Team Jokbal Has Moved to Their Official Site @ teamjokbal.com

www.teamjokbal.com

Team Jokbal would like to thank everyone that has been following along on the Jokbal blog as we have been getting things up and running. We are happy to say that we have now moved everything over to a new website and our blog is now hosted there. Doing so will allow us to provide a lot more information to everyone in an easy to browse format.

Take a look at the new site at teamjokbal.com

You can also check out the blog at the blog tab or by going to teamjokbal.com/blog

Thanks again for all of your support and be sure to give us a share, like or follow on the following

Twitter: @teamjokbal
Instagram: @teamjokbal
Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCEFoEbeGFyAmThIZZlUbkgg

Cheers,

Team Jokbal

The kt Wiz, Lotte Giants, and James

As action heats up in the KBO with teams trying to maintain their leads or jump ahead of others before the end of the regular season, the action for Team Jokbal has also heated up and with it comes some more stories of kindness (and humor) on the part of players and teams. At the start of the year we had an idea in mind of what we wanted to do, but we never expected it to go as far as it has. The only way that it has gotten this far is from the kindness of players and teams.

Yesterday I woke up at 6 am and started my trip to Suwon kt Wiz park to catch up with the Wiz crew and Lotte Giants crew. While sitting and waiting on the Wiz guys (Donn Roach, Ryan Feierabend, and Mel Rojas Jr.) some great things started to happen. We were greeting players as they came by and getting the occasional smile from the other fans that were there waiting. Around 9 or 9:30 Donn was the first to appear and while chatting with him Ryan also came in. We stood and had a nice conversation about how everything had been going with collecting the items (both guys were already aware of everything and we had previously spoken with Donn). They both kindly said they would go inside and grab some things and bring them back out. A few minutes later they reappeared with some awesome stuff which included one of Donn's jerseys, his warmup, one of Ryan's hats, and Yoon Suk-min's kt Wiz travel bag.

kt Wiz Items

We chatted a bit more and snapped a few pictures and they headed back inside. Shortly after, Yoo Han-joon came walking by and we stopped him to show him what we were doing and he kindly and in perfect English might I add said that he would go take a look and see if he had anything for us. I told him that we would just be sitting around just outside if he had anything to give.

Donn, Me, Ryan

Not long afterward another very kind young Korean guy comes out of the locker room with some items. This guy was James. I figured he was just being kind (which he is very kind) and telling me his English name to make me feel comfortable. I wasn't aware of who he was at the time, but since there are a lot of young players that I am unfamiliar with I thought he was one of them. He said he had been in the locker room with Donn and the other guys and there was some mention about what we were doing and he wanted to bring some things out for us. He brought our a couple of pairs of batting gloves and a t-shirt. We talked for a while and he was really happy to help out and happy to hear the story about what we were doing to help out kids at orphanages. His English was excellent, but I didn't really think much of it because I have run across more than a few Korean players that speak English really well, so once again I just thought he was one of the young Wiz players that I was unfamiliar with. I asked him to sign the things he brought out and we snapped a picture and he went back inside.

Me & James

While waiting on Mel to come through, I took a bit of time to try to identify James based on his photo and his signature, but I wasn't having much luck. I wasn't too worried though because I knew that I would eventually identify him and before I knew it Mel had appeared and stopped off for a chat. He said that he would check is locker and get some stuff back out to us a bit later. After that we continued to hang around and wait just in case anyone else came back out with things.

Right around 11:30 we made our way over toward the Lotte bus arrival area to catch up with Josh Lindblom, but just before we got there all of the buses had parked and all of the players were inside. We back and grabbed the Wiz items that we had collected and took them over to put them in the car. On the way back through we were able to catch the attention of Josh on the field and he came over and said that he had the Lotte Giants helmet that we sent to him signed and in the dugout. We headed on inside the stadium to catch up with him and grab the helmet.

After getting inside, we headed over to Josh and he asked us to go over and meet him by the dugout to grab the helmet. However, that didn't quite work as planned since security stopped us and wouldn't let us down near the field. Even after Josh reappeared with the helmet and was trying to tell them to let us down to get it, they denied our entry. Not a cool move by them, but we have become used to the security run-ins and Josh asked us to just meet him over at the bullpen. We walked over and he passed us the helmet and we were having a bit of a chat when security tried to intervene once again. At that point we just ignored the security and told them that Josh knows us and he is helping us out. After all, it's kind of hard for security to tell a player that they can't talk with fans. We were able to express our gratitude to Josh and our happiness that he is back in the KBO with his daughter doing well. He is a great guy and he said he would try to round up some more things for us at a later date.

