Ichiro delivers as Japan beats South Korea 5-3 to win WBC title

Tuesday 24th March, 02:49 PM JST

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JoeBigs at 09:31 AM JST - 26th March

Wow Blue_Tiger why do you hate anything Japanese? I am beginning to wonder if you will ever say anything good about Team Samurai or it's victory over the world?

Sad the way you to try claim that they did not really win against Korea in the final game.

Man you are even looking for "the smoking gun" that Japan cheated, the Umps cheated, the Koreans were not really playing, the fans cheated by cheering and that Japan was not good at all.

BTW just a reminder, Japan won and they are the best of the best of the best. You can not take that from them.
Kreza23 at 09:37 AM JST - 26th March

smithinjapan - I appreciate your comments. But I really don't know where you've gotten the idea that I've said anything to disrespect Team Korea. Admittedly, I've been here trying to disprove that Japan is the root of all evil, so perhaps that's where you've misinterpreted me, but if you look at my comments, not a single negative comment was directed towards Korea. Not one.

"They definitely said 'Yappari'. I don't really think it's a big deal at all... in fact, I never mentioned it until some posters (nudge) decided to come on and complain about bad plays and calls, or how 'unsportsman-like' some teams can be, etc."

Is that nudge directed towards me? Because I've said from the beginning that there were questionable calls but that they went both ways and never complained about that. And how does what a commentator says have anything to do with how unsportsman-like a team is or isn't? I agree with a lot of what you say, and respect your opinion, but I continued to be puzzled at some of what you say to me. I think you're grouping me in with some other posters, because you keep accusing me of saying things that I haven't.
memyselfI at 10:09 AM JST - 26th March

Ichiro delivers as Japan beats South Korea 5-3 to win WBC title Tuesday 24th March, 02:49 PM JST

I VOTE FOR ICHIRO AS THE NEW JAPAN PRIME MINSTER *********** He Can Deliver !!! **********
roomtemperature at 11:17 AM JST - 26th March

Smithinjapan, why don't you buy yourself a baseball computer game? So you can simulate games exactly the way YOU want it. No Ichiro, no Japanese commentators, no questionable calls, NO JAPAN, no yappari......just the way YOU want it. Maybe then you'll be satisfied? And we'll be spared from your endless whining about what Japanese commentators said or not said. Small details, Smith. Just small details, and you're making such a fuss about it.
nigelboy at 02:24 PM JST - 26th March

"Ichiro delivers as Japan beats South Korea 5-3 to win WBC title "

The blind hatred towards Ichiro displayed by the likes of highhope, smitty and other Koreans COMPELLED the Korean team to pitch to Ichiro in the top of the tenth when there was a base open after Aki stole second.

The ESPN color commentator stated something like "you don't pitch to a guy who's known around the world by one name." But then again, we're talking about Korea. They would of never allowed Ichiro to walk intentionally. That is equivalent to accepting the FACT that Ichiro is indeed a good player and will deliver in the clutch. Their "stupid" nationalism coupled with their blind hate for Ichiro simply did not allow that alternative. Simply put. Not only their stupidity cost the game and the championship, they made a hero out of their most hated player.

I'm no Ichiro fan during the MLB season but the reaction of Korean fans when Ichiro delivered that GW hit was something I have yet to witness all my years of attending baseball games. There were tears. There were middle finger jestures. The 4+ hours of "De Han Min Guk!" chants were gone. Mass exodus Blue wearing crowd heading towards the parking lot. (Note: First ones to go were those annoying "Dokdo" freaks in Right Center field bleachers)
Blue_Tiger at 06:30 PM JST - 26th March

Kreza -- This -- WBC 2009 メダル授与 -- is your "proof positive" that Team Korea was snubbing Team Japan at the supposed Congrats line-up? Are you serious? That's proof of nothing except that, yes, both teams were lined up, but some Korean players were facing Team Japan, and some were not, some members of "Samurai" Japan were facing Team Korea, and some had their backs turned ot Team Korea as well. No snubbing, no offense, no nothing going on except a whole lot of nothing. Nice try anyway.

About Jojima, so which is it, Kreza? Is he "arguing with the ump" and still being sportsmanlike as you imply in your first comment, or is he being unsportsmanlike as you say he is in your second? Hardly consistent. Etiehr defend Jojima for being professional and sportsmanlike or accuse him for being a spoiled brat who didn't get a call he felt he was supposed to get.

