The remarks of SSG Landers outfielder Choo Shin-soo (41) are on the chopping block every day.
On the 21st (Korean time), Choo Shin-soo appeared on ‘DKNET’, a Korean radio broadcast in Dallas, Texas, USA, and poured out ‘remarks’ about the elimination of Woo-jin An (Kiwoom Heroes) and Dong-ju Moon (Hanwha Eagles) from the 2023 WBC team. .
Choo Shin-soo said, “Moon Dong-ju is said to be lacking in control, but from what I saw, there is no pitcher who can throw as much as he is now. Woo-jin Ahn clearly did the wrong thing, and it’s really sad to see him as a third person. I’m a player, and I play baseball in Korea, but there are so many things I don’t understand. I don’t think it’s easy for us to forgive.”
“There is something I want to say to my baseball seniors. I am not a senior because I was born early and played baseball early. When I see players who suffer such unreasonable things, I think they should step up. But no one steps forward. When I am exercising, I have to speak up and try to be of help, but I just watch. That’s a pity.”
Choo Shin-soo’s gaze also turned to veteran players. He said, “Kim Hyun-soo has the performance and skills to represent Korea, but if it were me, I would have looked at the future. , Yang Hyeon-jong? Didn’t there be an article in Japan saying 먹튀검증‘Kim Gwang-hyun is another’?”
Choo Shin-soo’s remarks have some truth when considering only the generational change, but Kim Hyun-soo (LG Twins) and Kim Gwang-hyun (SSG), who accepted requests to participate in international competitions before the regular season, despite their age, to support their argument. It lowered the value of the sacrificial spirit of Yang Hyeon-jong (KIA Tigers). For them, the national team is an honor and dedication, but to Choo Shin-soo, the national team is just a stepping stone to show their faces in international competitions and go abroad.
This is also connected to Choo Shin-soo’s past behavior and is becoming a target of criticism from fans. Choo Shin-soo participated in the 2009 WBC and the 2010 Asian Games in Guangzhou and was exempted from military service by winning the Asian Games gold medal. However, he did not join the national team from the 2013 WBC due to the team’s disapproval. During the 2017 WBC, it was said that it was an injury, but in 2013, the national team was withdrawn just because the team’s spring camp and the timing overlapped, causing controversy over ‘eating and running’ for military exemption.
Choo Shin-soo may have his own reasons for not going against the decision of the major league club. However, looking at this remark, it is regrettable that you can feel his gaze, even a little bit, how Shin-soo Choo has always thought of the national team. Choo Shin-soo gave the meaning of the national team to himself, saying, “It is the job of Korean baseball to create opportunities for players to shine in international competitions and go abroad.”
Since 2021, when Choo Shin-soo returned to the major leagues and joined the KBO League, he has been actively speaking out in the baseball world and has taken the lead in improving infrastructure, such as dugout construction at Jamsil Stadium. This was accepted without objection because it was a remark by a player from the major leagues who played baseball in a more developed place. However, the team composition is different. Before discussing the qualifications of Ahn Woo-jin and Moon Dong-joo for the national team, it is necessary to first see whether Choo Shin-soo, who already has issues related to the national team, is qualified to discuss the wrongs of ‘baseball seniors’ and claim opportunities for young players to advance overseas.