Sharing America at the Habib House

[성김 대사]

One of the things I enjoy most as the U.S. Ambassador to Korea is the opportunity to share American culture with the Korean public.  Recently, I hosted an evening of baseball and jazz at my home.  The occasion was a reception held in honor of one of America’s great former ballplayers, Phil Niekro, and included a jazz concert by the Korean quartet Prelude.

Welcome to the Habib House, Phil Niekro and Prelude!

Baseball, a distinctive American institution that has spread throughout the world, in many ways exemplifies the best of American culture.  The philosopher Jacques Barzun once said, “Whoever wants to know the heart and mind of America had better learn baseball.”  And I think to really know baseball, you have to learn about the greats of the game.  Phil Niekro is definitely one of the greats.       

During his 24-year career, Phil not only brought the heat with his fastball, but also perfected the art of the fluttering knuckleball, which confounded hitters for decades.  Swinging at his knuckleball has been compared to eating Jell-O with chopsticks or soup with a fork.

Receiving a quick lesson on knuckleball

Phil racked up 318 career wins, won five Gold Gloves, and was an All Star five times.  These are very impressive accomplishments.  But one that really stands out for me is what he did after he turned 40:  121 victories -- a Major League record that is not likely to be broken.  When you consider that most players are retired from the game before turning 40, it is simply amazing that Phil won that many games after he turned 40.  In addition to his Hall of Fame statistics, Phil is also known as one of the classiest players off the field, and it was truly my pleasure to host a reception in his honor. 

Phil and his family came to Korea as guests of his former student, Huh Min, who is now the owner of the Goyang Wonders.  Min surprised my family and me with some fantastic gifts.  I guess now I am a Goyang Wonders fan!  Not only that, Phil told me that if I wanted to give up my Ambassadorship and join the Goyang Wonders full-time, he would teach me to throw the knuckleball!!   

My lucky number on my very own Goyang Wonders jersey!

But that wasn’t all the excitement for the evening.  We still had some excellent jazz to enjoy.  Jazz has its roots buried deep in America, and Prelude is an exceptional jazz band that has produced six wonderful albums.  They’re a true representation of Korea and America coming together – after all, the band’s four members met while studying at the Berklee College of Music in Boston, Massachusetts.  Their set this evening included two of my all-time favorite pieces -- the Korean classic “Arirang” and Louis Armstrong’s “What a Wonderful World.”  They had the whole audience cheering!

Members of Prelude performing “Arirang”

It was a truly outstanding evening of American culture at my residence.  Not only did the crowd have a fantastic time, but it was a wonderful example of how the U.S. and Korea are continuing to broaden our exchanges and strengthen our people-to-people ties.