Archives September 2023

Much bigger and stronger opponents than the Asian Championships await the Korean team. Kim Yeon-yeon is quietly preparing to face them.

The South Korean women’s national volleyball team left the country on Thursday to compete at the Paris 2024 Olympic Qualification Tournament in Łódź, Poland, from June 16-24. A total of 24 nations will compete in three groups, with only the top two teams from each group qualifying for the Olympic Games.

South Korea was placed in Group C alongside Poland, Italy, the United States, Germany, Thailand, Colombia, and Slovenia. It’s a tough group with no favorites. The team is also coming off back-to-back poor performances at the FIVB Volleyball Nations League (VNL) 2023 and the Asian Volleyball Confederation (AVC) Women’s Championship 2023. It’s a cliché, but a miracle is needed to qualify for the Olympic Games.

Kim, who met with The Spike on Thursday at her departure site, admitted that she is not optimistic about the situation, saying, “It’s true that it’s very difficult.” However, she said, “You can’t say no or give up. I’m still preparing with the mindset that if I keep fighting as hard as I can, good things will come,” she said.

Kim, who rejoined the team at the last Asian Championships, will be playing alongside Moon Jung-won as the team’s only libero. “We need to be better prepared in all areas than we were at the Asian Championships. It’s also important to stay focused until the end of the match. “My sister (Moon) Jung-won and I have been talking a lot, asking each other how we can do better in defense and reception. It helped us a lot.”

With back-to-back international tournaments and the 2023 Gumi Dodram Cup professional volleyball tournament, Kim and her teammates are in a tough spot physically. On top of that, their first opponent in the Olympic Qualifiers, Italy, is a team with a clear advantage over Korea in terms of physicality and power, as well as overall strength.

“It’s a tough schedule,” Kim said, “but we have no choice. We’re trying to manage what we can and keep improving. Especially after the Asian Championship, when we meet a European team like Italy, we expect that it will be difficult to deal with the different power and height of the opponent, so we are trying to improve even more,” he said, revealing that they are preparing to face the strongest teams as best they can. 안전놀이터

At the end of the interview, Kim said, “Many fans came to the airport even though it was early, so I think I will be able to play with more strength. I’ll do my best to show them. Goodbye,” and thanked her fans. Fans are hoping to see Kim and her teammates not give up as much as the result, if not more.

‘Smile Jumper’ Woo Sang-hyuk (27, Yongin City Hall) has made history in Korean athletics again. He won gold at the Diamond League Final. He has also set his sights on the Hangzhou Asian Games.

Woo Sang-hyuk cleared 2.35 meters to win the men’s high jump at the 2023 SEGA Athletics Federation Diamond League Final at Hayward Field in Eugene, Oregon, USA, on Sunday (July 17). This is Woo’s personal best (outdoors). The first South Korean athlete to reach the final, Woo also took home $30,000 (approximately $40,000) for his victory.

The Diamond League has a total of 14 tournaments a year. Players are ranked based on ranking points accumulated from 13 events, and the top six qualify for the 14th event’s final, a “king of the hill” competition. Woo Sang-hyuk, who finished fourth this year, was looking for his first medal.

The prospects were bright. Last year’s world champion and the strongest player in the field, Mutaz Essa Barshim (Qatar), and world champion Jean-Marto Tamberi (Italy) were not in the field. It was also a familiar venue for the 2014 Youth World Championships winner and last year’s World Championships silver medalist.

Woo cleared 2.15, 2.20, 2.25 and 2.29 in the first round. Woo and Jubon Harrison (24-USA) were the only athletes to clear 2.29 without fail. Woo finally moved into sole possession of first place with a clearance of 2.33m. The battle between Norbert Kowielski (26-POL) and Harrison began in earnest as the latter jumped one personal best after another. After two consecutive failures, Harrison cleared 2.33 meters in the third period.

The next height was 2.35 meters, a Korean record and a personal best that Woo Sang-hyuk had cleared at the Tokyo Olympics and last year’s World Championships. But he hasn’t cleared it this season. After failing twice in a row, Woo managed to touch the bar in the final period, just barely clearing it. Woo himself celebrated with a look of disbelief on his face. When Kowielski and Harrison failed to clear 2.33 meters in the third period, Woo sealed the gold medal.

