As we’ve mentioned before, Shin-Soo Choo is up against South Korea’s mandate that all able-bodied men must serve in the armed forces for two-years prior to turning 30. Choo is 28, and his military obligation is falling concurrently with his arbitration and free agency years. The straight-from-Hollywood-twist: if he can lead the Korean national baseball team to a gold medal in the Asian Games, he’ll likely get out of his commitment. Really, all this is missing is an angle in which he’s teamed with prisoners or something.
Well, the Asian games have gotten underway, and Choo is off to a good start: he hit two two-run homers Saturday as South Korea beat Taiwan, 6-1. Taiwan was the gold medal winner the last time around, so this is probably a good sign for Choo.
And if he fails: he, Richard Pryor, Gene Wilder and Grossberger can all escape while the rodeo is ending. Or something.