Y13 [EN]: Chapter 182

Y13-182 Off-Season in 2011

– Sorry for calling so late. But I thought it would be better to call you now than tomorrow. –

Youngjae, who had been sprawled out on the bed like a discarded coat, shot up and sat upright as soon as he recognized the caller.

“Nowitzki, it’s okay. What’s up? Any good news?”

Dirk Nowitzki, the captain of the Dallas Mavericks and the NBA Finals MVP who had a brilliant season, smiled sincerely and began by saying it was nothing special.

-Um, does Yoon watch baseball at all? –

“Yes, I quite like baseball. Believe it or not, I make sure to read baseball articles.”

– That’s good. The Major League is in the World Series right now. This time, for MLB World Series Game 3, Texas will play against St. Louis at Globe Life Park. I was wondering if you could go to the game with me. –

The World Series Game 3 between the Texas Rangers and the St. Louis Cardinals. Living in the United States, Youngjae naturally knew quite a bit about MLB [Major League Baseball]. So he often checked baseball articles. But he hadn’t really decided on a favorite team yet.

With the series tied at 1-1, Nowitzki, a huge fan of the Texas Rangers, seemed eager to lend his support and wanted to cheer in person. With Dallas winning the championship, if the Texas Rangers were to win the World Series, it would be the best gift for the Dallas locals.

“I’m fine with that. Watching baseball in person wouldn’t be bad, right? It’s my first time at a baseball stadium, so I’m looking forward to it.”

– Haha! Right? As fellow Dallas teams, I hope the Rangers have good results in the World Series like we did. The game we’re going to see is on October 22, two days from now. I’ll take care of the seats, so just bring yourself. –

Youngjae couldn’t help but smile slightly at Nowitzki’s cool and refreshing tone.

– Oh, and by the way. Are you free tomorrow? I was wondering if we could work out together. –

“Sure. I have to finish my morning training and take a flight, so let’s meet in the afternoon.”

– Okay, okay. It’s just a light workout, so do everything you need to do and come. I’ll let you know the place. –

Bang!

“Nice!”

The sound of something hitting crisply echoed to the outside of the door, and Youngjae wondered who could be making such a sound and opened the door.

Thwack!!!

“Good!!”

A commanding fastball thrown from an incredible height of 7 feet (213cm) was sucked right into the catcher’s mitt. It didn’t go exactly where the catcher wanted, but it went right into the strike zone. A man with lion-like long blonde curly hair waved and smiled at Youngjae as he entered.

“Welcome! Haha, a little surprised?”

Youngjae had a slightly bewildered expression, but he had seen the article about Nowitzki throwing the first pitch at the World Series Game 3 while on the plane, so he couldn’t help but be impressed.

“Nowitzki, you’re good at baseball too? I didn’t know. I just thought you liked it as a fan.”

“Well, I wouldn’t say I’m good, it’s more of a hobby. I’m trying to throw it into the strike zone, so it only comes out at a little over 70 miles (112km) per hour, but I have to prepare hard. Fortunately, I’ve thrown the first pitch once a few months ago, so I’m somewhat used to it.”

Nowitzki had wanted to throw the first pitch at the Texas Rangers game in 2010 as well, but it was canceled due to scheduling issues and the Rangers’ situation. Eventually, he got to throw the first pitch on June 25 after winning the championship this season. If he throws the first pitch this time, it would be his second time throwing the first pitch this season. In the article Youngjae saw earlier, the Texas Rangers stated that they hoped to win the World Series through Nowitzki’s first pitch, who led them to victory.

Youngjae asked if he could watch for a while, and Nowitzki nodded. Perhaps a little nervous about being watched, Nowitzki skillfully took the baseball in his right hand behind his back and fiddled with it.

An awkward form different from baseball players, whether due to lack of practice or his height. He raised his incredibly long left leg to his waist, cocked his right arm back, and stared intently at the center of the mitt, clenching his teeth.

Whoosh-!