메이저놀이터 After the World Championships and Diamond League, Woo’s eyes are now set on the Asian Games. Woo, who won silver at the 2018 Jakarta-Palembang Games, will face a tough test against Barsim, the man he defeated. If Woo wins gold, it will be the first time in 21 years since Lee Jin-taek (1998 Bangkok-2002 Busan).

Choi Hyung-woo, who rounded third base to score, and catcher Yang Yang-ji, who was playing defense, stopped at first base. 온라인바카라

In the bottom of the second inning of the game between Doosan and KIA at Kia Champions Field in Gwangju on May 15, with KIA trailing 1-0, Choi Hyung-woo led off with a double.

After stealing second, Choi advanced to third on Kim Sun-bin’s grounder to first, giving KIA a chance to score with runners on first and third.

The next batter, Lee Woo-sung, stepped up to the plate. Lee hit Brandon’s first pitch and the ball rolled in front of third baseman Heo Kyung-min. Heo’s throw to first base was not good.

Heo’s throw went off the mitt of first baseman Kang Seung-ho and behind him. Choi Hyung-woo, the third baseman, took a leisurely step and crossed home plate.

Here’s what happened. Lee Woo-seong, who was heading to second base when he saw the ball go out of play, collided with first base umpire Na Kwang-nam. Due to the strong impact, Na and Lee fell to the ground, and Park Kye-beom, who had the ball in his glove, tagged Lee for the out. Colliding with an umpire is not considered defensive interference under baseball rules.

Choi Hyung-woo scored, but with Lee Woo-sung out, there were no runners on base and Hwang Dae-in, the next batter, struck out looking to end the inning.

Lee Woo-sung’s bad luck in his first at-bat, which included a dizzying collision with the first base umpire, was reversed in his next at-bat.

With the bases loaded in the bottom of the fourth inning, Lee pulled a slider from Brandon for a grand slam over the left field wall. It was Lee’s seventh home run and his first career grand slam.

KIA made it a 5-2 game with Lee’s grand slam, but they couldn’t hold on and lost 8-6 in a game that was full of comebacks and comebacks.

La Liga president Javier Tebas has revealed that the league’s salary cap has been set at a level higher than what João Felix was paid by Barcelona.

“La Liga valued Felix’s contract much more highly,” Spanish media outlet Sport reported on Friday.

On June 2, it was officially announced on Barcelona’s official website that Felix will be loaned to Barcelona until June 30, 2024. It’s a dream come true for Felix, as he’s moving to the club of his dreams.

The Portuguese striker has been touted as the next Ronaldo in his country.

After playing for Portuguese giants Benfica, Felix moved to Atletico Madrid in 2019 and became the club’s new number 7, replacing Antoine Griezmann, who left for Barcelona that year. Atletico had high hopes for Felix, given that he was given the number 7 jersey, the symbol of an ace, but his performances did not live up to expectations.

After a loan spell at Chelsea, Felix was unable to rebound, and ahead of this summer’s transfer window, he released a statement expressing his desire to move to Barcelona, which caught Atletico off guard. Barcelona were initially uninterested in Felix, but with the departure of promising youngster Ansu Pati to Brighton on loan, they snapped him up on loan.

Felix took a huge pay cut to get to his dream club. According to Spanish media, “Felix said he would have accepted the Saudi offer if it was just about the money. He agreed to accept a salary of 400,000 euros ($570,000) from Barcelona, plus a championship bonus only. He is confident that he will be a good fit for Xavi Hernandez’s team and his goal is to convince Barcelona to sign him next summer with his best performances,” Felix said, revealing the level of weekly wages he has chosen.

Felix was reportedly earning a weekly salary of €280,000 at Atletico Madrid. This translates to an annualized salary of €14.6 million (approximately $20.9 billion), and Felix accepted a salary of one-sixth of his previous salary to join Barcelona.

