BK, stop before your career falls apart

At this very moment BK is wishing he could be anywhere but in Korea. Right now, BK must be thinking that giving the finger to a bunch of foreigners is not so bad compared with what he is going through now. BK might be considering playing ball on Mars, perhaps the only safe haven he has. Well, I am only guessing all this because BK, or Kim Byung-hyun, has not said a peep except that he is not guilty.
Yeah, right.
Just when Fingergate seemed to have settle down, BK managed to make the headlines again with news that has nothing to do with his awesome slider.
The Red Sox closer allegedly pushed a photographer outside a Seoul health club hard enough to put him in a hospital bed for four weeks (and seriously damage his fancy camera, reported to be worth 13 million won or $11,000).
What a mess. And the timing stinks since major league bosses are now powwowing to discuss matters, such as trades, and this only adds another mark to BK’s already tarnished resume.
BK’s on- and off-field performance in Beantown has not exactly earned him accolades. And his most recent troubles might just give the Red Sox’s manager, Theo Epstein, the incentive to unload him.
BK has a reputation for being media shy and his whole family seems to be of like personality. Every time I try to get a few words from his dad I get the same reply: “I don’t know. I hardly talk to him.”
Do not get me wrong. I am not picking on the guy because he and his family will not give me a good quote. He treats everyone the same.
But when he does open his mouth, BK just shoots himself in the foot. And for observers (like me), who still think his slider is damn good, it is sad to see him in hot water. I do not want this young man’s career going down the tubes just because he could not get his mental game straight.
In the end, it all comes down to that. One would think that five years under the big tent would have matured Kim. But he has not learned much about the other side of the game.
Let me give you an example of BK’s tendency to make bad publicity.
Exhibit 1: When asked about raising his middle finger a second time, BK says he was just showing his finger to a fan who asked him how his finger was doing.
Exhibit 2: Denying rumors of a trade, he says he was told he was being earmarked for a starting role. Then he lets it be known that his final goal is to play in a Yankee uniform.
Exhibit 3: On his Web site, he admits having damaged the camera but says there was no violence involved.
He sounds stupid, to put it mildly.
After reporting to the police station on Wednesday, BK gave an interview. Guess what? He ended it on another bad note: “You all here need to change,” he was quoted as saying.
That “you all” means anyone who works for the media. You do not have to make friends but neither do you have to make enemies.
I understand BK’s frustration. He is not the John Rocker type who cannot wait to open his mouth. He is the kind of guy who would do anything to enter and exit the clubhouse with no one noticing. Facing nosy reporters must be a living nightmare for him. But isn’t it about time he learned the PR ropes?

by Brain Lee