Youngjae couldn’t help but be surprised as he watched the baseball slam into the mitt at tremendous speed. It was hard to say since he was watching from the side, but as it dropped from top to bottom and slammed into the mitt, the catcher couldn’t help but shout “Nice!” repeatedly.

After watching Nowitzki practice his pitching for a long time, Youngjae couldn’t help but look bewildered when Nowitzki suddenly handed him the glove and baseball.

“Try throwing it once. That bang! sound relieves stress and is really good.”

“Should I? I’ve never thrown it before… I’ve batted at the batting cage to relieve stress, but I’ve never pitched before.”

“What are you good at? Just do it. It’s no fun just watching, right?”

Youngjae awkwardly held the glove and baseball and stood on the mound. After throwing a few balls experimentally, as if feeling a little awkward, Youngjae finally got a feel for it and calmly gripped the ball, taking a light breath.

‘Raise your knees…’

Winding up, and extending his left foot forward as much as possible, he kicked off his right foot that was firmly planted on the ground and put his strength into throwing the ball hard into the mitt.

Thwack!!!

“Good!!! You throw a fastball as good as Nowitzki?! Haha, your form might even be better than Nowitzki’s?”

Youngjae couldn’t help but feel a thrilling sensation at the crisp sound of the baseball hitting the mitt. Youngjae’s height was close to the ideal height for a pitcher. Usually, 6-4 (193cm) ~ 6-6 (198cm) is considered the ideal height for a pitcher.

After finishing the pitching practice, on October 22, Youngjae was sitting alone in the stands watching the pre-game events due to Nowitzki being away preparing for the first pitch. Because many people already recognized Youngjae, many people greeted him and shared stories about the NBA, having a good time.

OH SAY CAN YOU SEE BY THE DAWN’S EARLY LIGHT~

Ronnie Dunn of Brooks & Dunn, known as the pinnacle of country music and a two-time Grammy Award winner, went to the mound and began to sing the American national anthem, THE STAR SPANGLED BANNER. At the powerful yet clear voice, tens of thousands of people cheered and then suddenly became quiet, and everyone who came to watch the game, including the players from both teams participating in today’s game, put their right hand on their chest and listened attentively to the national anthem and began to sing along.

After the solemn event, as Dirk Nowitzki came to the mound, people fell into a frenzy and began to scream.

– The first pitch will be thrown by Dirk Nowitzki, the captain of the 2010-2011 NBA Dallas Mavericks and the main player who led the team to its first championship since its founding. –

As Nowitzki stepped onto the mound, he pressed down on the hat he was shaking and began to wind up in a fairly plausible pose, bending his waist at a 90-degree angle.

Thwack!!!

Wow!!!

– The first pitch is over. The speed is 67 miles, a strike! The pitch is… a curve or a knuckleball! –

Nowitzki, who threw the ball into the corner of the strike zone, not a curve or a knuckleball, but awkwardly but accurately, waved his hat with a bright smile and greeted the audience. After lightly hugging starting pitcher Harrison, Nowitzki immediately left the ground and began to watch the game with Youngjae in the stands.

October 26, 2011, Southern Methodist University

Youngjae parked his beloved SUV in front of the SMU [Southern Methodist University] gymnasium, a university located very close to his original home in Dallas, with a bright expression and entered the gymnasium.

“Wow~ Long time no see?!”

Watching the players sweating profusely despite the November weather, Youngjae felt very happy, even though it had only been three or four months.

“Kidd! Is your body okay? Your cheeks are sunken in?!”

Kidd, who was burning his last flame after his first championship in the 2010-2011 season, was working harder than anyone else. However, since he was getting older, he couldn’t resist the decline in stamina, but he was sharpening his skills to do what he could within a limited time.

“Haha! Well, I’m the type to rest during the off-season, so I tend to gain weight, but I’m getting restless because I’ve been resting for too long. If it were normal, I would have started training camp a few weeks ago.”

Kidd looked at Youngjae’s body and smiled with satisfaction, nodding his head.

“What about you, weren’t you overdoing it? Huh? Even if you said you didn’t have time because of the national team, you’ve built your body properly? Aren’t you bulking up too quickly?”