Picking Up the Helmet from Josh

After all of that was settled our job for the day was mostly done and we took the helmet to the car and came back to watch the game. During the game, still puzzled over the mysterious James, who we thought may have been Jung Hyun (#7) or possibly the Wiz interpreter, we had a great time cheering along and telling stories. We were also sure to cheer on Jung Hyun (as James) every time he came to the plate.

After the game we headed out to catch Mel to grab the items from him and hopefully answer the question of "who is James?" After a bit of a wait we saw Donn come out and then Mel. Mel brought us out one of his hats and a warmup and was immediately surrounded by fans. He passed the items off to us and stood there signing for all of them. He's a really great guy and he loves and takes care of the fans. They also really love him.

Me & Mel

Meanwhile I slipped over to Donn while he was also signing for a huge group of fans to get to the bottom of the James situation. I showed him the photo and he said James is their interpreter, to which us Jokballers had a big laugh because we were so confused about who he was.

At the end of the day, we had a great time and got some great items for the auction. The kindness of players (and interpreters) such as Donn, Mel, Ryan, James and Josh always inspires us to try harder for the kids. These guys are great and nothing that Team Jokbal is doing would be possible without their support. They have all been very kind and welcoming and we can't wait for the auction so that we can show how their donations have helped kids in South Korea. It's gonna be a great event and it's all possible because of you guys! Thanks for helping out!

Cheers,

Team Jokbal 🐖

No Rain No Gain - Winning a Cancelled Game!

"Where are you? I can't see you." My friend Jong Hwan Hong shouted down the phone. "I am with Roger in the parking lot." Was my matter of fact response. "Who? I can't find you." he continued. "Come to the crowd in front of the main entrance. I'm with Bernadina. Give us 5 minutes."

At the time of the call, I really don't think that my friend believed where I was or who I was with. It was raining, the kind of rain that makes you think that God may have just ordered 2 of every animal onto a boat. The game had long since been called off and my friend was coming to pick me to go for a night out. He really didn't want to get out of the car. I don't blame him. Even if I was meeting the sensation that is Roger "The Shark" Bernadina, surely a quick selfie and signature would only take but a moment. Why would he want to stand in this pouring rain? Roger may even be gone by the time he reached me.

Crowd amassing around Roger Bernadina. A real fan favorite!

The truth is Roger, had spoken to me about the whole Team Jokbal campaign and felt that he could help. Much to my amazement, he told me to "Just wait 5 minutes. I'll be back."I was genuinely shocked since I was pretty sure that I appeared pretty inebriated. I was drunk. (Something to do with a family gathering under a bridge). Bernadina would have been well within his rights to have just ran away from my drunk ass. Thankfully, I had been able to flash a pair of Pat Dean's shoes that he had given to me earlier in the day. That seemed to have worked as some kind of secret handshake or show of good faith. The curious crowd that was amassing around the entrance was actually upset with me. Some felt that they had missed their chance to meet their hero. I explained in Korean and English that he would come back. The drunk foreigner was being cursed for sure!

The offending bridge where the people of Jeongeup meet to get hammered.

I knew he would! Team Jokbal has seen him sign for so many fans so far this season. He is a true role model but some of the folks there didn't know him so well even if they had good cause to be suspicious of myself.

Almost exactly 5 minutes later, Roger reappeared with his arms full. By this time, Hong was calling again, wondering what was going on. He had made it to the back of the crowd. At that time, Roger had taken me behind the security cordon and presented me with a signed, prized bat aong with a pair of his own game worn shoes. He also had a nice bonus! He had managed to get league leading pitcher Hector Noesi to contribute to the campaign. So then we took our pictures together to affirm the authenticity of the items for the auction and we said our goodbyes. I emerged from the crowd, and finally ran into my buddy. A little annoyed by my delay and the fact that he had to get out into the rain, he then realized what had happened and we got into the car and went off to celebrate.

The Shark with the goods.

KIA nor LG had been able to record a victory at Champions Field that day but Team Jokbal was a clear winner. Had there not been a rain delay, this haul may not have been possible. We would have got our much discussed package from Pat Dean (see previous jokbal blog contributions) but these were surprise additions. The purpose of the visit had been to meet with Pat and pick up some items that he had been saving for us. And it had been a pleasure to have met Pat again and the day had been all about him until the last 10 minutes. I had been asked to sign his autograph in return for a free taxi ride and I had been asked why was "Pat Dean drinking beer at 7.11 before a game." Korean people of Gwangju seem not to grasp that I am not Pat Dean and I look nothing like him! When I met Pat, he had managed to rustle up some game hats, signed balls and the pair of shoes that acted as the secret password with Hector and Bernadina.

