BUSAN, SOUTH KOREA — Jerry Royster isn't sure whether to laugh or cry: The umps just don't speak his language. Every time he races out of the dugout to argue a play, he has to bring along an interpreter.
Last year, the former Dodgers infielder took the helm of this city's wildly popular Lotte Giants, becoming Korea's first foreign manager.
From opening day, he was a stranger in a strange baseball land. Although the South Koreans pitched, hit and threw just like back home, most everything else was lost in translation.
In this league, umpires apologize for unpopular calls. Some change their minds as a gesture of politeness.
And the fans -- they'd never think of booing or heckling. Instead, they spend their energy belting out special songs for their hometown heroes. Many don orange garbage bags as Korean-style rally caps.
At the Giants' 2008 home opener, fans packed the stadium four hours before game time to revel in every warmup throw. They quickly elevated Royster to rock-star status -- about 20,000 once showed up, not for a game, but to watch him tape a commercial in which he spoke Korean.
And forget hot dogs and popcorn. These fans crave a different variety of snacks to go with their ballpark beers: dried squid or live octopus, anyone?
Royster, 56, loves every minute. After playing for five major league teams over 16 seasons, nine of them with the Atlanta Braves, and after managing the Milwaukee Brewers, he is sure of this: Koreans are more baseball-crazy than Americans.
"Lotte Giants fans are Yankees, Red Sox the Cubs fans all in one," he said. "They're more passionate than any major league team could ever dream of."
As the 2009 World Baseball Classic opens this week with games in Tokyo, Mexico City, Toronto and San Juan, Puerto Rico -- the final will be at Dodger Stadium -- the Korean national team plans to continue its winning ways.
And that, Royster said, requires no translation.
In his first year, he took the cellar-dwelling Giants to the playoffs for the first time in nine years. Even with a shorter 126-game schedule, the Giants attracted more fans than many major league teams and doubled attendance from the year before.
Long-suffering loyalists dubbed their new manager "Hurricane Royster" and composed a rally song in his honor.
But Royster, now in his second season, said it's not just fans who excite him: Koreans play good baseball.
