Chan Ho Park Gives Los Angeles Dodgers The Snub

We can all speculate as to why the Los Angeles Dodgers had such a pitiful year. There were injuries, bloated fans in the bleachers and inflated salaries. Oh, their manager was a bumbling idiot as well. The Dodgers picked up Ol’ Joe Torre as their new coach and if they land a slugger in the offseason, then hey, 85 wins may be as attainable as a winter tan. But the organization must have lost some serious credibility because long-time dead weight pitcher Chan-Ho Park was presented with a hefty offer for his services and he decided to turn it down for his native country. With the 2008 Summer Olympics half a year away, Park wants to concentrate on playing with his countrymen in Korea, instead of with dudes that crush 500ft homeruns off him.

“After giving long and deep thought to the matter, I concluded that I should respect loyalty,” Park wrote. “Both are important to me — to sign a contract with the Dodgers to pursue my dreams and goals, and to participate in the Olympics for my country. But the thought of leaving the national team bothered me most.”

This is either a clever way to throw in the towel, or he’s telling the trtuh. What has us scratching our heads a bit is why the Dodgers would even consider offering a contract to a guy who earned a 15.75 ERA last year. Is it one of those “bring in the older, more experienced has-beens to coral the youngsters and teach them the way to greatness?” Isn’t that what Torre’s for?

Park Chan-ho Sacrifices Dodgers Contract for Olympic Squad [English Cho Sun]
Image [MLB]