I seem to be on a Namkoong Min binge lately, as i just finished Chief Kim and watched his episode on I Live Alone not too long time ago. I can't help but to compare his character in Chief Kim and our GM Baek Seung Soo, who can't be anymore different but at the same time gives off those heartwarming vibes.

As a non baseball fan, i literally know nothing about baseball and simply put my trust in Namkoong Min and decided to give Hot Stove League a shot, which I am definitely glad I did. There is a lot of baseball terminology thrown around but you don't really need to pay too much detail into it (i did google some out of pure curiosity though). The story follows the ups and downs of the back office of the worst pro baseball team in Korea, ironically called Dreams. Our new GM BSS has a golden thumb, who is able to bring various sports teams to first place, just to fall to their demise and disband. For this peculiar skill, he is hired by the parent company of Dreams, who has been wanting to dismantle this failing investment of theirs. For his tragic past and his peculiar career record, BSS believes his actions or simply, he, himself is the reason for the demise of everything he touches, whether it be personal or work related.

Going from Chief Kim to BSS, I just want to give BSS a giant hug. He carries the responsibility for everyone and everything on his shoulders, all alone. His time at Dreams, our lonely GM learns the importance of forgiveness, letting go, and second chances, and of course, the importance of a team. In our stove league world, i only hope BSS would be able to smile more going forward.

At the beginning, our strong minded operations manager, Lee Se Young, seemed to be the sole survivor that continues to work at Dreams with a burning passion. I love how she does not take any smack from anyone who reminds her that she is a female in this male concentrated workplace. Her fond childhood memories of spending time with her father watching the Dreams play is what keeps her going. To me, this was no surprise at all but for some reason was unspoken until the very last episode in the last 15 mins. There were many mother daughter scenes that I actually thought did not hold any importance. To me LSY did not have much of a character arc or story because from the very beginning, she was always very well rounded.

I think the character that had it a little too easy was the Head Coach. He is a man of very little words and if i may dare say, a coward. His inability to lead his very divided team of coaches was a major reason for the team's downfall from their glory days. Deep down I know the Head Coach is wise and has very good intensions, which you can see from how he was willing to blow the practice game in order to help Minho get over his slump. However that time at the police station and the trade situation, he chooses to simply keep quiet time and time again. At the same time, I understand very well that in life, the path less traveled by is definitely easier said than done but I hope he learns that there are many people who care and are willing to listen with open ears. Of course explaining your situation does not excuse your actions but it gives someone the chance to understand and possibly even forgive.