Rookie manager’s warning to save crisis-hit Samsung, NC
“I will not tolerate players who harm the team atmosphere.” (Samsung Lions head coach Park Jin-man)
“I will punish any player who deviates from ‘one team’ without mercy.” (NC Dinos head coach Kang Myung-ho)
When Park Jin-man (46) and Kang Myung-ho (51) were named head coaches last winter, their first days on the job were brutal. In interviews at their inauguration ceremonies, both coaches emphasized team unity, but also issued warnings. Their charisma was evident in the way they set the team’s tone.토토사이트
Half a year later, their warning proved to be more than a stern reminder. Park Jin-man sent Oh Seung-hwan (40-Samsung) down to the second team in June. He removed Oh from the first team after he was caught slapping his glove during a substitution against the Suwon KT Wiz on June 16. In July, head coach Kang Myung-hyun removed Park Gun-woo (32-NC) from the roster. He had previously violated the team’s principles by requesting frequent substitutions.
Coach Park Jin-man was bitter toward Oh Seung-hwan, saying, “As the team’s mood is sinking (due to the losing streak) and there are many young players, you should have thought twice about your behavior as a senior player.” Coach Kang Myung-hwa also criticized Park Geon-woo, saying, “As a senior player, he has not only the skills but also the necessary virtues.” He also criticized him for damaging the team atmosphere.
“A player who harms the team atmosphere,” he said at the inauguration ceremony, “is unacceptable no matter how experienced or good he is. Neither a veteran (Oh Seung-hwan) with 500 career saves in Korea, the United States, and Japan nor a free agent (Park Gun-woo) worth 10 billion won could escape the blade. The two rookie managers took action, not words, and it was more powerful than any message they could have sent to their players.
It remains to be seen what the consequences of the two managers’ warnings will be. Samsung has been unable to overcome the weakness of its bullpen since Oh Seung-hwan’s expulsion, and the team’s ranking has plummeted to the bottom of the standings. The team atmosphere hasn’t improved either. NC also added to their losing streak in games played without Park Gun-woo. Both teams managed to turn things around with wins at the end of the first half, but it remains to be seen if the momentum will carry over into the second half.
Both coaches have led their teams with strong charisma since they were coaches and acting coaches. As acting managers, they were able to turn around the team’s fortunes and achieve some good results at the end of the season. They’ve seen the benefits of their charisma, and they’re hoping to continue the trend as managers. It will be interesting to see if the ‘warning balls’ of the novice managers will be able to save the two teams from a crisis like last year.