Earlier meeting with Pat Dean.

Anyway, thanks to the KIA boys for adding to our growing collection! We know that their good work will definitely help to do some good! Oh and thanks to Hong for waiting... I hope you understand!

The KIA collection!

Another Dino Joins Team Jokbal (Xavier Scruggs)

Another Dino joins Team Jokbal This past Saturday 09-02-17 Team Jokbal made the trip to Masan Baseball Stadium for the second addition to the charity from an NC Dino. This contribution came to us from Xavier Scruggs. It was great to finally catch up with Xavier after originally contacting him about what we are trying to do. We got a chance to meet with Xavier after the game down next to the dugout. Although he did not play in the game that night he was still able to take the time and meet us which were great.

 We were able to meet and have a quick conversation with Xavier and after I could not speak more highly about him as a humble and down to earth guy. He graciously was able to give us two of his pro model bats one that was game used the other not and also he gave of a pair of his own used batting gloves. All of the items that he contributed he signed for us right there in person next to the dugout.

Pro Model bats and gloves

It is great to see another contribution come Team Jokbal’s way from the Dinos. This charity would be nothing without the players and their contributions and we are eternally grateful.

Check back often for more updates from Team Jokbal.

Cheers,

Team Jokbal

The Huff Stuff: A Mystery Box from LG Twins David Huff

The last weekend for Team Jokbal was a great one as we took to Jamsil Stadium early in the morning to catch some players about collecting items for the charity auction. We had previously spoken to Henry Sosa (LG Twins) about picking up a few items and we had also arranged to meet Michael Bowden (Doosan Bears) once again to pick up a few items.

While waiting at the stadium, we were able to catch Henry and he went in and grabbed some things for us from the locker room. Shortly after, we were able to catch up with David Huff (LG Twins) and have a short chat with him about what we are working to do, which is to collect signed player-used gear that will be auctioned off in December with the proceeds going to kids in orphanages and less fortunate areas in Korea. Without hesitation and with the same kindness we have gotten from all players thus far, Dave said that he was in and would be happy to give us some items for the auction.

Over the next few days, we were able to get in touch with Dave once again and he let us know that he would leave a box of things with security so that we could pick it up on Wednesday night. After work on Wednesday, we were able to swing by Jamsil to grab the box and catch a Lotte vs. Doosan game. We picked up the box after a little confusion by the staff. I guess it could be confusing since it was a Lotte vs. Doosan game and there were 2 guys there, wearing Doosan jerseys, asking to pick up a box from David Huff of the LG Twins. I guess the funniest part came just before the security guard went to get the box. He looked at me strangely and said, "You're Huff's friend? Did he leave you tickets?" A few seconds later he returned with the box and we headed over to put it in the car.

Huff Stuff Mystery Box ㅋㅋㅋ

We didn't really take a look in the box until we returned home that night and what we found was amazing. He had hooked us up with a home and away signed jersey, a signed icing shirt, and a nice body length LG jacket. They are some really great items and we a confident that they will help raise a lot for charity.

LG Twins Goods from pitcher David Huff

In closing, there is little more to be said about Dave other than he is a great and welcoming guy that's a great pitcher and ambassador for his team and the KBO. He really cares about the community and the sport and that can easily be seen from his contribution.

Cheers,

Team Jokbal 🐖

LG Joins the Team (Henry Sosa)

Team Jokbal had another big day out, Saturday, August 26. Over the past weekend, Team Jokal was finally able to meet up with a few of the great guys playing for the LG Twins! After a bit of communication with Henry Sosa, and an early morning by George and Tony,  we were able to meet up with him outside Jamsil Stadium before Saturday's game with the Doosan Bears. Sporting our Doosan regalia (sorry Henry) we were able to talk about our mission with him. Henry, being a great guy, immediately jumped in to help, coming back to us not 20 minutes later with some great items we will be excited to show off and sell for the kids come December.

(L-R) Tony, Henry, Andrew and George.

Henry Sosa, born in the Dominican Republic, was originally signed as a free agent to the San Francisco Giants in 2004, but made his MLB debut with the Houston Astros in 2011, playing for them until he made is journey to the KBO in 2012. This will be Henry Sosa's fifth year playing in the KBO, previously playing for both the Kia Tigers and the Nexen Heroes respectively.  

We were able to attain from Henry, two Twins player warm-ups, one autographed and belonging to Sosa himself and the other from Korean outfielder 채은성 (Chea Eun-Sung). But the the most exciting item has to be a Sosa autographed LG Twins jacket (see below)! It was wonderful meeting with Henry over the weekend. Team Jokbal thanks him for his contribution, he is not only a great player, but a class act man as well.

