The Korean television crew was with Chan Ho Park for 10 days in July and had come back again for another 10 days. As the Phillies wrapped up their homestand that Sunday against Florida, the producer, Chul-Jin Kim, said the crew planned to travel to Chicago with Park, who had been more than generous in allotting his time for a projected 1-hour documentary. Kim said no expense has been spared in the production, because of Park's stature in Korea.
"In Korea, he is like a god," the producer says.
Park thinks of himself in far more human terms. When he reflects on his baseball career, he thinks less of himself than of the young players in Korea who will follow him into America. He says there is "unbelievable" talent in his homeland. While he knows there always will be language and cultural barriers for Korean players to overcome, he hopes it will be easier for them than it was for him as a young man. Because whatever else Park has accomplished during his career, he is more proud of this than anything else: He opened the door for others to walk through. *
