The Newest Addition to the KBO Announces the Official Name, Uni's

I can't decide if I like these or not. They're not quite as exciting as I had hoped and are more than a little similar to these guys, but they're not awful. I'm not a big fan of the grey alternate. I just don't care for the grey jersey with the red hat. I really like the numbers on the shoulder. If the numbers were lower, I think the jersey would look crowded with the massive logo across the chest.

I'm not sure what the logo is supposed to be. I see a "W" humping a rock. Seriously, is this one of those 3-D pictures and if I stare at it long enough, I'll see a massive cartoon baseball player smoking a cigarette? I don't get it.

It also sounds like that massive payroll slashing that I had heard about and dismissed, well it's really happening. What's even shadier is that the league passed a rule to allow this to happen.

Our Heroes!

The secretive new team in the KBO has a name and a sponsor.

I was rooting for a beer company or better yet, a soju company, but I guess we'll have to live with Woori Tobacco. Now, I know, you're all asking, "Matt, a tobacco company can't advertise on TV in Korea. It's illegal!" I would have to agree, but they're not using the company name. The name "Woori"(우리) translates roughly to "our." The official team name will be "Our Heroes." I can't wait to see the logo and jerseys.

Fantasyland

I've joined a fantasy league through the East Windup Chronicle with a few other bloggers/scouts/baseball enthusiasts from different corners of the world.

The draft is scheduled for 3/16. My goal is to do a draft diary and give weekly updates for my League of Dorks.

National Team Schedule

The Olympic qualifying tournement will be held in Taichung, Taiwan. China, Cuba, the United States, the Netherlands and Japan have already qualified for the tournement.

The top three teams will qualify for the 2008 Olympic Games in China.

Times are local.

3/7 at 12:30 PM
at South Africa

3/8 at 6:30 PM
vs. Austrailia

3/9 at 6:30 PM
vs. Mexico

3/10 at 12:30 PM
at Spain

3/12 at 12:30 PM
vs. Germany

3/13 at 6:30 PM
at Canada

3/14 at 6:30 PM
at Chinese Taipei(Taiwan)

# of days until exhibition games begin: 16
# of days until Opening Day: 32

KBO to Get Rid of 12-inning Limits???

Possibly. Personally, I hate ties. Especially in baseball. Japan allows them, the US does not. The only argument for allowing a 12 inning limit is that it doesn't burn out the pitching staff. I'd like to see it done away with. Baseball is one of the few sports that works best without a time limit.

The powers that be in the KBO are also deciding what kind of break they should allow for the Olympics. It looks like IF Korea qualifies(I think they will, but they're facing a tough field), they'll be allowing a three week break for travel and rest. It sounds like a good idea. If the Korean team can qualify for the Olympics, most baseball fans probably won't pay much attention to the KBO while the stars of the league are playing in Beijing.

Also, the former Hyundai Unicorns players have resolved a dispute with Centennial Investments. It sounds like the dispute centered on their contracts. Centennial announced it would seek to slash payroll. The players had the impression that they'd be forced to take a pay cut. It doesn't sound like it was that big of a deal. Centennial has made changes to the front office and management of the team, but no changes have been made as far as player personnel...yet.

Finally, the season is already off to a rocky start for Seo Jae-Weong. The former major leaguer tore his hamstring while training and will likely be on the shelf when opening day rolls around. Seo was set to be the opening day starter and a key part of the KIA Tigers attempt to get out of the cellar.

# of days until exhibition games begin: 21
# of days until opening day: 37

8 Teams! Centennial Investment Company Saves the Day!

Here's hoping the KBO got this right.

One thing is kind of distrubing. I'm unable to find any information on Centennial Investment. It's based in Seattle and most likely Korean owned, but not much else is known. Honestly, I don't even care as long as the KBO has 8 teams. 7 teams would have been a scheduling nightmare. I am a little disappointed that Jinro Soju or The Hite weren't interested in sponsoring a baseball team. I would have bought a hat and a jersey in a second.

It is known that Centennial will never have its name on the uni's. They plan to sell the space to multiple companies, with the biggest advertiser getting to have its name on the front. We could see a baseball uni looking like this. Whatever. 8 teams. I'm happy. Let's start the season already.