[譯文] A Bronx Tale

看板A-Rod作者Ally1213 (All at once)時間17年前 (2008/03/17 23:28)推噓16(16推 0噓 4→)

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http://tinyurl.com/3aawl3 A Bronx Tale Inside A-Rod's decision to return to the Yankees 三月初A-Rod接受SI.COM的專訪，詳述關於去年球季結束那段時間合約事件的轉折。雖然如今已經事過境遷，喜愛A-Rod的球迷也不想再有人拿這件事來做文章，我還是想把這篇專題貼上來，附上簡明的翻譯，讓大家了解一下A-Rod的想法。 (文章很長，要耐心看完喔~) 期待今年A-Rod創造另一個 monster year！ TAMPA, Fla. -- A sextet of big-market teams were quietly lining up to bid for Alex Rodriguez in early November. Meetings were scheduled with both Los Angeles teams, the Dodgers and Angels, and according to people close to Rodriguez, the Mets, Red Sox, Giants and Tigers all were showing interest, as well. But A-Rod desperately wanted to remain a Yankee. 去年十一月初，總共有六支球團想與A-Rod談新合約，但是A-Rod極度地想繼續當洋基人。 "Mentally, I never did see myself going anywhere else,'' Rodriguez said in a recent interview with SI.com. "就精神層面來說，我從來沒想過去別的球隊。" A-Rod說 While the six would-be big spenders were said to be demonstrating strong attention -- if not yet big-bucks deals -- for the slugger after his MVP season of 54 home runs, 156 RBIs and a .314 batting average, Rodriguez's heart wasn't in it. Based on the early interest, he believes he could have received more money elsewhere, surely somewhere north of $300 million guaranteed. As it turns out, Rodriguez did get close to $300 million, but did it to stay where he was -- and where he wanted to be all along. 稍早的時候，A-Rod相信自己在別隊值得更多，保證超過 300M；就結果而言，他的確拿到了將近這個數字的合約，留在洋基，一個他一直以來想要的地方。 Rodriguez himself believes the bidding on the open market would have gotten "crazy" had he let it. While teams were not announcing their intentions, some of them have anonymously acknowledged they were in it to win it. One other club owner said he believed Tiger owner Mike Ilitch, bolstered by new casino riches, looked like a major threat to outbid anyone (although the Tigers' superb GM Dave Dombrowski's plan was to go for Miguel Cabrera instead, a plan that was realized with the Marlins blockbuster), and Ilitch's history of making big deals with agent Scott Boras made the Yankees fear the Tigers most. A-Rod也覺得這個在自由市場上賭一把的決定是有些瘋狂，當時有些球隊很明白地表達興趣，有些則是以不具名的方式進行。當時有一個球團的老闆說，他相信老虎的老闆Mike Ilitch看起來的威脅最大(儘管老虎的超級GM Dave Dombrowski的計畫是追求馬林魚的米糕卡布)，而且以Ilitch跟波拉斯的交易歷史來看，洋基球團最怕的是老虎。 While A-Rod was only envisioning himself as a Yankee, if he had to, he would have met with all six teams, more enthusiastically with some than others. A person close to A-Rod said he was concerned about San Francisco's chance to contend and his own chance to be happy in Detroit, and that person speculated that the most likely landing spot was Los Angeles, probably the Dodgers. 當時的A-Rod想著繼續留在洋基，但是如果必要，他可能會與那六個對他感興趣的球團一一碰面。一位親近A-Rod的人士推測，A-Rod最可能去的地方是洛杉磯，道奇隊。 There are many who believed Rodriguez would be reluctant to rejoin Joe Torre, who publicly questioned A-Rod during a sometimes frustrating 2006 season and also criticized him for disrupting a Blue Jays fielder early in '07. However, Rodriguez said he and Torre have made their peace and he would have had no trouble reuniting with his former manager in L.A. 過去發生的一些紛紛擾擾讓許多人相信A-Rod不想再與Joe Torre共事，A-Rod卻說兩人之間已經達成和平狀態，要與Torre在L.A.團員對他來說沒啥問題。 