CONTEST UPDATE: We have a winner

Thanks to the folks over at The East Wind-up Chronicle for their entertaining entry about Five Things You Need For Your Next Korean Baseball Game.

It’s timely too, as SK just won their first ever Korean baseball league championship!

It’s also worth checking out their coverage on the MLB World Series, which also just wrapped-up with the Boston Red Sox sweeping the Colorado Rockies for their second championship in two years.

I’ve decided to move away from the original plan to post a top-ten list of the best entrants, and re-post the entire entry for posterity. In order to keep in the ‘Top Ten’ Spirit, I will round out the list with the top five YouTube videos of Korean cheergirls:

Five essentials for your next Korean Baseball game. Why do they all begin with B? Baseball. We’re fun that way.

1. Beer (Soju, Makgeolli, Bek Se Ju, Wine, Whiskey):

There are no container (or food) prohibition laws in Korean baseball stadiums. Cans, bottles, alcohol stills…it’s all nice and legal.

Granted, the alcohol inside the stadium is not Americanballpark-esque $8 mincrobrew price. A can of beer will set you back $2, but there’s no reason to stop at a store on your way in.

For $10 you and your friends can drink 5 pitchers of Hite and alienate yourselves by singing corrected English versions of ballpark songs Koreans have appropriated for their own language and ballpark experience.

2. Baby (as in child)

When a foul ball or home run is hit into the stands Korean fans start cheering “아주라,” which means: “give it to a kid.”

If you bring a young child to the park you will be guaranteed to receive any ball hit within two sections of your seat. If you keep on the move there is a possibility of multiple balls during the afternoon.

3. Binoculars

[youtube]http://youtube.com/watch?v=apNR1qBjl1Q[/youtube]

4. Books (novels)

Korean baseball managers call to the pen early and often (5.1 times per game) Games often stretch into 4 hour territory. Be prepared.

5. Bo-bo

Means “kiss” in Korean. One of the great traditions of Korean baseball. The camera seeks out unsuspecting couples around the park, projecting their images on the stadium jumbotron, and waiting until they kiss (or don’t).

Public affection in Korea is still a relatively new concept so the results are often hilarious and heartwarming.

[youtube]http://youtube.com/watch?v=x-9UFX1IOTY[/youtube]

Here’re my additions:

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7. Vaguely remembering a visiting contingent of North Korean cheerleaders coming through Korea a couple years back, I tried to do a search for North Korean Cheerleaders. I couldn’t find squat. I did find this though:

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10. Okay, this one’s cheating, but I couldn’t help myself. Racing girls are near and dear to my heart.