“I shouldn’t be doing this…. “I shouldn’t be doing this, because nothing has really been decided, and if it comes out like this….”
SSG Landers officials have been busy issuing clarifications lately. It’s something that was expected after they announced the termination of their contract with former head coach Kim Won-hyung, but the rumors are spreading faster than expected. The key is undoubtedly the next head coach. SSG recently named Son Si-heon as the new second team coach. There was some controversy at the time, as the coach was trained in the United States with the support of the NC Dinos. Luckily, the two clubs were able to resolve their differences amicably, and Sohn immediately joined the Kagoshima Prospects finishing camp in Japan.
In the meantime, rumors were flying around the baseball world that the next manager would be Lee Ho-joon, the current hitting coach of the LG Twins. Lee played for the SK Wyverns from 2000, their inaugural season, until 2012, when he moved to the NC, 바카라사이트 so he has a lot of ties to the organization. He has been recognized as a leader and someone who could coach any team at least once. Add to that the appointment of Son Si-heon as the second team coach, and the rumor turned into a certainty, even more so because of the ‘NC’ connection.
However, the SSG club has categorically denied the ‘Lee Ho-joon as the next head coach’ rumor.
For a few days now, SSG has been acknowledging that Lee Ho-joon is one of the candidates under the premise of non-reporting, but at the same time, they have been carefully reviewing other potential candidates. Commentators, former coaches, and figures known for their leadership during their playing days are among the favorites for a final interview. Most are young and well-respected in baseball circles.
However, Lee Ho-joon, who was rumored to be the most likely candidate, said, “It’s true that he’s on our list of candidates. But he’s not even a finalist for an interview yet. There are several other candidates who are currently being considered for interviews. It is completely untrue that Coach Lee has been selected as the next head coach.”
SSG is now communicating more closely than ever on the front lines.
Major teams have been using a hotline to communicate with each other about head coach hires. The SSG is in the process of identifying finalists and will conduct formal interviews after the Korean Series. It is expected that there will be at least two finalists. Currently, the club is quietly assessing the baseball reputation and style of the leading candidates.
In fact, something similar happened just a few weeks ago. It was reported that Kim Tae-hyung had been confirmed as the next manager of the Lotte Giants, and although the club denied it at the time, saying they hadn’t even interviewed him, he was hired a few days later. Lotte isn’t the only team to deny that they’ve interviewed Kim Tae-hyung, only to announce the appointment a few days later, even when the best candidate is known, due to ties to other clubs. SSG may be more cautious right now, especially with LG’s upcoming Korean Series.
However, the current atmosphere at SSG is different from Lotte’s appointment of Kim Tae-hyung. Kim Tae-hyung was a unique candidate. In fact, his appointment was not finalized at the time, and there were other strong candidates besides Kim. However, public opinion had already been formed and fans’ expectations were high, so Lotte Group had no choice but to appoint Kim Tae-hyung. However, in the case of SSG, the current rumors may have a significant impact on the final decision.