As is clear now, the real holdup was that A-Rod couldn't see himself anywhere but the Bronx. He went through some very rough times in New York, between fans booing and tabloids reporting on his persona life, and apparently he didn't see any of that as a deterrent. Just the opposite, it turns out. 現在看來，一切都明朗了。A-Rod根本無法想像自己在Bronx以外的地方落腳，就算他在紐約經歷了許多困難的時光，這些都無法變成阻力。 "New York brings out the best in you. And the worst,'' Rodriguez said the other day. "You have to be able to look in the mirror and be honest with yourself I didn't want to go to a place and hide and have my weaknesses be swept away. New York has made me a better man. And it's made me a better baseball player. "紐約誘發出你內在的最好與最壞。" A-Rod說："就像一面你必須去面對的鏡子，你必須誠實的檢視自己，如果你不想只是找個地方隱藏弱點，而是想戰勝它們。紐約讓我成為一個更好的人，也讓我成為一個更好的棒球員。" "I love New York. My family loves New York. I love the Yankee family,'' he added. "I finally had gotten to a situation where I was feeling comfortable with everything there is to New York -- from the players to the coaches to the fans. My relationship with the fans has come full circle.'' That relationship is intact now that he has returned. But for a couple short weeks this winter, he worried that it was over - his Yankees career, his image and all that came with it. "我愛紐約、我的家人愛紐約，我愛整個洋基大家庭。現階段紐約跟我終於達到了一個舒適的狀態，從隊友、教練到球迷，我與球迷們的關係變得圓滿。" 但是在這個冬天，有幾個星期的時間A-Rod擔心著他與洋基即將結束的一切。 After A-Rod opted out of his original record $252-million contract, he still wasn't thinking much about the six teams that were chasing him. He mostly worried that his chance to remain a Yankee was gone, and that he was again being portrayed as a money-hungry mercenary. "I'm getting buried in the press. Everybody's saying I'm greedy. The MVP will mean nothing,'' A-Rod would tell friends at that time. To the surprise of some, he didn't have the unyielding gut it would take to carry out the entire opt-out strategy. A-Rod執行逃脫權之後，他仍然沒有考慮太多關於那六個角逐要他的球隊，他最擔心的是他留在洋基的機會要消失了，而他又再度地被描述成死要錢的形象。 "感覺上那些新聞輿論活生生地要殺了我一樣。每個人都說我貪婪，得到MVP又怎樣。" A-Rod當時跟他的朋友這麼說。令某些人驚奇的是，A-Rod並沒有"勇氣"堅持完成整個逃脫策略。 "Proving my loyalty to the Yankees was very important to me,'' Rodriguez said to SI.com. "向洋基證明我的忠誠對我來說非常重要。" A-Rod說 A-Rod took the biggest hits for the timing of his opt out (which occurred during Game 4 of the World Series), although Boras accepted responsibility for it. The thinking was that by doing it well before his Nov. 10 deadline, it allowed other teams to consider him first (and gave the Yankees extra early incentive to get something done). Had he waited, other big-market teams may have assumed he was staying and quickly snapped up other available stars, such as Cabrera. 宣布逃脫的時機讓A-Rod成了眾矢之的，雖然波拉斯承擔了責任。當時的想法是，在十月十一日的期限之前提出，可以使其他球隊第一個考慮他(也提早給洋基動機去做些事情)。如果他只是等待不主動，其他球隊可能會假設他確定要留在洋基，而很快地跳過他去找別的市場大物。 Boras felt the Yankees needed to be shocked. And while the opt-out did that, it apparently also shocked A-Rod. Rodriguez understood he'd be opting out, but he didn't plan on the quick negative reaction by fans, media, and especially by the Yankees, including new boss Hank Steinbrenner, who publicly said the Yankees were done with A-Rod. "Good-bye,'' Steinbrenner announced on opt-out night. 波拉斯覺得洋基需要被嚇一嚇(譯註: -_-|||)，結果執行逃脫嚇到了洋基，也嚇到了A-Rod。A-Rod沒計劃那麼快就接收到來自球迷、媒體還有尤其是洋基球團，包括新老闆漢克‧史大公子的負面反應。