No Blood, Tears, Or Mercy for Victory

There is something unique about the playoff between Hyundai and Doosan.

It is not just that these two teams went head to head up to the seventh round in last year`s Korea Series. First, there is the face-off between Lim Sun-Dong (Hyundai) and Koo Ja-Won (Doosan) in the first round.

▽ Will the brothers be brave? = ``Bro, I guess we`ll be getting bonuses together.`` Two days ago, an excited Chung Soo-Sung (Hyundai, 23) called his older brother Chung Soo-Kun (Doosan 24) and bragged about his entry in the playoff. The Chung brothers went to the same school, look very much alike, and even play alike. But as the saying `no younger brother is better than the older one` goes, Chung Soo-Kun quickly rose as a star player in the pro league while Chung Soo-Sung entered the league in 97 and did little more than pinch running or defense. It seemed unlikely that they would face each other in the postseason until now. Their mutual excitement is understandable. The older brother, Soo-Kun calmly advised his younger brother, ``It`s completely different from the regular season, so play seriously when you get out on the field.``

▽ `Shim vs. Shim` = February 9, 2001. Pro-baseball fans were greatly shocked. Shim Jung-Soo (Hyundai) and Shim Jae-Hak (Doosan) were exchanged. Considering the two players` importance to their respective teams and the number of fans, it was truly a shocking trade. Shim Jae-Hak, who was formerly voted outstanding member of the Korea Series, said that it was `absurd` while Shim Jung-Soo, who was pegged as a nuisance by the Pro-Baseball Player Association, seemed to respond as if he expected the trade.

Both players are left fielders with powerful arms and sure shot hitting power. Changing teams within a year, these two old friends will now have to face each as enemies and are drawing great deal of interest.

▽ Outside player vs. outside player = Doosan`s Woods and Hyundai`s Quinlan are `class A` hired players in terms of their contribution to the team. Woods with his immense hitting power, Quinlan with his brilliant defense and occasional explosive hitting are both forces to watch.

Although both Woods and Quinlan hit homeruns during the seventh game of last year`s Korea Series, the MVP went to Quinlan after he surpassed the 2 point tie with woods and scored a third point. Watching for their unpredictable hits adds another level of excitement and anticipation.

Kim Sang-Soo ssoo@donga.com