[新聞][翻譯] The end is near!

看板A-Rod作者bymee (..)時間18年前 (2007/05/14 12:36)推噓9(9推 0噓 2→)

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試著翻，請鞭小力一點... ^^! ※ 引述《subaru (高統襪的神秘力量)》之銘言： : The end is near! 終點已近！ : By Buster Olney : ESPN The Magazine : Editor's Note: This story appears in the May 21 edition of ESPN The : Magazine. : http://sports.espn.go.com/mlb/news/story?id=2865760 : Alex Rodriguez dropped 12 pounds during the off-season, making it easier : for him to attack fastballs, range for grounders and dodge reporters. He : stood in a corner of the dugout at Yankee Stadium during the last week : of April as a sportswriter closed in, looking to ask the kinds of : introspective questions that A-Rod now understandably avoids. AROD在非季賽期間減掉12磅，讓他更容易攻擊快速球，增加守備範圍，並躲閉記者的提問。就在四月底的最後一個禮拜，他站在洋基球場休息室的角落，記者靠過來期待問到AROD明顯想要迴避的自省的問題。 : When you're hitting a home run every six at-bats, the last thing you want : to contemplate is why. : With a peripheral glance, Rodriguez spotted the notebook-wielding : predator and sprinted away, bouncing onto the field. These days, he is : all-seeing, all-hitting, all-world. And in April, he almost single-handedly : propped up the last vestiges of a Yankee dynasty that effectively ended on : Nov. 4, 2001, the night Luis Gonzalez looped a broken-bat single over : Derek Jeter's head to win the World Series for the Arizona Diamondbacks. 當你每六個打數就能打出全壘打，你最不想要深思熟慮的問題就是：為什麼？環顧四周，AROD認出那些揮舞著筆電的掠食(記)者後，就馬上跑開，跳回球場內。在那些日子，他是全能的，什麼都能打，他就是全世界。而且在四月，他幾乎隻手撐起了 2001年11月4日之後洋基王朝倒塌後的遺跡；那一晚，是Luis Gonzalez揮出了一支飛越 Jeter頭上的斷棒安打，帶領響尾蛇隊嬴得世界大賽冠軍。 : Since then, powerful forces have converged, perhaps inevitably, to make the : Yankees so dependent on the most expensive player in sports, a guy who as : recently as last October was nearly run out of town. The ironies are : compelling. As A-Rod became the first man ever to hit 14 homers in his : first 18 games, finally achieving the kind of success and critical : acclaim he undoubtedly envisioned when he came to New York three years ago, : baseball's flagship franchise was swimming with the AL East bottom-feeders. 也許是無法避免的，從那個時候開始，強大的火力開始聚集，讓洋基如此依賴市場上最昂貴的選手，而才剛剛去年十月(鳥表現)的那傢伙幾乎已經不見了。諷剌的是，這依然受到注目。當A-Rod變成有史以來在頭18場比賽就擊出14轟的頭一人，最後成功的受到了關鍵性的喝采--而這是在三年前他來到紐約時，所毫無疑問地被想像的事。棒球的旗艦台柱跟美聯東區殿底的球隊共患難。 : The better A-Rod performs, the more likely it is that he'll opt out of his : contract after this season. And most significantly, the better he plays, : the more games these Yankees win, which will allow GM Brian Cashman to : keep his job and continue the steady but laborious construction of what : could be the next Yankees dynasty. A-Rod表現得越好，就越有可能在今年球結季後選擇結束合約。最值得注意的，就是A-Rod打得越好，洋基就嬴得越多場--而這讓現金人也得以保住自己的飯碗，持續苦心建構下一個洋基王朝。 : All this plays out as the new Yankee Stadium rises on the other side of : 161st Street. The retro palace, set to open in 2009, should secure the : franchise's future, for which A-Rod, at least for now, holds the key. 所有這些，都會在161街另一端的洋基新球場啟用後結束。而這預計在2009年開幕的復古宮殿，應該會強化這支台柱的未來。因為至少到目前為止，A-Rod掌握了這把鑰匙。 : IN THE FIRST few minutes after Mariano Rivera blew that save six years : ago, George Steinbrenner walked through the Yankee clubhouse, saying, : "There are going to be changes." As usual, The Boss made good on his : promise. 六年前MO搞砸了比賽之後的幾分鐘內，大老闆走過洋基的休息室，說道： "將要有所改變了"。如同以往，大老闆覆行了他的承諾。 : In an effort to keep winning titles, the organization lurched impetuously, : throwing huge money at the marquee free agents of the moment -- Jason : Giambi, Gary Sheffield, Carl Pavano -- without regard to whether they : truly fit the club. As they did in the 1980s and early '90s, the darkest : period in Steinbrenner's 34 years as owner, the Yankees have learned that : you can win games, and maybe even a pennant now and then, with mercenaries, : but you can't build a dynasty that way. 在奪冠的努力過程當中，球團風雨飄搖，灑下大錢在自由球員上--Giambi, Sheffield, Pavano--而沒有考慮到他們是否適合這個球隊。就像他們在80年代到90年代初期一樣-- 那個大老闆掌權34年下的黑暗時期--洋基知道，為了營利，用傭兵你可以嬴球，也許可偶爾可以拿到一兩個分區冠軍，但你不能用這個方法來建立王朝。 : Ultimately, it was the fertile farm system fostered by former GM Gene : Michael (while The Boss was suspended for trying to smear Dave Winfield) : that produced the core of the team that won four World Series in five : years: Jeter, Rivera, Jorge Posada, Bernie Williams, Andy Pettitte and : Mariano Rivera. Michael stressed patient development of the team's best : young prospects and careful investment in personalities suited for New : York, such as Paul O'Neill. But Michael eased into semiretirement, and : patience was replaced, at The Boss' behest, by haste. 終於，前GM Gene Michael 所培育的農場的豐收，栽培出了五年內四屆世界冠軍的核心成員：Jeter, Rivera, Posada, Bernie, Pettitte. Michael強調耐心培養球隊頂尖的年輕新秀，並小心的投資在個性上適合在紐約打球的球員，像Paul O'Neill。但當Michael進入半退休狀態時，由於緊急，基於大老闆的指示，這個耐心被取代了。 : Steinbrenner is now 76, visibly diminished, and his succession plan is : muddled. Two seasons after engineering the trade that brought A-Rod from : Texas, Cashman won a power struggle with Steinbrenner's Tampa-based : cronies, receiving carte blanche to oversee the draft and player : development. Cashman's argument to Steinbrenner after the 2005 season was : that the Yankees can be more successful, and also more profitable, by : aggressively investing in younger, cheaper players, rather than relying : on aging stars with eight-figure salaries that cost the team tens of : millions more in luxury tax. 大老闆現在76歲了，明顯地削弱了顯響力，而且接班計畫混沌未明。而將A-Rod從德州交易過來的兩年後，現金人取得了Tampa那邊的信任，受到選秀及球員發展的全權委託。在2005年球季後，現金人跟大老闆爭論的是：如果積極的投資在更年輕、更便宜的球員上，洋基可以更成功而且更有利。而不是依靠用八位數薪水(US)買來的老球星，而又耗費球隊幾千萬的豪華稅。 : Cashman did, however, expect the Yankees to keep winning as he pursued : a better business plan. This year, he thought the offense would be so : strong and the bullpen so deep that the Yankees would make the playoffs : for the 13th consecutive season. Meanwhile, the team's best prospects : would be given time to mature in the minor leagues. But the Yankees' : lousy showing in April set off a five-alarm crisis. After they lost five : of their first six games to the Red Sox, Steinbrenner targeted Cashman : for public admonition, and the carefully crafted plans were shoved aside. 然而，現金人確實期待洋基能在他所追求的這個計劃下，一直嬴下去。