Henry Sosa signed LG Twins jacket and 2 warm ups.  

However, a Jokballers job is never done! Later that day we were also able to meet up with Sosa's teammate, fellow LG pitcher David Huff! Although we were unable to procure a contribution that day, we are confident David will come through for us, judging by his openness and excitement for the cause. We look forward to meeting up with Huff at a later date.

But wait there is more! The one and only Micheal Bowden came through for us once again. For a quick recap, Micheal was our very first contributor and we are so grateful to him for all his help. (See George's previous post on Micheal for more). This time, Micheal was able to come through big for us with an almost full Doosan Bears roster (which includes every starter) signed print of Jamsil Stadium painted by friend of Team Jokbal Andy Brown. Andy has done some other great work including more baseball stadiums around Korea. Check him out at andybrownisanartist.com.

Signed print 

Full list of included autographs

The rest of the team and I had a great and fruitful weekend, it is a pleasure meeting such open and great players all willing to help out. But above all, it is just nice to give back to those less fortunate and help out a community whom would otherwise never be able to experience the great sport of baseball. 팀족발 화이팅!

(L-R) Tony, George, Micheal and Andrew

Cheers!

Team Jokal

  

  

Mission Accomplished?

This is a big moment for Team Jokbal, maybe one we never really expected to happen. Something we aimed for but never really believed would happen. I still can't believe that it has happened.

In case you haven't heard yet, Team Jokbal has finally managed to collect items or received pledges from all KBO member teams.

The feat was finally achieved by a determined weekend of campaigning. On Saturday, an 8hour camp out at Jamsil stadium led to LG delivering their goods and a truly special item being donated by Michael Bowden and his Doosan team mates. (Read Andrew Dunham's soon to be published contribution about that day.) All I will say is that left us with 2 teams to go. Hanhwa and SK! Guess what? Those 2 were set to play each other the next day at the Happy Dream Park in Incheon.

Well fate is a beautiful thing. As luck had it, my fiancé (then my girlfriend), won 2 VIP tickets for that game earlier in the week. However, she knew nothing of my marriage proposal planned for Saturday night. So after a 10 hour stake out, a game, a marriage proposal and an engagement celebration that went on till 3am, Min and I headed to the Happy Dream Park.

Initially, the day seemed destined to end in disappointment. An underground VIP parking lot seemingly blocking any chance to talk to players. Not to be deterred, I bought some Cass and decided to explore. With beer as my guide, I managed to find the underground player entrance. but only to find out that all the players had arrived. Disaster!

But then, up popped the Hanhwa team bus and came an encounter with our No1 target, Wilin Rosario, the Hanhwa home run hitting machine.

Wilin is a big dude and a powerful hitter but nothing prepares you for just the softly spoken gentleman that he is... oh I forgot, he was recently caught reading a book in the middle of game that he was playing in. He immediately walked up to me and shook my hand and offered his help with our cause. Extremely nice guy! Success!

Meeting Wilin Rosario of Hanhwa Eagles

Despite the positive experience with Rosario, there was still a feeling of disappointment. Failure even. 1 team remained and I had failed, blown my chance. I felt that we would go in with a glaring omission from our work. Completeness was a requirement. No matter how much other players and teams had given us, the inability to get anything from SK felt like a real failure.

To celebrate the engagement news Blake Sibley and Rae Lanczak came and joined us to drink Maekguli before the game. Still on a huge high from the night before and with good friends I was quickly able to get over this disappointment. However, the maekguli may have fueled what happened next.

Something had to be done!

Luckily our VIP seats afforded us a chance. A long shot but enough of a chance. I was determined to take advantage. Their location made one last crack possible.

Getting drunk in good seats... with the burger that bares the coach's name. The Hillman Burger.

Struggling to see any other options, being reasonably drunk, I decided to take a risk. I took advantage of a change of security in the sixth inning stretch and ran to the edge of the dugout. I shouted and got the attention of Trey Hillman. He initially looked pissed that I dare bother him during a game. I don't blame him! I really didn't want to do things this way. It isn't the Team Jombal way! We try not to interrupt too much and let everybody get on with their job. However, in this case I saw no better option. I am sorry but I don't regret it! Hillman agreed to meet at the end of the game and it looked like the mission may finally be accomplished.

Coach Hillman kept his word, no matter the drunk jackass I appeared and he went into the locker room and fetched us a jersey and another box that he had signed. I was on the bus home when I realized that it was a bible. Yes! A signed bible! Definitely the most unusual item in our stockpile but still very much appreciated! Thanks Coach Hillman!

