By Nazario Rodriguez Jr.
Horizon news staff

In this issue, we start our series of articles featuring all the eight teams competing in the 2007 season of the Palau Major League. We will try to present a brief background on each team, their chances for the title, players, coach, prospects, targets, some of the issues each team face leading up to the tournament and what sort of build-up they went through in the off-season and their preparation for the coming season. We chose to start with “defending champion but newly-organized” Team Koror.
With the same sponsor, Koror Ngarametal, the champion team of the last two years will not be carrying any of its previous players but is starting on a three-year developmental program for its new set of youngsters, who are all first timers in the PML.
It has also a new coach in Darwin “Ling” Inabo, who will have his baptism of fire in the league when the team takes on Ngardmau on the second day of actions on January 9.
The PML officials and team managers met last week and decided to move back the opening ceremonies on Monday January 8 with the inaugural game to be played between established teams Airai and Ngerbeched.
Koror won its first ever title over Ngerbeched in 2005 then complted a back to back over Airai in 2006.
But Inabo doesn’t even consider his team as the defending champion and underestimated their chances for the play-off in this double-round robin elimination format.
His only target is for the players to gain enough experience this season in preparation for the next two to three years.
Inabo, who coached most of his players in the little league, said the team’s focus would on defense.
Most of the players had been picked up from two hamlets, Ngermid and Ngerchemai.
“Except for one major leaguer in Guam, all my players are first timers,” he said referring to Benito Borja Jr.
“We will just play as a team and do our best. I have not even asked them yet what they feel for their first game,” Inabo said during one of their practices at the Asahi Field.
“Our main goal is to learn the basics of the game, work as a team and just wanted to end the season and hopefully make some improvements next year,” he said.
Inabo spoke on the mental aspects of the game, which he said sould be instilled first into the minds of his players before thinking about the playoffs.
“That will come later. Baseball is a hard game. Unlike basketball, you have to react in a different way. Since we just started two weeks ago, ours is a last minute team,” he said.
The new Koror team had a scrimmage last week against a relatively new team from Ngaraard.
Included in the coaching staff is Ngermid Legislator Wilson Ngirausui.
Completing the line-up are Cameron Takeo, King Ngiraboi, Ngeweiss Skey, Shannon Aguon, Orull Davis, Vincent Trolii, Justin Sandei, Spis Adelbai, Kerai Isaol, Chester Kbarii, Jacob Tumchub, Mcquire Iekar, Cha-ai Termeteet, Hayden Hindenburg, Remi Rhodas, Jaskey Sokau and Jay-R Emmanuel.