‘It’s okay to be a Tomorch Talker!’ Speechless Choo Shin-soo “I’m so happy”[SS캠프 인터뷰]

SSG Choo Shin-soo (right) is warming up before a practice match with KT held at Ulsan Munsu Baseball Stadium on the 13th. Ulsan | Reporter Park Jin-up upandup@sportsseoul.com

[울산=스포츠서울 장강훈기자] ‘Chu Chu Train’ Choo Shin-soo (39, SSG) regained a boyish smile. He is constantly talking with not only his colleagues but also the front desk, reducing his entry into the KBO League every moment. His innocent smile and cheerful steps are hard to see in Choo Shin-soo.

Choo Shin-soo trained on the ground for the first time before an evaluation match with KT held at Ulsan Munsu Stadium on the 13th. It has been six months since the final game of the regular season in the major leagues on September 30 last year. I went to the bus with my colleagues to warm up, and trained batting, defending, and base base normally. I did personal training in the US, but after returning home on the 25th of last month, I lived in self-isolation for two weeks, and my senses fell slightly. During the last group strike training, I volunteered for one more training session, and spent the first day busy to raise my sleeping sensation.

Choo Shin-soo, a member of the SSG Landers, is doing batting training prior to the practice match with KT held at Ulsan Munsu Baseball Stadium on the 13th. Ulsan | Reporter Park Jin-up upandup@sportsseoul.com

Although they play evaluation games in Ulsan, SSG is living in a dorm in Busan. It is an unfamiliar landscape for Choo Shin-soo to travel together on the club bus for over an hour. “In the major leagues, I usually travel by plane, and when I get to the nearest place, I take a regular bus. It was the first time I had traveled by bus with my colleagues in Korea, but I was surprised that the bus was incomparably good compared to the US.” In KBO League, buses are the main means of transportation in all 10 teams. It is a virtually the only space where players can relax, so it is specially designed. The length of the bus is long, and the spacing of seats is wide. This in itself is the first experience for Choo Shin-soo.

SSG Choo Shin-soo (left) is training tubing with Kim Seong-hyun prior to the practice match with KT held at Ulsan Munsu Baseball Stadium on the 13th. Ulsan | Reporter Park Jin-up upandup@sportsseoul.com

Shinsoo Choo said, “When I moved, most of the players were touching their mobile phones. I think it may be more because I moved in the morning, but I hope that it will be used as an opportunity to have a lot of conversation because the time when I have the most spare time is the time to travel.” In the major leagues, after the game, the game is restored in the locker room or restaurant, and the next game is prepared. They not only talk about baseball, but also share family issues and concerns. Because it is a team, it is because of the idea that we need to share as many things as possible so that we can understand and support each other. Because they are teammates who spend a longer time together than their families, they also need to be as close as family members. Shin-soo Choo said, “That’s how bonds are created and players become more sticky. During the game, we don’t have enough time to talk to each other than we thought, so it would be nice to get to know each other through a lot of conversations at mealtimes or when traveling after the game.”

I couldn’t have long conversations on the bus, but during training, I constantly talked to my colleagues. Although the body didn’t follow me more than I thought, Shin-soo Choo smiled brightly, saying, “It’s only the thought of being happy.” “I love training in an environment where I can understand all the nuances in my native language,” he said. I haven’t regained 100% of my senses yet, but I am so happy every moment.”
zzang@sportsseoul.com