So now Team Jokbal has a pledge or has received some kind of item from every single team. As long as some players and teams keep their word, we will have succeeded. We aren't tempting fate yet but given how well things have gone, we are very optimistic of being able to raise a lot of money for good causes. We will continue to pick up what we can for our auction as that will raise us more money but for now it is great knowing that we have reached all teams. 1 more month of regular season to go, the collection grows!

KIA Tigers Contribution (Pat Dean, Roger Bernadina, Hector Noesi)

A few days prior to leaving for vacation we were able to catch up with Pat Dean at Jamsil Stadium to make arrangements to get a few things from the KIA Tigers for the auction. While I was gone we ended up working out that a jokballer would be able to go down and grab some stuff while he attended a weekend series in Gwangju.

He was able to meet up with Pat, Roger, and Hector to get some awesome stuff. In the end we have a pair of signed cleats from all 3, a couple of signed hats from Pat, a couple of signed balls from Pat, and a signed bat from Roger. They are some great items and I'm sure they will help to raise a lot of money in December.

Honestly, it's great to meet these guys and work with them for charity. They have all been really cool and generous. We couldn't do what we are doing without them and it's great to be working with them to help out kids in South Korea.

Here is a look at the items that we got from the players.

KIA bat, balls, cleats, balls, and hats for the auction

Jokballer Tony with Roger Bernadina

Jokballer Tony with Pat Dean

Thanks again, guys! You are all awesome and have really helped us out!

Cheers,

Team Jokbal 🐖

Future Contribution from Xavier Scruggs (NC Dinos)

We were recently in touch with Xavier Scruggs of the NC Dinos. After sending him a message about what we are doing at Team Jokbal, he said that he is more than happy to help us out in any way possible. We had an opportunity to run him through the details of what we are looking to collect from players for the charity auction and he told me to just keep him posted on when we are able to make a trip out to see the Dinos again and he will be happy to hook us up with some of his stuff. With that being said, it looks like there will be another journey to Masan once everyone has finished off their summer travels. We are really looking forward to getting a chance to catch up with Xavier in person. While connecting with people via message is great, it's always great to catch up with them in person to be able to put names with faces, share a few stories, and show our appreciation to players such as him.

What more can I say about Xavier other than he is a great guy that cares about giving back to the communities in Korea. We there is one more thing that I can say, him and his wife Jessica are loving Korea and they have a pretty awesome Youtube Channel called "Humble Abroad." You can check it out here https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCz1aXBtNi22q5B2HTwirpSA

Remember to check back often as we keep all of you updated on who we have been able to catch up with and what new items we have for the auction.

Cheers,

Team Jokbal 🐖 

Contribution from Dustin Nippert & Bowden Jersey Update (Doosan Bears)

I was fortunate enough to be able to go to the Doosan Bears vs. KT Wiz game last night (July 5, 2017) and catch up with Michael Bowden for a few minutes before the start of the game. I was meeting him to get him to sign the jersey that he had previously given to us for the auction and to get a Jamsil Stadium print signed by some players for the auction. To my surprise, he came out to meet me with a signed Dustin Nippert jersey. He let me know that Dustin was more than happy to help out by contributing.

Signed Nippert Jersey

Dustin is well known within the community for helping out kids and he even provides tickets to groups of kids to come to the games once a month. A truly great and generous guy that does all that he can to help the community and the kids.

In addition to getting the signed Nippert jersey, I was able to talk a little more with him about what Team Jokbal is working to do and get him to sign his jersey. I was also able to get the print of Jamsil Stadium, done by my friend Andy, into his hands to get some players to sign it. I will be picking the print up from him at a later date. Once it is signed, I will also be posting about it.

Signed Bowden Jersey

Jamsil Stadium by artist Andy Brown

Players like Dustin and Michael are the reason that we can do what we are doing and we are honored to be able to work with such great guys! Thanks guys!

Check back often for more updates from Team Jokbal.

Cheers,

Team Jokbal 🐖

Future Contribution From Henry Sosa (LG Twins)

It was another great weekend for the Team Jokbal crew at Jamsil Stadium. We went to the Friday night game between the LG Twins and KIA Tigers, but unfortunately we were not able to meet or talk with any of the players that night because of our late arrival. However, on Saturday we made our way over to the stadium earlier in the day to start our Jokbal campaign by handing out some of our mission statements to players and it was a great success. We managed to get our mission statements into the hands of about 10 or 15 players that morning. We greeted them and gave them papers and they proceeded on their way toward the entrance while they read them.

