“I’m not comfortable there yet,” he said. “At the major league level, I played 99 percent of my games in right field. I’ll try. I’ll work on it this spring training. We’ll see how they’re thinking. If they’re not (happy), somebody else will be playing in center field.
“I’ll try the best I can.”
Choo knows there are doubters.
“A lot of people think I can’t play there,” he said.
I think Sheldon posted this originally.
http://redlegnation.com/2013/02/11/s...ading-into-st/
-Matt
He doesn't sound confident at all in playing center. I see a 95% chance of Bruce playing there on opening day. He's no Stubbs as far as covering ground, but he's also not afraid of crashing into the wall. I think Bruce will be average, Choo would be below average.
I wonder if there were some translation issues in that interview. If what he meant what was quoted, I am starting to wonder about his heart. I would imagine Walt and Dusty told him since the day of the trade to do all he can to prepare to be our Opening Day centerfielder. Those quotes make it sound like he is apathetic for what is best for the team.
He's being honest -- he's not comfortable there yet. He said he was going to try his best. Why does that make you question his heart?Originally Posted by Edd Roush
"I prefer books and movies where the conflict isn't of the extreme cannibal apocalypse variety I guess." Redsfaithful
I just feel he should do all he can to make it happen. He almost seems defeated before he starts. "If they’re not (happy), somebody else will be playing in center field." That doesn't seem like he has his heart in it and is very confident that it will get done. I do question if this perception could be caused by translation issues. I would just expect more of a quote of, "I have played 99% of my major league games in right, but I have been working every day in centerfield since the trade and I have seen good progress. I expect to get to the level my coaches are comfortable with by the end of spring training and I can't wait to play in centerfield on Opening Day."
jmac (02-11-2013)
Maybe he hasn't received this year's approved book of cliches'.
They are cliches for a reason. Those are things he should be doing to improve his game, to best fit this team. Just passively hoping that he will be good enough to play center or if not that the coaches will move him to a corner, just isn't good enough for me.
Spot on.
My wife, who is Korean, said that Choo's statements were so typical of the things Korean athletes usuallly say that they could essentially be considered part of the KOREAN approved book of cliches.
So, this one is a big fat "move along......Nothing to see here."
Shin Soo-Choo is a product of his culture. Saying something like "I expect to get to the level..." would be considered extreme braggadocio.
In searching the net for quotes from him, I found very few, and they all had a humble bent. About the most boastful you are going to find from him is this quote prior to 2012:
"My career, every year has been better, better, better. This year (2011), I was at the bottom. So next year, I can only go up. Maybe it won’t be stressful. I’ll just be able to play. I’ll get healthy in the offseason and then next year come back and then just play. I’ll show them I’m healthy and I can still play.”
Even that quote is very humble. Also, do not read into the "then someone else will play center field" as an expectation that he will then play right.
I think it may be just as accurate to interpret it to mean the far more humble, "On a team as talented as the Reds, I will have to earn my position on the field."
HeatherC1212 (02-12-2013),mth123 (02-12-2013),REDREAD (02-12-2013),redsrule2500 (03-13-2013),RichRed (02-12-2013),Tommyjohn25 (02-12-2013)
Good point. No one is going to mistake a Choo quote for an Ochocinco quote.
This was my first thought too. At the risk of painting with a broad brush, Asian players are generally very humble and typically don't display the brashness we're often used to seeing from our homegrown players. I actually think the humility makes him seem hungrier, if anything, in that he's not sitting back and taking anything for granted.
"I can make all the stadiums rock."
-Air Supply
I agree with what you are saying for the most part, and not to downgrade his honesty....but where are they just going to "find someone else to play CF" ??
It's not like you can just find one anywhere.....and if you cannot, then where are you going to play? I guess he already thinks that Bruce will be the backup plan....so why sweat it?
I'm not sure how you could read the entirety of this thread and come to the conclusion that Choo is simply taking a laissez-faire attitude about the whole thing.
"Rounding 3rd and heading for home, good night everybody"
Although I see nothing wrong with Choo's comments as translated, I'm sure there are nuances lost in translation.
He very may well have said something like "I'll bust my butt in spring training, I'll give it all I've got, and the only way I'll quit is if they yank me."
Choo has a reputation of being a gamer, so I think it's premature to question his attituted based on a few translated quotes.
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