Throwback Thursday: Remember When?
From 2006-2009, the greatest baseball team played together. They may not have been the most skilled players, or won any international championships, but they were the most handsome group of actors ever assembled (until the cast of Empress Ki was put together, “How YOU doin’ Tal Tal?!”). It consisted of members such as Hyun Bin, Kang Dong Won, and Jang Dong Gun. They trained together, played together, and did charity work, but most of all became close friends, which to this day has been noted in the press.
I became aware of the team after watching MNKSS in early 2006 and noticed Joo Jin Mo and Jung Woo Sung, whom I had fallen for after Musa the Warrior aired on cable a year before. This discovery solidified my new obsession with dramas and I was inspired to learn more about the genre as well as Korea’s culture. I was a casual baseball fan, growing up going to Detroit Tigers games, but having these guys as players made it even easier to watch.
The website has finally dissolved though, I recall it being active as late as two years ago when I got nostalgic and did a search. A sleekly constructed, interactive site, it provided lots of eye candy, videos, pics, and profiles of the players, their positions, and schedules. I managed to find a few screenshots via search (notice the English typos? Cute!).
Their first game was played May 14, 2006, to a crowd of fans and tons of media. The audience saw the team of 26 split into two (Black and White) and though it was obvious they weren’t pros, no one cared. They went on to play against other teams, including those formed by other celebrities. One of note, is the Han team consisting of comedians Yoo Jae Suk, Lee Hwi Jae and others, but no one could compare to the top star value of the Playboys. Quoting an article from the Korea Herald in 2006, translated by Rubi on Soompi, “Talking about the popularity and name value of members, however, Playboys is like the "New York Yankees of the entertainers' baseball league." Manager Kim Seung Woo was even quoted as saying, “...One thing is sure, I'm the ugliest of our teammates”. They also received requests to play overseas in Japan, and countless CF offers.
With the site now gone, I was not able to find the full roster, but I did locate a few new pics and videos in addition to those I had saved on my harddrive. Enjoy the eye candy!
Sources: KPculture, Soompi, Secret Garden Korean Drama facebook, Asianfanatics forum, Naver
Credits on some pics...
If the Playboys were to reassemble today, who would you like to be on the team?