However, the highlight of the day was getting a chance to speak with Henry Sosa for a few minutes upon his arrival to the stadium. We saw Sosa walking toward the player entrance with a couple of his friends and headed over toward him. Korean fans were also headed over toward him for autographs and photos so we just stood back while he signed and took photos with them. As soon as he was finished he headed over to have a chat with us and I must say it was great meeting him that day and he's a truly awesome guy! We gave him a paper and told him that we were working to collect jerseys and such from players to place in the kids charity auction at the end of the year and without hesitation he said that he would love to help us out and get some things for us. He also asked us if we needed help with getting tickets or anything that day, but we already had plans for that evening and were going to be unavailable for the game so he told us to just get in touch with him when we would be around and he would get some things for us.

Even though we were unable to see the game that day, it was a very successful day and we got to meet another great guy, Henry Sosa. The guys of the KBO, such as Sosa, are absolutely wonderful and it's great to be able to work with them. Without them helping us out, we would be unable to help raise money for the kids. Sosa and these other players are the true MVPs and we would like to send out a big THANK YOU to all of them!

As always, continue to check back often and we will keep everyone updated on what's going on with the Team Jokbal crew. If this is the first post you have read, you please check out the link to our original post about Team Jokbal's mission.

Cheers,

Team Jokbal 🐖

The Jokbal Jersey

Over the last week we have been discussing a jersey design to represent the Team Jokbal crew. While nothing is finalized, we do have one rough sketch of a simple design. Over the coming weeks we will work toward finalizing a color scheme and placing an order. While the one in the picture is black with green trim and pink lettering, it's very possible the final one will end up being pink with green trim and black lettering.

Team Jokbal Jersey Sketch

The plan is to make jerseys for each Team Jokbal member and to also make jerseys to present to some of the players that we have had the most interaction with. Some of these guys such as Michael Bowden, Jeff Manship, and Pat Dean have truly stepped up and helped us out and it would be the least we could do to offer them Team Jokbal jerseys in the future. Will also plan to make a couple of jerseys for our friends and supporters, Han Jae-kwon (Doosan cheermaster) and Kim Ju-il (KT cheermaster) for being great guys and allowing us to place the items in their charity auction.

While we would love to make and give jerseys to every player that has contributed items, it would be way too costly on our salaries to hook up everyone with some cool threads. However, their contributions are no less appreciated and we will be sure to get something done for them. Maybe even a Team Jokbal MVP jersey going to the player who's contribution fetches the most cash during the auction.

Check back often for more updates and to learn more about Team Jokbal's mission take a look at the first post.

Cheers,

Team Jokbal 🐖

The Jeff Manship Contribution

With our bags packed with clothes, signs, wigs, modified sombreros, and an inflatable shark (shout out to "The Shark" Roger Bernadina), Team Jokbal took to the road for a weekend trip to Masan Stadium to see the NC Dinos vs. KIA Tigers with a stop off at Jamsil for the Doosan Bears vs. Lotte Giants on Friday night. While most of us (3 members live in the mountainous countryside of Korea) have to take to the road pretty much every week to catch games, Jamsil is more or less our central location and where we spend most of our time. However, we like to sprinkle a bit of love and fun at other stadiums around Korea when schedules line up. Also, on the road is where we have had most of our success. We picked up the Michael Bowden jersey during a road series for the Doosan Bears at SK Happy Dream Park (Munhak Stadium) in Incheon.

It was an epic weekend of laughs, smiles, jokbal, charity, and baseball. I was able to have a bit of a chat on Friday night with Jeff Manship about collecting some signed items from him that Saturday in Masan. He told me to just let him know when we made it to the stadium and he would meet us during a break with some things. So after a great night of spreading the Team Jokbal message at Jamsil and a bit of sleep, we hit the train at 9 a.m. to make our way to Masan.

After arriving at Masan Stadium around 1 p.m. we messaged Jeff and got to work setting up for the day. Our setup involved getting our shark ready for Roger Bernadina and Jokballer Tony making repairs to his sombrero. Shortly after getting everything ready we headed over to the player entrance to meet Jeff and get in a few words with Roger Bernadina and Pat Dean upon the KIA bus arrival.

Around 1:30 Jeff was able to get a break and bring out some awesome stuff for us. He gave us a pair of his signed cleats, a signed ball, a Na Sung-bum signed bat, and a Kang Jin-sung signed bat. We also had a chance to get him to pose with a pack of jokbal.

Jeff With Jokbal

Manship Shoes & Ball, Kang Jin-sung Bat, Na Sung-bum Bat

We cannot say enough good things about Jeff. He is an awesome guy that cares and takes care of his fans. During our chat and item exchange we were able to see his interactions with some of kids. He is truly a class act and we are very happy to have been able to meet him for the first time a couple of weeks ago.

