Post #200 Has Nothing To Do With Korean Baseball

First, I'd just like to thank myself for reaching 200 posts. I'm awesome. Without me, this blog never would have started. Great job me, you earned this.

While on vacation, I've had some time to screw around on the internet. Unlike all those hours and hours slaving in Korea, I've actually found a few minutes to "surf." I've located a hole barrel full of baseball fights in the NPB posted on YouTube.

I'm somewhat of an expert on baseball fights. First, baseball fights always rate highly in unintentional comedy. Second, my beloved White Sox have been in their fair share of tussles. The brawl against Detroit in 2000. Ventura vs. Ryan. A.J. vs. Michael Barrett. The Sean Tracey Incident. The list goes on. Thirdly, no one ever gets hurt. Ever. Sure, sometimes a bullpen catcher or coach gets a bloodly lip, but I've never seen anyone get seriously hurt in one of these. I can honestly say, I've never seen a real dustup in Korea. I've seen a few pushing and shoving matches, but nothing that matches the level of other leagues.

I give you, the NPB of the 80's and early 90's.



This one features the "insane bench player." Every team has one. A guy who's struggling through the season. He can't hit. He doesn't play much. He's terribly frustrated. He's just looking for an excuse to deck someone. The baseball fight gives him a chance.



Here we have the insane manager. First, he argues over, well, not sure what he's arguing. No big deal. He turns the volume up to 11 with a forearm shiver into the chest of the umpire. Now we're getting somewhere. Then, he heads to the mound and snatches the pitchers' glove and ball. With his attempts at pitching rebuffed, he whips the ball at the manager...then the glove. Then he storms off the field. I think he got his point across.



Here we have the "Insane Bench Player's" close relative. The Enraged Foreign Guy. He's stuck in a foreign country that he doesn't like very much. The food is weird. The people aren't very nice. And he's expected to play baseball. He's a timebomb. Bonus points for the other foreign guys trying to "settle him down." "Come on, buddy. We know it sucks. We know."



This is essentially a random montage of foreign dickbaggery from the NPB's 1988 season. Watching foreign guys chase pitchers into centerfield never gets old.



Speaking of chasing the pitcher into centerfield.



We're going to end with the foreign guy going after the umpire. Not really a fight, but you get the sense the ump wanted to launch a preemptive strike against the ballplayer.