ID :
201931
Wed, 08/17/2011 - 14:46
Auther :
Shortlink :
https://oananews.org//node/201931
The shortlink copeid
Manager for defending S. Korean baseball champ to quit after season
SEOUL, Aug. 17 (Yonhap) -- Kim Sung-keun, manager of the defending South Korean baseball champion SK Wyverns, said Wednesday he will leave the team when his contract expires at the end of this season.
Before the Wyverns' home game against the Samsung Lions in Incheon, west of Seoul, in the Korea Baseball Organization (KBO), Kim told reporters that he felt the timing was right for him to announce his plans.
"I thought a new person should build a new team," Kim said. "I have no plans beyond this year."
Kim, 68, has guided the Wyverns to Korean Series championships in 2007, 2008 and 2010 and has earned the moniker, "Baseball God." He is widely known for his perfectionist approach and tough love ways that have helped him bring out the best in a motley crew of players.
Entering Wednesday's game, the Wyverns sat in third place among eight teams, 4.5 games behind the first-place Lions. In the KBO, top four teams advance to the postseason each year.
The KBO champion will compete in the Asia Series tournament against league champions from Japan, Australia, Taiwan and China. Kim said he will manage the Wyverns should the team reach the Asia Series, which will take place in Taiwan in November.
He also insisted he isn't about to move to a different team.
"Some people have said I could go manage another team, but it would've been inappropriate for me to contact other teams during the season," Kim said. "I never thought about that."
Kim managed five teams before the Wyverns, including the LG Twins and the Lions.
After winning his second straight title, Kim re-signed for three years before the 2009 season.
In earlier reports, Kim said he had felt slighted after the club postponed talks over his contract status on three different occasions this season.
A team official said the two sides had agreed to discuss the contract situation after the season, and that the timing of Kim's announcement was "perplexing."
Before the Wyverns' home game against the Samsung Lions in Incheon, west of Seoul, in the Korea Baseball Organization (KBO), Kim told reporters that he felt the timing was right for him to announce his plans.
"I thought a new person should build a new team," Kim said. "I have no plans beyond this year."
Kim, 68, has guided the Wyverns to Korean Series championships in 2007, 2008 and 2010 and has earned the moniker, "Baseball God." He is widely known for his perfectionist approach and tough love ways that have helped him bring out the best in a motley crew of players.
Entering Wednesday's game, the Wyverns sat in third place among eight teams, 4.5 games behind the first-place Lions. In the KBO, top four teams advance to the postseason each year.
The KBO champion will compete in the Asia Series tournament against league champions from Japan, Australia, Taiwan and China. Kim said he will manage the Wyverns should the team reach the Asia Series, which will take place in Taiwan in November.
He also insisted he isn't about to move to a different team.
"Some people have said I could go manage another team, but it would've been inappropriate for me to contact other teams during the season," Kim said. "I never thought about that."
Kim managed five teams before the Wyverns, including the LG Twins and the Lions.
After winning his second straight title, Kim re-signed for three years before the 2009 season.
In earlier reports, Kim said he had felt slighted after the club postponed talks over his contract status on three different occasions this season.
A team official said the two sides had agreed to discuss the contract situation after the season, and that the timing of Kim's announcement was "perplexing."