Shortly after Jeff headed back into the stadium the KIA bus arrived and we prepared to meet and great Roger with the shark and Pat with a pack of jokbal. Tony got a chance to get the shark signed by Bernadina so that we can place it in the auction and I had a minute or 2 with Dean to present him with a pack of jokbal and explain a bit more about items we are looking to collect from the players. Dean, also a top notch guy, said he would be sure to get some things together so that we could pick them up in the near future.

The Bernadina Signed Shark

After that we headed into the stadium to make a few pregame jokbal shouts and watch the warmups. During one of our shouts, KIA catcher, Kim Min-sik looked up at us and had a little laugh as we held up our signs and a pack of jokbal. We haven't been able to officially confirm, but we have a feeling that he may have eaten the pack of jokbal that we handed off to Pat.

The Jokbal Shout

In the end it was a great weekend and a great trip. Before closing, we would like send a big thanks to Jeff for the items and a big thanks to Na Sung-bum and Kang Jin-sung for the signed bats. Also, a big thanks goes out to Roger Bernadina and Pat Dean. You are all Team Jokballers in our book!

If you are curious about what we are trying to do, you can check out the link to our first post.

Cheers,

Team Jokbal 🐖

Future Contribution from Jeff Manship, Eric Hacker, and Xavier Scruggs (NC Dinos)

Just last weekend and by chance, we got a chance to catch up with Jeff Manship in person (first player we didn't reach via social media) at the Doosan vs. NC game at Jamsil. He was out making some passes along the warning track when he heard a bit of English up in the stands and stopped off to have a chat.

Jeff Manship stopping off for a chat

We talked a bit about where we are all from, our jobs, family, and our time in Korea. He tossed a ball up to us and we chatted a little more and he carried on with his run. A few minutes later he came back through and by that time we had our Team Jokbal signs out and proudly displayed and he stopped to ask us about what they meant. I was able to go down and give him a printed copy of our mission and he said it sounded great and he had worked with some other groups in the US before so he would be happy to help out and spread the word.

Running the Jokbal Campaign

On his final pass he stopped off to mention it to Eric Hacker and when he came back by a fellow Jokbal'er headed down to get him to sign the ball that he had tossed up so that we could put it in with the auction items. He let him know that that Eric was cool with the deal and that they would try to get some things together from their clubhouse in Masan. He also said that he would chat with Xavier Scruggs about it when he was around him next time.

Signed ball to add to the auction

It was really great getting a chance to talk with him and even better having him offer to help us out with some donations. For this, we at Team Jokbal would like to say, thank you very much for your kindness Mr. Manship. Guys like you, Mr. Hacker, and Mr. Scruggs are top notch and we couldn't do this without all of you! We wish all of you nothing but the best in this season and seasons to come and we are looking forward to catching up with you in Masan this weekend.

This post should pretty much get everything caught up with how things are progressing with player contributions. We will also keep people updated as items come in and with other news as it comes along.

If you missed it, here is a link to our first post about what Team Jokbal is working to do.

Cheers,

Team Jokbal 🐖

Future Contribution from Pat Dean (KIA Tigers)

It all started with a photo taken in Japan during spring practice with the KIA Tigers. As soon as I saw that photo of Pat Dean wearing a Mario hat, I thought that he had to be a pretty cool guy.

Pat Dean in Japan with a Mario Hat

With time and once again working our way around social media, we were able to get our message out to Mr. Dean about collecting items to be auctioned for charity. I suspect our gift of a red wig to accompany his Mario hat also made an outstanding impression.

Postage Receipt from Delivery of Red Wig to Pat

My Red Wig Rocking #TeamJokbal

Team Jokbal'er Having a Chat with Pat

In the end Mr. Dean said that he would be more than happy to help out and send some stuff our way. As soon as we get some things I will be sure to come back with a post of the items to keep everyone updated.

From Team Jokbal, a huge thanks goes out to you Mr. Dean for your kindness to offer to help out! It's great guys like you that are making this possible!

If some of you are wondering more about Team Jokbal you can check out our first post explaining our mission.

Cheers,

Team Jokbal 🐖

Our First Contribution From Michael Bowden (Doosan Bears)

Since we just got the blog up and running this week, I am going back and filling in some of the stuff about our Jokbal Campaign to raise money to buy sports equipment for kids. Now that most of you have hopefully read the first post explaining how Team Jokbal and the Jokbal Campaign came about, I am here to talk about some of the items that we have so far and pledges that we have from some KBO players.