About the congrats line up, my apologies, was this an entirely professional thing, or were amateur players invited too? Was this final game between the BoSox and the dodgers, or was it between two teams on an international stage, one having a LOT of amateur players? And, yes, to be quite honest, I have seen it happen at Royals Stadium in Kansas city, at Reds Stadium in Cincinnati, and at Cardinals Stadium in St. Louis. Just because the Yankees or Red Sox don't do it, doesn't mean nobody else does.
Blue_Tiger at 06:32 PM JST - 26th March

JoeBigs -- Actually, I love Japan and Japanese people. I am glad for the people of Japan that their team won, but I am not happy (nor looking for some alleged smoking gun of cheating) that "Samurai" Japan continues to look down their noses at the competition in (a.) Asia, and now (b.) the rest of the world. Please don't put words in my mouth.
Kreza23 at 11:14 PM JST - 26th March

Blue Tiger - For goodness sakes. Why don't you talk to Bobbafett about the line up. He/she gave Team Korea grief about it. I didn't. I don't know why "proof positive" was in quotes, because I never said that. I couldn't find the TV broadcast of it, so I gave you that link which was the best I could find without spending a lot of time doing it. And I didn't say it was a "Congrats line-up" either. After getting their medals, they each lined up on their respective baselines. That clip was after Korea got their medals, and the Japanese players were getting waiting to get theirs.

As for Jojima. WHERE in my first comment did I imply he was being sportsmanlike? All I've said from the beginning is that he didn't like the call, so he protested it. He deservedly got thrown out for the manner he did it in. End of story.

"Etiehr defend Jojima for being professional and sportsmanlike or accuse him for being a spoiled brat who didn't get a call he felt he was supposed to get."

Are there no other options? Love him or hate him? You said he should've been tossed from the entire tournament, and that's what I disagreed with you about. He disagreed with a call and he showed that. But he didn't get up in the face of the umpire like many others have, and he didn't take a "hissy fit" and go back to the dugout and throw the Gatorade cooler around like others have. And even then, I don't think it would've meant he'd get thrown out of the entire tournament. Do you follow baseball? Is this not something you've seen before? Why are you making such a fuss about this Jojima incident? Basically what I'm saying here is, if we were to put this into soccer/football terms, you're saying he deserved a red card, I say yellow was fair, but for some reason you're asking me to choose between a red card or no card at all. I don't get it.

Really, I don't remember ever seeing teams line up to shake each other's hands after a professional game, but if you say it happens, can you find me a clip? And while you're at it, can you find a clip of a World Series win and the teams lining up before any celebration occurs? Honestly, if you can find one, I am completely willing to admit that I was wrong, but I do think that you're being unreasonable about Japan celebrating without shaking hands with the Korean team first. And correct me if I'm wrong, but I'm pretty sure that Team Korea was made up of players in Korea's professional baseball league, weren't they? I don't think their team was made up of " a LOT of amateur players".

I have no doubt that Japan feels like they deserved to win this tournament, but I don't know why you insist that they "look down their noses at the competition in (a.) Asia, and now (b.) the rest of the world." I'm not sure, but I really do think you're reading into things a little too much here.
Kreza23 at 11:19 PM JST - 26th March

Blue Tiger - My apologies. I just looked at the clip again, and it's showing the Korean players lining up after they get their medals, and Japan waiting their turn to receive theirs. Not after the entire Korean team received their medals. My mistake.
JoeBigs at 08:01 AM JST - 27th March

Blue_Tiger at 06:32 PM JST - 26th March JoeBigs -- Actually, I love Japan and Japanese people. I am glad for the people of Japan that their team won, but I am not happy (nor looking for some alleged smoking gun of cheating) that "Samurai" Japan continues to look down their noses at the competition in (a.) Asia, and now (b.) the rest of the world.

Now I will sue your own quote to ask you a question. Who is the better team Japan or Korea?

Something that everyone seems to be forgetting in this "Whose Better, Japan or Korea in Baseball?" is the fact that over the last eleven Baseball Games played between Korea and Japan, Korea leads the series 7-4

So who was the better team, Korea or Japan?
highhope at 08:42 AM JST - 27th March

Tatsuhito Iida, Los Angeles bureau chief of the Yomiuri Shimbun, Japan's largest daily newspaper, said some Japanese would agonize over losing to Korea because of historical rivalries.

