Wyverns wrap up Saipan training

By BRAD E. RUSZALA
REPORTER

The SK Wyverns of the Korean Baseball Organization wrapped up their six-week spring training on Saipan yesterday and boarded a plane for the next round of preparation in Okinawa in hopes of improving from last season’s third place finish.

According to the team’s International Department Manager and Translator Jerry Kim, the Wyverns spent approximately $700,000 on their recent trip to the CNMI, and they would like to return later this year for their winter camp in November.

“Every year we’re looking for a good spot for out winter camp and for spring training. Last year we went to Okinawa from January to mid February. It’s still quite cold there, so that’s why we were looking for a good place. Last year the pitchers went to Guam, but we were still unhappy with the ground facilities there so we tried Saipan,” he said.

Kim said that all players and management enjoyed their stay on island, but while the team would like to come back, it would need the local government to make an investment in the local facilities before guaranteeing a return.

“We like it here, we like Saipan, everybody loves Saipan. If the Saipan government invests a little bit to the ground facility then we will try to come back here again. Now we’re still evaluating this facility. We are happy with most of the things on Saipan like the food, the culture, and the people. Everything was perfect for us, but the only thing is that the ground facility and the ground conditions are similar to Guam, so we’re not 100-percent happy with that,” he said.

The Wyverns were the first team to make use of the newly refaced Francisco M. Palacios diamond, and while the new-look grassy infield may look great to those used to the previous all-dirt style, Kim cited that it is not yet up to snuff for professional players—but it’s close.

The field is still in need of some much needed repair work after it took a battering during the previous two typhoons, but that was more than a year ago and lights, the fence line, and the nets were still in poor condition when the team arrived in January.

As part of an agreement to curb the cost to utilize the field, the Wyverns brought along some supplies to replace the unsightly netting at the top of the backstop and outfitted the bullpen with new tin.

“At this point we cannot guarantee that we’ll be back again, but we hope to come back to an improved facility. The most important thing is the ground condition. Most of the fielders are scared of the grounds because there have been too many irregular bounces and the field is not level,” he said.

Kim also noted that there was the additional risk of injury to a student from Marianas High School and the refusal of local insurers to indemnify the team in the unlikely case of a homerun ball clearing the right field fence while school was in session.

“They need to make [the fence] higher than that for the safety of the local people and the players. There is a school there. Our players can clear the fence easily and we are worried that someone could get hurt, so we tried to get insurance but the company didn’t accept it. We had to put up an emergency net,” he said.

While the field needs a little attention, the team was thrilled with the state-of-the-art track and field facility adjacent to the diamonds. The weight room was a little small and lacking for their needs, so Kim said that the Wyverns remedied that by working out a deal with Gold’s Gym.