Youngjae was maintaining 211lb (96kg) during the season. During the season, if he didn’t manage it properly due to the enormous amount of activity, even his muscles would deteriorate and his overall strength would decrease, so it was a tight schedule just to maintain his strength.

But now Youngjae had gained weight up to 215lb (98kg). But the fact that those 4lb (2kg) were pure muscle was really amazing. He had to postpone bulking up while staying in Korea for more than two months, participating in two competitions as a national team player and handling several advertising schedules.

After returning to the United States, he worked with a professional trainer to build his body. Although his overall weight increased by 4lb (2kg), his body fat decreased by 2.6lb (1.2kg) and his muscles increased, so Youngjae’s total muscle mass increased by 7lb (3.2kg), not 4lb (2kg), and his body became much stronger. It was no exaggeration to say that he had made a lot of progress in terms of strength compared to last year.

“You’ve bulked up properly, huh? If you do skill training to match that body, it’ll be amazing, right? How’s your speed?”

Terry, who had approached, whistled and applauded, saying that Youngjae’s broad physique was amazing.

“I’m already starting skill training again, but my personal coach said that training alone is not efficient. So I thought I needed separate training in addition to the training with the coach, so I came here as soon as Kidd said we should do it together here. Thank you for your concern.”

Jason Kidd and Jason Terry could be the best training partners. Originally, he was thinking of contacting players he had personal connections with, such as John Wall or Kawhi Leonard, to train with, but Kidd contacted Youngjae first. From Kidd’s point of view, Youngjae was a player who had to take over his position in Dallas and a cherished junior, so he contacted him first.

He and Terry were already training together at SMU near Dallas. They weren’t training as hard as a formal training camp, but they were doing light training every day, and Bobo and Mahinmi were also training here after finishing their French national team schedules.

From Youngjae’s point of view, this was better than training with Wall and Kawhi. He could definitely learn more by training with Kidd and Terry. They were teammates for a year, but training during the season and off-season had to be different. Kidd was a case who completed his shooting through constant effort, and Terry was a case who completed his shooting through various techniques and his own rhythm despite his physical limitations.

============================ Author’s Notes ============================

★Thank you to those who gave advance reservations, recommendations, comments, and coupons!!

★Thank you for the sponsorship coupon, Carlos Otero!!

@Nowitzki threw the first pitch at the World Series Game 3 to share the energy of victory, but Texas lost 16-7 ㅋㅋ Matt Harrison collapsed from the beginning, and Ogando set fire properly in the bullpen.

@A little funny thing is that Novi threw the first pitch for Texas in the 3rd game, but Carlisle had dinner with Tony La Russa (St. Louis) right before the 3rd game ㅋㅋ. I guess they both shared strategic stories since they are both strategists ㅋㅋㅋ

@Since I can’t contact the club during the lockout period, some of the Dallas players gathered at SMU and started training together. In fact, those players gathered and trained first, and Haywood joined later.

Disappearing Soul/// Haha, that’s right. Since it’s during the semester, the update schedule may be irregular sometimes.

goimosp, Espressoh, Coca-Cola Addict, Kimarie/// The answer was the original teammates, Kidd and Terry. Kidd is also a legendary player. Terry is also a Hall of Fame, permanently retired player. Considering the plausibility, it has to be done with a player who has at least a connection, but it’s a bit strange to suddenly bring in a legend who has no connection. Wall has a friendship, but it seems closer to using it to strengthen the friendship rather than learning.

Dark Chicken/// Kobe trains hard. Youngjae is no match.

-DarkANGEL-, Omari On/// Thank you for your comments as always.

h0h/// Haha, it was Nowitzki’s call.

Ultra 10/// Luck followed, and the players showed the end of their passion. Carlisle’s strategy also shined the most. So I understand why they disbanded the championship members the following year. It’s a shame, though.

Clay Bear 12/// Hehe, how far will he grow?

rtg98/// That’s right. He used to buy it and be the owner. The Bush family was also a local councilor.