"Many people feel they can't lose to Korea especially because historically [Koreans] don't have good feelings toward Japan and will try to beat us," he said. (From LA Times http://www.latimes.com/news/local/la-me-japan-korea24-2009mar24,3,7678117.story)

The hate between Korea and Japan lies on the anger and fear. As Tatsu Iito said, Japan has fear that one day Korea will beat Japan (not only in baseball but also socio-economically as it has shown in many fields of industries and business). (And Korean by their nature will bot be nice to Japan). (Koreans also think Japan will hurt Korea again if opportunity allows). WBC was just reflection of the above underlying psychology. Untill those grudge of Korean people against Japan are resolved, fierce competition way over the normal sportmanship will continue.
Blue_Tiger at 07:07 PM JST - 27th March

Kreza -- No problem.

JoeBiggs -- Your using of my words (suing? typo?) is to prove, what? That I think Korea is the better team? The point you are missing, Joe, is that "Samurai" Japan seems to think that they are the best team in the history of Asia Baseball, and their lack of class throughout the WBC, especially with regards to Team Korea, is a glaring piece of evidence of that fact.

The World Baseball Classic this year was, much like the past WBC and past Olympics, just another grotesque, glaring repeat of "Samurai" Japan walking across the world stage, not so much with their heads held high as their noses, giving little credibility to any other nation (especially in round one Tokyo Pool Play), other than passing a few bones to Cuba, and not even givng Korea credit for defeating them twice, and playing them a great game in the WBC Championship game.

I see this second WBC Win not a humblign thing in that "Samurai" Japan played some great teams and some great games, and that Team Japan is grateful to their opponents and the WBC that they were able to win, but more along the lines of, "We're supposed to win, we are entitled to win, and any loss or hard game we had happened because that is what we wanted, and since we won the title and we got what we wanted, to the flames with our competition."

Moderator: Readers, stay on topic please. Your comments should be about the final of the WBC tournament.
roomtemperature at 07:38 PM JST - 27th March

Bleu Tiger is doing his/her very best to make the WBC look like nothing important, BECAUSE Japan won it. Tiger.......do yourself a favor........give it a rest. Not for me, but for yourself.
JoeBigs at 10:08 PM JST - 27th March

Japan shut out by S Korea; ends up 2nd in WBC Tokyo round Blue_Tiger at 04:09 PM JST - 11th March Hotbox08 -- question to you: how does Japan end up on the losing end of a 7-4 record over the last 11 meetings in baseball against Korea, when Korea has had MAYBE one or two MLB players (none on this team, this time around), and Japan has had an increasing -- yes, increasing -- number of MLB players on its roster? Care to try this one on for size? So far, none of the "Samurai (SHAM-urai, perhaps) Japan" Basebal,l supporters have even attempted to answer this question. Perhaps you can? How is it that a squad with a LOT of MLB players on its roster get beaten by a team that has had very few MLB players on its roster to the tune of 7 times in the last 11 games, especially seeing how "awesome" the "Samurai Jqapan" team is supposed to be???

Ok no editing how about your "SHAM-urai" comment? You have a bunch of these, and yes this is your exact words. Nothing added nothing removed like before.

The real thing here that you can not and will not give the Japanese team a single compliment.

Come on do you really think they were as bad as you have claimed?

They beat everyone and made it to the top. The best of the best of the best!

Keep denying and the dirt keeps coming. Words last a long time, you may try to change them but they never lie.
smithinjapan at 11:05 AM JST - 28th March

JoeBigs: Blue_Tiger gave players credit for composing a good team and having a good coach. He followed it with a quick 'but', but anyway.

"The real thing here that you can not and will not give the Japanese team a single compliment."

I think many of his comments are bang on and raise legitimate questions, but I have also congratulated the team on their win and complimented them in their last game play in particular. Does that help validate his arguments in your mind, then, simply because of said compliments?

A lot of Samurai Japan fans, or people who support Japan on any other Japan-related threads, tend to take this stance that if you don't support the Japan side of the issue 100% you are a "Japan hater" and therefore your comments don't count. Of course, if you stand behind Japan it has nothing to do with you being a "Japan lover" and has only to do with Japan being correct or superior, etc. This goes for the US as well, in cases from sour grapes about this tournament to comments that are for/against the war in Iraq. People can be critical of politicians, sports events, or certain nationals, etc. and not hate or particularly love one country more than any other.

The WBC was fun, but there are still a lot of kinks to be worked out of the system, and in my opinion more teams that need to take it seriously for it to be truly worthy of a World Classic. But, it was fun. Japan won (again, congrats!), so that's all the motivation for other teams to win in the future, and best of luck to all (assuming the WBC continues). The rivalry between Japan and Korea will continue to make it more fun for many, as well.