Day 9

Because I'm a big baseball fan, I was especially looking forward to seeing a game in South Korea. The Doosan Bears (Seoul) were taking on the Nexen Heroes.(Busan)  Our group of journalists found out you don't call the team by the mascot, but by the company name. Korean fans told us the experience would be like no other. They were right! You buy tickets based on who you are rooting for, and then all the fans cheering for the same team sit together. We discovered some sections are wilder than others. First you have to have the right gear, starting with these cheering sticks.

Everybody beats them together during the game. There is also lots of singing. Cheerleaders from both sides hold up signs cluing in fans on what is next. This video I took gives you a small sampling of what it's like. Here's the Youtube link: http://youtu.be/11LvLqmtnn8

Just like with the Reds, each player has a theme song. Here they ranged from "Mary Had a Little Lamb", to "Surfin USA", to "Who Let The Dogs Out." I don't know for sure, but somebody told me Doosan is not very good, yet this game had a playoff feel to it. The food is kind of interesting. Chicken and beer seem to be the most popular. KFC even sponsors the team. Other foods served include various Asian dishes, Burger King's Whopper, a hot dog where they put the condiments on for you,  and Dunkin Donuts.

It was a late night, but well worth all the effort it took to get to and from the game. Traffic is slow in Seoul because the city is so big and rush hour continues well into the evening. We took the subway back to the hotel.

The baseball stadium is right next to Olympic Stadium from when South Korea hosted the Olympics in 1988.