Despite Felix’s low salary, reports have emerged that La Liga has valued the contract at a higher level and applied it to the salary cap, rather than the €400,000 (approximately $560,000).

Sport said: “Tebas responded to Barcelona by announcing the salary cap for the first division. Some asked about the signing of Felix, and Tebas answered questions about the player’s salary situation.”

According to the report, Tebas said of Felix’s salary: “You have to judge it by what the club pays the player, but in some cases there are internal evaluations that adjust the figures to the market price. We have assessed that Felix’s contract is worth more than what Barcelona is paying. Therefore, no matter how much we reduce the salary, the contract is reflected above the agreed amount.” 토토사이트

It’s a shame for Barcelona. The club, which has been forced to reduce players’ salaries in order to reduce its salary cap due to financial concerns, could have gotten some breathing room by reducing Felix’s salary, as La Liga would have valued it more highly and would have had less salary cap to reduce.

However, Tebas was happy with Barcelona’s move. “Tebas was happy with Barcelona’s brass, and he only said that he trusts the way Juan Laporta and the board of directors have handled the situation, despite the fact that journalists have questioned the signings,” the outlet reported, adding that he believes the club has complied with the salary cap.

With Felix’s 97.3% salary cut likely to have had little financial impact on the club, it will be interesting to see when Barcelona’s salary cap issues will be fully resolved.

“Should I bunt from the first inning?”

Daejeon’s Hanwha Life Glass Park, where the LG-Hanwha game was played on April 15, was dark and cloudy before the game. The morning rain eased off in the afternoon, but not completely. A large tarp was placed on the infield and the players warmed up on the indoor practice field. It was a mixed bag, with rain forecast for the evening. More than 20 millimeters per hour of precipitation was forecast starting at 7 p.m., and it seemed likely that the game would be canceled after the 6:30 start time.

Before the game, Hanwha manager Choi Won-ho said, “I think we can play in this condition…but we should bunt from the first inning.” Since the game will be officially called after the fifth inning, it’s important to score runs as early as possible to take the lead.

LG coach Yoon Kyung-yeop said the same thing. “It’s been raining since 8 o’clock, and it’s going to keep raining,” he said as he checked the weather forecast on his phone before the game. “I told the players to bunt from the first inning because we need to score in the fifth inning,” he laughed.

The game started 10 minutes late due to ground maintenance, and as expected, it became a ‘rainy baseball’ game. By the second inning, a fair amount of rain had fallen, and the pitchers were struggling to shake the dirt off their spikes. Spectators watched the game in the rain with umbrellas and raincoats.

With the game likely to be a wet and cold affair, both teams played squeeze ball early on. Hanwha tied the game at 1-1 in the second inning when Lee Jin-young laid down a sacrifice bunt with the bases loaded and Hanwha’s Lee Do-yoon laid down a squeeze bunt on the first pitch. LG pitcher Kim Yoon-sik calmly stepped forward and threw the ball home with a glove toss, forcing the tag out of Nick Williams at third base.

In the next inning, LG countered with a squeeze bunt of their own. Trailing 1-3 with runners on first and third, Shin Min-jae suddenly bunted on the second pitch after a wild swing at Felix Peña. The ball rolled to the side of the pitcher, allowing Park Hae-min to score from third base. Peña gave up the home run and had to settle for throwing to first base to get one out. Shin Min-jae laid down a sacrifice bunt.

It wasn’t a short game, and there wasn’t an immediate standings battle on the line, but in the first two or three innings, both teams traded squeeze bunts. SPOTV commentator Yang Sang-moon, who was calling the game, laughed, saying, “I’ve never seen squeeze bunts in the first two or three innings of a game outside of the Korean Series.” It was a rare sight in Woojung baseball. 메이저사이트

After the squeeze bunt, LG tied the game at 3-3 when Kim Hyun-soo singled to right field with the bases loaded. In the fourth inning, Hanwha had a runner on first with no outs when Lee Jin-young laid down a bunt, but it floated in front of the catcher, ending the offensive flow. LG then took a 4-3 lead in the fifth when Austin Dean singled to left field.