今年，他認為洋基攻擊火力夠強，牛棚深度夠，應該可以連續13年打入季後賽。同時，球隊的頂尖新秀應該可以在小聯盟中有足夠的時間成長。但是，洋基四月份表現出來的破爛成績，爆發了一個高度危機。在他們對上紅襪的前六場中輸了五場之後，大老闆在公眾場合警告現金人，而讓這精心設計的計畫被擱置在旁。 : So into the vortex stepped 20-year-old Phil Hughes, a 6'5" righthander : with overpowering stuff who was the crown jewel of the farm system. On : May 1, in his second big league appearance, Hughes walked Rangers leadoff : man Kenny Lofton after starting him off with a couple of strikes. The kid : called Posada out to the mound. "If I walk another hitter after starting : out 0-2, punch me in the mouth," Hughes told the veteran catcher. The : Rangers did not get a hit off him for the next 6-plus innings. But in the : seventh, Hughes' left leg seemed to shudder as he finished a pitch, and he : limped onto the disabled list with a strained hamstring. For at least the : next month, no one will ask him to prop up a fractured monolith. 20歲的Hughes捲進了漩渦--一個在農場上稱王，六呎五吋有著驚人資質的右投手。五月一日，Hughes在大聯盟的第二次出賽，面對遊騎兵的第一棒Lofton一開始投了幾個好球，後來卻保送了他。這孩子把Posada 叫上投手丘，說道："假如我在兩好球沒有壞球的情況下，再保送一位打者，你就在我嘴上打上一拳。"遊騎兵在接下來的六局多，沒有在他手上敲出一支安打。但是在七局時，Hughes的左大腿在投完一球後，抖了一下，然後就因大腿拉傷跛向傷兵名單。至少接下來的一個月，沒有人會要求他來撐住這個斷裂的石像。 : After trying to rush young arms like Hughes and Chase Wright, the Yankees : have turned to old warhorse Roger Clemens, who on May 6 agreed to pitch : the rest of the season for $18 million. They desperately needed him. The : team closed April 6 games below the Red Sox, the first time New York was : that far behind Boston after the first month since 1912. But it could : have been even worse, far worse, if not for A-Rod's magic bat. 在嘗試rush像Hughes, Chase Wright這樣的年輕投手後，洋基轉向了老火箭-克萊門斯，他在五月六日同意以一千八百萬的價碼投完剩下的球季。洋基極度的需要他。四月結束後，洋基落後紅襪六場，這是自從1912年國父革命成功以來，洋基第一次在第一個月落後紅襪如此大的差距。但是假如沒有A-Rod的魔棒，情況可能更壞、更壞。 : YANKEES THIRD BASE COACH Larry Bowa smiles slightly when asked about : Rodriguez's recovery from his clueless 2006 postseason. "Confidence," Bowa : says. "Alex's start shows you the importance of confidence." 當洋基三壘指導教練Larry Bowa被問到A-Rod如何從2006年季後賽後回過神來，他輕輕微笑著說："自信"。"A-ROD開始向你們展示自信的重要"。 : At the center of the tabloid-driven media bubble that surrounds him, : A-Rod finds comfort in work. And he made some mechanical changes before : the season. His leg kick was so dramatic last year that it altered his : line of vision. His head would descend as he began his swing. Imagine : trying to hit a pitch as you travel the downslope of a roller coaster. 在八卦媒體的擁簇包圍下，AROD找到自在的工作方式。而且在今年的球季開打前，他作了某些機制的調整。去年他的踢腿動作太大，以致改變了他的視線。當他開始揮棒時，頭會向下傾斜。想像一下，在經過雲霄飛車下坡時，嘗試去擊球。 : "The eyes control the barrel of the bat," says Padres hitting coach Merv : Rettenmund. "If the head is going down, the barrel of the bat is going : down." So A-Rod was beaten constantly by pitches in the upper half of : the strike zone. Not anymore. 教士隊的打擊教練Merv Rettenmund說：眼睛控制球棒的棒身。假如頭向下傾，球棒的棒身也向下傾。所以好球帶的上半部一直是A-ROD的罩門。現在再也不是了。 : On defense, the 31-year-old Rodriguez is still trying to get comfortable. : After making a couple of awkward throws from third in late April, he : asked the coaching staff for some extra infield practice. At 3 p.m. the : next day, hours before a home game against the Blue Jays, there he was, : dressed in a black top, engaged in a drill unique to him. As coach Rob : Thomson hit each grounder, he'd call out a hitter's name, even imitating : that hitter's stance. This way, Rodriguez could visualize how much time he : had to make a throw to first or second base. 防守方面，31歲的A-Rod仍然想要更自在些。四月底在三壘傳了幾個很抖的球後， A-Rod要求教練團給他額外的內野練習。隔天下午三點，在主場對上藍鳥的前幾個小時，他就到了。穿著黑色上衣，專注於他的特訓。當教練Rob Thomson打出每一個滾地球，會同時說出打擊者的名字，甚至模仿打擊者的揮棒動作。如此，A-Rod才能想像他有多少時間來傳球到一壘或二壘。 : "Frank Thomas," Thomson called out, then hit a ball toward third. After : A-Rod gloved the grounder, he took a little crow hop, settling himself, : taking his time -- Thomas is slow, of course -- and then flipping to first. : "Vernon Wells," Thomson shouted, and this time A-Rod jabbed his glove to : backhand a grounder and fired quickly, to beat the imaginary Wells : busting it down the line. 教練喊著："Frank Thomas"，然後將球擊到三壘方向。在A-Rod用手套接住球後，自己小小的歡呼一下來安定自己。從容地--當然，Thomas跑壘慢--將球拋到一壘。教練再喊著："Vernon Wells"，而這次A-Rod反手接到球，將球快速射向一壘，將想像中的Wells 刺殺在一壘前。 : Two hours later, batting practice began. Most teams hit in groups of : three or four, according to the batting order, but cleanup man A-Rod didn't : join the first group of Johnny Damon, Derek Jeter and Bobby Abreu; he hit : in the second group, laughing and joking with childhood friend Doug : Mientkiewicz and second baseman Robinson Cano until he stepped in the box. : And then A-Rod focused on hitting every pitch through the middle of the : diamond, placing the ball in that lane with precision. "He looks like a : guy completely sure of what he's doing," says Rettenmund, who's a fan. 兩個小時後，開始打擊練習。大部份是三人或四人一組，依照打序輪流打擊。但清壘者A-Rod沒有跟Damon, Jeter, Abreau同一組。他在第二組上來打擊。他一直跟兒時的朋友小明還有Cano開玩笑，直到他站上打擊區。然後A-ROD專心的將每一球擊到球場的中間，將球擊到精確的路線。 Rettenmund說：他看起來完全知道他自己在做什麼。教士打擊教練是AROD的球迷。 : Meanwhile, Rodriguez's market value soars. This is the seventh year of : the 10-year, $252 million contract he originally signed with the Rangers, : which gives him the right to become a free agent in the fall. But Cashman : didn't bid on any of the stars on the market this past winter: Barry Zito, : Alfonso Soriano or Carlos Lee. Unless Steinbrenner steps in and orders a : change of course, it's all but certain the Yankees won't come within : scores of millions of re-signing their third baseman. 同時，AROD的市場價值高漲。這是原本跟遊騎兵簽的十年兩億五千兩百萬合約的第七年。而這個合約讓他可以在今年秋天變成自由球員。但Cashman在去年冬天沒有針對幾個球員投標：Zito, Soriano, 或Carlos Lee。當然，除非大老闆介入並下令要求改變，不然洋基幾乎不可能花幾千萬重新與他們的三壘手簽約。 : That doesn't, of course, diminish the importance of A-Rod's colossal : production, which is buying time for Cashman. Unlike the decline of the : old dynasty, the rise of a new one is far from inevitable. : Love him or hate him, the Yankees need A-Rod now, more than ever. 當然這沒有減少A-Rod貢獻的重要性，對現金人而言只是拖延時間。不像過去王朝的衰落，新王朝的興起並不是必然的。不管愛他或恨他，洋基現在需要A-Rod，從來沒有這麼需要過。 -- 覺得翻得不太順，煩請各位先進指點... -- ※ 發信站: 批踢踢實業坊(ptt.cc) ◆ From: 125.232.105.71 ※ 編輯: bymee 來自: 125.232.105.71 (05/14 12:40) ※ 編輯: bymee 來自: 125.232.105.71 (05/14 12:43)