The first person to donate to us was Michael Bowden, a pitcher for the Doosan Bears. On the weekend of April 22~23, me and a couple of other Team Jokbal members made our way out to SK Happy Dream Park (aka Munhak Stadium) to catch a couple of games of the SK Wyverns vs. Doosan Bears series. For a couple of months prior to this weekend we had been working social media and trying to get in touch with some of the KBO players to explain what we were doing and hopefully get some donations or game used gear to auction to raise funds for purchasing equipment for kids.

Team Jokbal'ers

Holding the Bowden Jersey

Finally, on April 23rd, the work paid off and we got our first item from Michael Bowden. As Michael was walking across the field, near the dugout, I let out a "What's up Big Mike?" He turned to me and happened to recognize me from previous social media posts and said "Are you the guy that's trying to get the jerseys for kids?" In a lot of joy, I said "that's us" and he told me to hold on for a minute. He made his way over to the Bears dugout and came back with one of his jerseys and handed it across the netting.

It was great and we were really excited to finally have some players realizing who we were and what we were working to do. I have been to many games and that will always be one of the most memorable games for me. That one and the night of Michael's no-hitter when I got so excited that I took the subway in the wrong direction and missed my bus home and had to stay at a motel for the night.

I have said it a few times before on my other blog and in person, but I will say it once again. Thanks, Mr. Bowden! You are a great guy with your heart in the right place. We couldn't achieve what we are working to achieve without players such as you!

Cheers,

Team Jokbal 🐖

Welcome to Team Jokbal

There are some fans out there that see some weird looking foreigners holding up signs with Team Jokbal (팀족발) written on them or walking around wearing jerseys that have things such as 두산족발 (Doosan Jokbal), 기아족발 (KIA Jokbal), KT족발 (KT Jokbal), and 팀족발 (Team Jokbal) written on them. There is also one that wears colorful wigs to the games, primarily green ones. Sorry, that was a bit of a shout out to me as the green wig wearer.

The Team Jokbal Crew

There are a lot of laughs, smiles, and stares and it's honestly a great thing. It is serving the purpose of making people happy and providing a bit of quirky amusement at games. It's not that KBO games really need to be any more exciting or fun because they are already great, but at least we are doing our part to bring a little more joy to the stands.

Now comes a question that many are probably wondering. Where does the idea of Team Jokbal actually come from? Last year there was a bit of a joke going around within our group about what some of the KBO players might eat after a game to celebrate a big win or a well played game. For some reason we could just imagine players sitting around a table scarfing down big platters of jokbal (pig's feet) and having a few glasses of beer or soju. Why jokbal? To be honest, the better question is why not jokbal? It's a great Korean dish that seems to be highly underrated among foreigners and it's simply delicious.

As a result we decided it would be amusing to get custom jerseys made with jokbal written on the backs. After all, getting custom jerseys done in Korea is pretty easy and very common among the fans. You will see everything from couples wearing jerseys that highlight their relationship status to others wearing custom jerseys that pay homage to their favorite players.

Now on to the most important question about Team Jokbal and the driving factor behind its existence. Does Team Jokbal serve any purpose other than being fun? What most don't know, beyond the comical factor, is that it also serves another purpose. After a friend and fellow Team Jokbal member came across an article about Real Madrid defender Sergio Ramos giving away a shirt in exchange for a tray of pork, we thought that we could probably swing something in similar fashion in Korea with jokbal and the KBO. The result has been us offering to give players a plate of Jokbal in exchange for game used jerseys, hats, bats, helmets, etc.

You may now be wondering "what will Team Jokbal be doing with these items that they collect?" While we are fans and collectors that would love to keep these items to add to our personal sports collections, we decided that we could use these items to bring even more joy and fun to others. This lead us to deciding to offer these items for auction in the winter at a fan charity auction and use the proceeds to purchase sports equipment for students in poor areas and orphanages around South Korea.

Our Mission in Korean for Korean Players & Fans

In the short time since deciding to pursue this cause, we have managed to make some connections with some players (Michael Bowden, Pat Dean, and Jeff Manship) that have already donated or will donate and they have also started spreading the message to other players. The KBO is full of a bunch of great guys and I am happy that we are getting to work with some of them to get equipment for kids because we have seen and experienced the joy and benefits that sports can bring to young people. Hopefully with continued work and contributions we can help fill a void by purchasing and donating equipment so that kids get a chance to play a game of catch or hit their first home run. Who knows? They may be future KBOers themselves. At the very least it will provide some healthy fun and memories for them.

Check back often as we will begin to post some of the stories and items here in the future. Thanks for reading and the support!

Cheers,

Team Jokbal 🐖 (George, Tony, Andrew, & Marcus)