Austin’s RBI single would prove to be the game-winner. In the top of the seventh inning, the game was suspended due to heavy rain. After a 47-minute wait following the 8:56 p.m. halt, a rain delay was called at 9:43 p.m. when the rain didn’t stop.

The rain came at just the right time, acting as the finishing touch, and LG won 4-3, snapping a three-game losing streak and solidifying its hold on first place. “It rained and Austin scored when we really needed a run,” said head coach Yeom Kyung-yeop after the game, pointing to the fifth inning’s one run before the rain poured down as the deciding factor.

Can Lotte Giants two-hitting rookie Jeon Mir, 18, pitch and hit in the pros?

Lotte selected Gyeongbuk High School ace Jeon Mir with the third overall pick in the first round of the 2024 KBO Rookie Draft, held at the Grand Ballroom of the Westin Chosun Hotel in Seoul on April 14. Jeon excelled on both sides of the plate this year, going 5-1 with a 1.32 ERA in 18 games (67⅔ innings) as a pitcher and 27 games as a hitter, batting .346 with three home runs, 28 doubles, 32 RBIs, 22 runs scored, two stolen bases, and a 1.032 OPS.

Lotte general manager Sung Min-kyu explained why he selected Jeon with the No. 1 pick, saying, “As everyone knows, Jeon Mir has excellent athleticism that allows him to hit both ways, and we gave him high marks for his competitiveness on the field.”

Lotte is open to the possibility of Jeon continuing his two-hitting career in the pros. “If the club assigns me a position, I have no choice,” he said, “but I would like to try both pitching and hitting if given the chance. If I can, I would love to do a two-hitter,” he said.

Acting manager Lee Jong-woon said in an interview on the 15th, “Jeon Mir, who we picked as the No. 1, looks like a great player in the two-hitter. I watched a few games, and his changeup angle is good, so he looks like a player who can be put into the field right away.” He welcomed Jeon’s nomination.

There have been many players in the KBO who have shown talent in both hitting and pitching. Na Sung-beom (KIA), Kang Baek-ho (KT), Kim Dae-woo (Doosan), Jang Jae-young, Kim Gun-hee (Kiwoom), and many others have shown promise, but most have focused on one position in the pros. Kiwoom gave Jang Jae-young and Kim Gun-hee a chance to combine their skills this year, but the results weren’t great. In the end, Jang decided to focus on pitching and Kim on hitting.

“We don’t know what will happen with Jeon Mir right now,” said acting head coach Lee Jong-woon. “Once he joins the team, we’ll see where he fits in. Whether it’s a pitcher or a fielder depends on the team’s situation,” he said, avoiding specifics about Jeon’s future.

“Of course, if he is good at both batting and pitching, he will have a lot of uses,” said acting manager Lee Jong-woon, “but there will be a lot of pressure on the players. Even if he wants to do it, it’s qualitatively different to be a two-hitter as an amateur and a two-hitter as a professional. Later on, you’ll think it’s better to do only one,” he said, explaining the difficulties of playing two sports 온라인카지노.

After the success of Shohei Ohtani (Angels), there was a worldwide craze for two-hitters, but there hasn’t been a true two-hitter since Ohtani. Even Ohtani has recently suffered from elbow and side injuries that have kept him out of the game as both a pitcher and a hitter.

Acting manager Lee Jong-woon said, “It’s really special to have a pitcher and hitter like Ohtani. That’s why he’s such a great player. Not just anyone can do it. To be a good hitter and a good pitcher is literally like a hero in a manga, and it’s not easy.”

While it’s certainly a challenge to combine the two, there’s no telling how Jeon Mir will develop. “I’ve seen his game videos, but it’s hard to judge a player based on that. When he comes to our team and practices, our coaches and experts will know which option is better,” said Lee Jong-woon, looking forward to his growth.

On Thursday, Road FC Chairman Jung Moon-hong released a video of the match between “Yakuza” Kim Jae-hoon (34) and “K-1 Legend” Jerome Le Vanner (51, FREE) on his personal YouTube channel, “Gaohyeong Life.

