to tell the story. 

Also, this beginning with this post, I am going to try and get more posts up, with many more little things about life here as, I have find myself out of the house way more than I ever planned during my stay in Korea.  I guess the primary reason for this is that I have been very, very active in pursuing a busy social life and as a result, I am out most every night.  However, the reason for my aggressive social pursuits is directly related to my work life over the past few weeks.  Things at my school have been less than ideal and as a result, I have found myself working harder and being more stressed at the job and my aggressive social pursuits serve adequately as a solid diversion. 

Anyway, White Day 2009…

After going out on a much longer and more involved engagement with a girl during the day (the entire, boring day) and needed to cut loose afterwards.  I was thisclose to staying in afterwards, but I decided to meet up with some friends, get some Dong Dong Ju (that deserves another post of its own, but its a rice liquor punch sort of) and then BBQ.  By the time I finished up with BBQ, I was feeling pretty nice (btw, “going to BBQ” almost always means consuming plenty of soju and beer). 

I was near ready to go home when my friend notices a bit of a disturbance in front of a bar down the block.  To give some more context, we were in Seomyeon, one of Busan’s busiest neighborhoods and it seemed that White Day (it was a Saturday as well) had caused many young Koreans to spill their emotions and beer all over the streets. Naturally, my friend and I stroll over to the front of this bar to see what exactly has everyone so worked up.

When we arrive to the bar’s storefront, we witness Korean guy after Korean guy, come out of the bar, fighting mad, as though this were an 1860’s Dodge City Saloon.  There seemed to be no explanation for any of this, until we look up and see Kenny Rogers’ smiling face looking down at us. Apparently, this bar is the Kenny Rogers Noraebong (Karaoke bar, but private booth style), named for “The Gambler” himself.  Well, you might have had to have been there alongside us to see the humor (I laughed hysterically for 2 days over this), but I included the picture of the storefront to help give an idea for the spectacle of all of this. 

Friggin’ Kenny Rogers.