Pain Is Not So Bad When Shared

Wood: ... Pain...
Prior: ... When shared...
Dusty Baker: ... stop sharing already!

Both pitchers were injured last year. In the foreground is the Chicago Cubs manager, Dusty Baker. The dialogue is an allusion to a Korean proverb, "Pain is not so bad when shared."

From yesterday's NY Times -- an article about the creator, Choi Hoon, of those amazing Korean baseball comics. Check the graphic for translations.

Mr. Choi, who has never been to America, attributes his popularity to the attractions of Major League Baseball itself. "There are so many teams and famous athletes, so many spectators in the stands," he said. "Then there's the style of play; it just seems so colorful and varied. There's a special charm to Korean baseball, too, but maybe you have to be a Korean to enjoy it."

His favorite team is the Minnesota Twins. "They have a solid outfield, and although they aren't the most powerful hitters, they can score when they have to," he said. "It makes for entertaining games." His fellow Koreans, he says, generally go for the bigger teams; at the moment the World Series champion Boston Red Sox are especially popular. "Each Red Sox player seems to have his own tough individuality, and Koreans like that," he said.

And that team from the Bronx, where the Red Sox will travel tonight for the first game of the new season? "The Yankees are big here too," Mr. Choi said. "But on the other hand, a lot of people can't stand them."