In the YouTube content “Breaking Down,” hosted by former Road FC player Mikuru Asakura, Kim faced off against “K-1 Legend” Jerome Le Vanner on March 26. Despite the loss, Kim wants a second fight.

“That was the most painful punch I’ve ever gotten. My legs felt weak,” he said, adding, “I want to do it again (with Jerome Le Banner).”

With such an electrifying performance, Kim is currently gaining popularity in Japan. Many Japanese fight fans are eager to see what he does next. 굿모닝토토

“I received a lot of DMs saying, ‘Thank you for coming to Japan. This time, I went to the Korea-Japan Alliance. Even though I’m Korean, I got to be the captain. The Japanese teams cheered me on as I walked in at the end. It was a complete Korean-Japanese alliance,” said Kim Jae-hoon.

Meanwhile, ROAD FC will host Gupne ROAD FC 066 on October 29 at Wonju Chiak Gymnasium starting at 2 p.m. KST. The game will be broadcast live on SPOTV, and online on Daum Sports, Kakao TV, and Africa TV.

Will ‘Baseball 2.0’ take over the KBO once again?

There was a time when the KBO league had a “baseballer 2” craze. Representative examples are Lee Jong-beom and Lee Jeong-hoo. Lee Jong-beom, who was known as the “son of the wind” and a “baseball genius” during his playing days, was one of the best shortstops in Korean baseball, and his every play is still a “legend”. Lee Jong-bum’s son, Lee Jung-hoo, is the star of Kiwoom, winning the regular season MVP award last year and becoming the first father and son MVP. Coach Lee Jong-beom was awarded the regular season MVP in 1994.

Now, another ‘Baseball Man 2’ is on his way. Lee Byung-kyu, Jr. is making his debut in the KBO. The KBO held the 2024 KBO Rookie Draft on Thursday at the Westin Chosun Hotel Grand Ballroom in Sogong, Seoul. SSG selected Whimungo outfielder Lee Seung-min (18) in the second round.

Lee is the son of none other than “Legend” Lee Byung-gyu, Samsung’s head coach. Lee made his debut with LG in 1997, winning the Rookie of the Year award and becoming the first Jamsil player to hit 30 home runs and steal 30 bases in 1999. After playing in Nippon Professional Baseball’s Junichi from 2007 to 2009, Lee became the oldest player to reach the postseason in 2013 when LG made its first postseason appearance in 11 years. With a career batting average of .311, 2,043 hits, 161 home runs, and 972 RBIs, Lee retired his jersey at the end of the 2016 season, and his number 9 was retired by LG.

We can’t wait to see what kind of player the “second generation” of the “legendary” Lee Byung-kyu will be in the history of the KBO.

Lee Byung-kyu’s nickname during his playing days was Red Tomah. Therefore, Lee Seung-min’s nickname is already ‘Red Earth Foal’.

After the draft, we were able to meet Lee Seung-min in his SSG uniform. “I was drafted earlier than I thought,” he says, “At first, when I heard ‘Whimungo,’ I thought my teammate (Jang) An-seok was being called, but then they called my name, but he went to Hanwha in the next round, so I felt good.” He explains how he felt when he was drafted. His teammate, Jang Ahn-seok, was drafted by Hanwha in the first pick of the third round.

“SSG was the championship team last year, so when I watched them play baseball last year, I thought ‘they’re attractive’ and ‘they’re cool,’ and they were always in the back of my mind,” Lee said.

His role models, Choo Shin-soo and Han Yoo-seom, were already in his mind. “Shin-soo Choo and Yu-sung Han are my role models,” Lee said, “They are both left-handed hitters and have the ability to hit more than 20 home runs. I’ve always heard from my coaches that I have a similar style to Han Yoo-seom.”

Despite having his father’s blood in his veins, his hitting style may be different. “I think our approach to hitting is similar, but the type of hitting we pursue is different,” Lee said. “My father was a shift hitter, and I pursue medium to long distance, so I think our hitting style is a little different.”

