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Retired baseball star hits lifetime home run in Laos

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Retired baseballer Lee Man-soo speaks during an interview with The Korea Times in Songdo, Nov. 18. /Korea Times Photo by Choi Won-suk
Retired baseballer Lee Man-soo speaks during an interview with The Korea Times in Songdo, Nov. 18. /Korea Times Photo by Choi Won-suk

Launching national baseball teams and building a ball park in Laos

By Kim Se-jeong

For older baseball fans who've watched the Korea Baseball Organization (KBO) League since 1982 when it was launched, former Samsung Lions catcher Lee Man-soo is a player hard to miss.

Lee hit KBO's first home run in the opening game against the then MBC Blue Dragons, now the LG Twins, which helped him earn the nickname "Hulk" after the U.S. TV series that was a big hit in Korea back then.

By 1984, he was the leader in home runs, RBIs and batting average ― a triple achievement few other baseball players have achieved. Between 1983 and 1987, he was the All-Star catcher.

Lee attracted thousands of fans to baseball stadium.
Then-SK Wyverns coach Lee Man-soo runs around the Incheon baseball stadium during his team's game against KIA to entertain baseball fans in May 2007. /Korea Times file
Then-SK Wyverns coach Lee Man-soo runs around the Incheon baseball stadium during his team's game against KIA to entertain baseball fans in May 2007. /Korea Times file

In 1997, he retired from his then baseball club and flew to the United States for leadership training. Briefly, he served as a bullpen coach for the Chicago White Sox which won the 2005 World Series. In 2006, he returned home and worked with SK Wyverns as head coach. His coaching career also drew attention as he showed quality leadership and showmanship for the fans. He was behind the Wyverns' winning the Korean Series in 2011.

Since his departure from the Wyverns in 2014, his life took an unusual turn. He has shared his talent with the community, donating baseball gear to underprivileged children. Lately he has drawn media attention for his role in creating men's and women's baseball teams in Laos. In a country that had no baseball infrastructure, he started from scratch.

Keeping the promise

Lee said his Laos project began with his wife's call to keep a promise.

"When I was working with SK Wyverns, I came in contact with a Korean missionary based in Laos. He invited me to visit him in Laos and teach children baseball. My answer was 'I would visit someday,' which was my way of politely turning down his request. But, the missionary kept contacting me ― twice a week ― to ask when I would be available," Lee said during a recent interview with The Korea Times.

Instead of visiting the country, Lee responded to the missionary's undeterred invitation by sending money, used baseball uniforms, bats, balls and others. "I told him to start first."

Then came the coaching staff reshuffle at the Wyverns in 2014.

"I was sad and angry because of the way things turned out. I had plenty of free time but Laos didn't occur to me at that time. But, at a dinner with my wife, she brought up the missionary's invitation and insisted I take the time to go because 'the most important thing in life is keeping a promise.'"

Two days later, he was on the plane heading to Vientiane, the capital of Laos.

"I played baseball for 50 years. Nothing else. Nothing! I thought I would be nothing without baseball. But my wife insisted that I leave baseball and take off to Laos to do something totally different."

Upon his arrival, he discovered the country was very different from Korea.

"Laos was poor and the weather there was very hot. Motorbikes were everywhere, and so were flies and mosquitos," he said. "I was sure that I would be heading back after a week as planned."

The next day, he met with the aspiring baseball players for the first time.

"Only 11 showed up. How can you play baseball with only 11? Also, five out of the 11 came without shoes. They were too poor to have shoes."

With the help of the missionary, Lee put together an ad to recruit baseball players and ran it at local schools.

"We said we'd offer bread and water. Lao's groundwater is undrinkable and people are too poor to buy bottled water," Lee explained.

Laotian baseball team members pick up Lee Man-soo after winning the final game against the Korean team during the Korea-Laos friendly baseball tournament in September 2016. /Korea Times file
Laotian baseball team members pick up Lee Man-soo after winning the final game against the Korean team during the Korea-Laos friendly baseball tournament in September 2016. /Korea Times file

The recruiting turned out to be a great success.

"Five hundred young men showed up for an audition," he said.

Lee sorted them out to select the final 40 who became the founding members of the national baseball team. Lee set up a training camp for 16 men. "We fed them there, sent them to school and trained them."

Officially known as the Lao People's Democratic Republic, Laos is a communist country with a population of seven million. GDP per capita is around $3,000.

Baseball was a foreign sport for the Laotian people, the former coach said.

"There was not a word for it. So I taught them the word in Korean."

He overstayed in Laos and came back after one month. Then he quickly went back. One year has passed and as the men's team began to get stability, he started recruiting for women's baseball team.

He said teaching the children the rules of baseball was particularly challenging.

The language barrier was tough. But what made him feel tougher was that baseball terms were just too hard to digest for the Laotian children.

"For example, getting them to understand a sacrifice bunt in which a batter hits a bunt to help a teammate on base to advance was nearly impossible. The players didn't understand why they had to sacrifice for others. Learning that the Laotian history is sprinkled with many mass killings, I could sort of understand why they would panic about dying."

Fundraising, moment for a reality check

Finance has become a growing problem as his time in Laos grew longer. In the beginning, he paid for everything.

"Feeding the children was like pouring water into a bottomless pit to fill in vain. Almost one year into it, it was clear that I couldn't do it like this. I needed help."

He flew back home and reached out to his old acquaintances to seek donations.

Lee said his fundraising experience was the moment for a reality check.

"Being a star player means you're welcome anywhere," Lee said. "People went crazy as if they'd do anything for me. But when I talked to them about the children starving to death and the need for help, no one replied to me. I was completely shattered."

As his unsuccessful attempt went into the sixth month, people began responding to him.
"Some sent me 10,000 won, and others 1 million won. Some donated baseball bats and other appliances that I needed.

"Many people thought I was doing the work to revamp my image and to come back to baseball. And I think that's why my early fundraising outreach was fruitless. But, people saw me still doing the same thing after six months, one year, then they began understanding my genuine interest."

Now, fundraising for the Lao teams is Lee's main responsibility and for that, he goes around Korea. And he doesn't get to stay in Laos very much anymore. The daily training for them is carried out by two volunteer Korean baseball coaches ― Kwon Young-jin and Park Jong-cheol.

The Laos national baseball team poses for a photo during an overseas training trip to Gwangju, southwest of Seoul, in October. /Courtesy of Lee Man-soo
The Laos national baseball team poses for a photo during an overseas training trip to Gwangju, southwest of Seoul, in October. /Courtesy of Lee Man-soo

Seeking overseas opportunities

He managed to bring the men's team to Korea for training three times.

"It's important to give a different experience to these children."

The most recent one was in October sponsored by the Korean Sports & Olympic Committee, through which they spent almost two weeks in Gwangju, southwest of Seoul. In 2017, the team was invited to a friendly game with Thailand.

The most memorable match was the Asian Games last August in Indonesia.

"It was a miracle. The men's team was only four years old when we took part in the Asian Games. We played two games and of course lost both. But that's not what's important. It was our dream to compete in an international match and it was a dream-come-true for all of us. We'd never forget that."

In November, the women's team was also invited to play in the women's baseball championship held in Malaysia. The Malaysian Baseball Federation covered the entire cost and the team was able to play two games with the Malaysian national team ― the Lao team won one game, 20-10.

Lao's first ball park

The Laotian baseball players practice in local football fields, while having their own baseball stadium has been Lee's dream.

"You can't really play baseball appropriately on a football field."

The ground was broken in April this year and the construction is almost done.

"It's long overdue. It took five years, way too long. But nothing could be done because we didn't have enough money,"

The Laotian government donated a piece of land. Daegu Bank donated 300 million won in cash, along with other small donors. To save money, Lee mobilized the players in the construction.

He now needs a bus donation.

"The stadium is located on the outskirts of the capital. It takes about 50 minutes to arrive by motorcycle. We need a bus to transport the athletes. I am looking for someone who will donate a bus."

With the new baseball stadium, Lee has a dream of launching a regional baseball tournament, as early as next year. "We'd invite four to six teams in neighboring countries and start our own tournament. Like Premier 12."

What Lee is doing comes down to one thing: planting dream among young Laotian players. And that's what keeps Lee going.

"When I first arrived in Laos, many children told me eating three meals was their dream. But their experience through baseball is changing them. After the game in Indonesia, I asked them of their dreams and the answer was totally different. They said they'd like to become a businessman, politician and a baseball player. It is awesome that baseball can give them a hope."

Hard-working, self-made man

Born in 1958 in Gangwon Province, Lee Man-soo started baseball when he was in the seventh grade.

"It was late. As a boy, I knew there's nothing but hardworking to improve myself. I set myself two goals: becoming the best player in Korea in 10 years and then moving to the U.S. Major League.

"And I cut down my sleeping hours to four and I still don't sleep more than six hours. It was the only way for me to have practice." He said techniques are important but "what's more important are confidence and hard-working."

Tough, memorable 8 yrs in the U.S.
Lee Man-soo served as the Chicago White Sox bullpen coach between 2000 and 2005. /Korea Times file
Lee Man-soo served as the Chicago White Sox bullpen coach between 2000 and 2005. /Korea Times file

He went to the U.S. in 1998 where he spent almost eight years. He had a leadership training course with a minor league team under Cleveland Indians. Between 2000 and 2005, he became a bullpen coach for the Major League team Chicago White Sox and saw his team win the World Series in 2005.

"It was a very tough time. Nobody understood my English although I studied it quite hard in Korea. Racial discrimination was also bad especially in the minor leagues. In the Major League, it was much better. Players were more relaxed."

He said he wasn't prepared either for being nobody. "No one knew who I was. For the first time, I realized superficiality of my fame and meaninglessness of it.

The IMF crisis in Korea also hit Lee's family.

"We didn't have money. We ordered one drink at Starbucks and shared it between four ― he has two sons. Chicago is very cold and one night we lost electricity. To save money, we stayed home under one blanket. It was a really tough time, but I got to spend lots of time with my boys and did many things with my family."

Dream lecture series

When he is not busy with fundraising, he goes around the country to meet with baseball students and their parents. He gives an average of 50 lectures per year.

"I demonstrate baseball and spend time with children. The next day, I invite their parents and tell them to trust their children and never to give up on them."

Christianity, backbone of his life

Lee Man-soo is a devoted Christian. His wife converted him when they met at university. He said knowing God was the best thing that happened to him in his life.

"I believe God allowed me the fame and wealth (when I was younger) to prepare me to do the work in Laos. Looking back I became the happiest person after I was fired in 2014. It's tough and stressful to maintain what you achieved. You don't think about letting things go. Impossible. But, God helped me let things go. He takes care of me and I am the happiest person on earth."


Kim Se-jeong skim@koreatimes.co.kr


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