When asked what he usually emphasizes to his son, Lee said that he often says simple but key words such as “work hard,” “be sincere,” and “don’t think of yourself as different from others.” 안전놀이터

His son has now grown up enough to follow in his footsteps and enter the professional ranks: “I’m aiming to play 144 games on the field, so I need to have the mindset to shake it off if I don’t have a good day. So I think I need to grow a little more mentally,” said Lee. Just as his father, Lee Byung-kyu, won the Rookie of the Year title with LG in 1997, it will be interesting to see if his son, Lee Seung-min, can make a difference as soon as he makes his professional debut.

The San Diego Padres failed to save a billion dollars.

San Diego placed struggling veteran pitcher Rich Hill on waivers. The idea was to save a billion dollars.

But no one wanted him. There was no reason to pay $1 billion for a player who wouldn’t even make the postseason. If he was performing well, they might have considered it, but no team was willing to take a 43-year-old who had fallen into a severe slump since being traded. Hill stayed in San Diego for the rest of the season. 바카라사이트

Since coming to San Diego from the Pittsburgh Pirates, Hill has posted a 9.25 ERA in 24 1/3 innings. For the season, he has a 5.53 ERA in 143 1/3 innings.

Going forward, Hill could serve as a multi-inning reliever for two weeks, or he could make one or two more starts.

The day of the KBO Draft is here.

The Korea Baseball Organization (KBO) will hold the 2024 KBO Rookie Draft on Thursday at 2 p.m. in the Grand Ballroom of the Westin Chosun Hotel in Sogong, Seoul.

The rookie draft has been held as an all-round draft since last year. It will be held in 11 rounds. The teams will be selected in the following order: Hanwha Eagles, Doosan Bears, Lotte Giants, Samsung Lions, NC Dinos, Kia Tigers, KT Wiz, LG Twins, Kiwoom Heroes, and SSG Landers, in reverse order of their final standings from last season. For the second year in a row, Hanwha will hold the No. 1 overall pick in the draft.

However, Kiwoom, who received the pick from another team in a trade, received the first-round pick in a trade with LG, allowing them to select two players in the first round. They will also exercise their second- and third-round picks from KIA and Samsung. NC also has a seventh-round pick from Hanwha.

This year’s rookie draft includes 782 high school graduates, 296 college graduates (including 41 early draft picks), and 5 other players, including overseas amateurs and professionals, for a total of 1083 players. The Early Draft System, which was implemented last year, allows players to enter the draft as sophomores at four-year (including three-year) colleges.

This year’s draft was dominated by pitchers. There are predictions that all 10 first-round picks will go to pitchers.

The favorite to go first overall is Jang Chung-go left-hander Hwang Jun-seo. At 6-foot-2 and 180 pounds, Hwang has a fastball that reaches 150 mph and a splitter, slider, and curveball. His physique and pitching style are said to be reminiscent of Kim Kwang-hyun’s high school days.

Kim Taek-yeon, a right-hander from Incheon High School, is expected to wear the Doosan uniform at No. 2 barring any major upsets. Described as the “next Go Woo-seok,” Kim is praised for his hard-hitting fastball that reaches up to 153 kilometers and his reliable breaking ball.

Kim’s recent performance at the U-18 Baseball World Cup further boosted his stock. He’s even being talked about as a possible No. 1 overall pick. However, it will be difficult for Hanwha to give up on Hwang Jun-seo given their lack of left-handed pitching.

Other top first-round picks include Jeon Mir (Gyeongbuk High), Yuk Sun-yup (Jangchung High), Kim Hwi-gun (Huimun High), and Jeon Jun-pyo (Seoul High). Won Sang-hyun (Busan High) and Cho Dae-hyun (Gangneung High) are also expected to go in the first round 먹튀검증.

Among the outfielders, infielder Yeo Dong-gun (Seoul High), who is expected to be a “five-tool player,” and Park Ji-hwan (Se-ad), who is considered the best shortstop in high school, are in the spotlight. Among college graduates, left-hander Jeong Hyun-soo (Songwon University), who was recognized for his skills in the baseball talent program “Strongest Baseball,” is expected to be selected in the bottom of the first round.