史大公子在A-Rod宣布的那一晚就開表示洋基跟A-Rod已經玩完了："古得掰~" Perhaps unwittingly, that comment may have lined the path for a surprise return, because several days after Hank blew up, A-Rod reversed course. 也許不經意地，冥冥之中命運自有安排，史公子這招已經替A-Rod重返球隊鋪了條路。 Rodriguez and Boras had believed that the Yankees needed to see, 1) that A-Rod was willing to leave, a serious concern since Boras thought A-Rod tipped his hand too much throughout his glorious 2007 season, and, 2) that others were willing to pay much more. Boras always believed the Yankees would get back in and pay the market rate, which he felt was 10 years for at least $300 million, for the three-time MVP with as much marquee power as home-run power -- but only after he opted out and gave them a reason to. A-Rod跟波拉斯相信，洋基需要知道：1)A-Rod是會走人的；2)其他球團願意付給 A-Rod更多。波拉斯更相信，洋基還是會加入戰局，並且付符合市場的價格。十年至少300M，對一位擁有三座MVP、球場內外均具有重量及影響力的球星，這樣的條件不為過。 A-Rod and his close coterie of mostly Miami confidants apparently agreed that he shouldn't jump at the eight-year, $220-$230 million deal that Yankees GM Brian Cashman had told A-Rod and Boras was the team's ceiling. 結果A-Rod本人以及他在邁阿密的朋友都同意，他不該略過那時現金人所開出的8 年220-230 M。 Rodriguez couldn't take the lonely waiting game for more than a few days, and he called his own audible, going back to the Yankees without Boras. The real story of how he got back with the Yankees is probably only known for sure by him. But it's been told a few different ways, depending upon the teller. 數天後A-Rod不想再孤單地等下去，他改變策略，跳過波拉斯直接找洋基談回去的事。真正的過程可能只有他本人知道，但是根據透露的人不同，故事的版本也 One story has A-Rod starting the ball rolling by telling John Mallory, a Goldman Sachs bigwig A-Rod knew from Miami, that he wanted back (Goldman Sachs owns a significant portion of YES Network). Another has A-Rod's wife, Cynthia, in contact with Yankees-connected people she knew. 其中一個說法是A-Rod告訴在邁阿密認識的John Mallory，他想回洋基。John Mallory是高盛集團的權貴，而高盛集團掌握了YES Network極關鍵的股份。另一個說法是，A-Rod的妻子Cynthia連絡她所認識的、與洋基相關的人。 In any case, Rodriguez and Yankees president Randy Levine went to work on a deal soon after A-Rod made it clear to someone who counted that he wanted to go back. Levine always realized the value A-Rod brought to the franchise and the YES Network and quickly told A-Rod, who pressed immediately for the 10-year deal Boras always sought, "I'll give you the two (extra) years." 不管是哪種管道，反正洋基的總裁Randy Levine在得知A-Rod想回來後，就很快地跟他連絡，談論新合約的事情。Randy Levine一直了解A-Rod的價值所在，他告訴A-Rod，"我會給你那(多的)兩年。" 這條件符合了波拉斯先前的盤算。 A-Rod was assisted in the negotiations by the business savvy Cynthia and her brother Constantine Scurtis, a business partner of A-Rod in some real estate ventures. Within two days, they had a tentative agreement that made sense: $275 million over 10 years. A-Rod took well less than he wanted per year but got the length they targeted all along. A meeting was then set up with A-Rod and both Steinbrenner boys -- Hank and Hal -- at which time A-Rod professed his love of the pinstripes. 透過有商業頭腦的Cynthia以及她的兄弟Constantine Scurtis的協助，最後雙方協商出彼此能接受的條件。然後又設了一場A-Rod與大小史公子的會面，A-Rod表達他對球隊的熱愛。 This time, it was no negotiating strategy. He meant every word of it. 而現在，非關談判策略，他真誠地說出心意。 "I really think God put me here for a reason,'' he said to SI.com. "And I've been through a lot. My family loves New York. My daughter loves it. She loves her apartment, loves Central Park. That's the family side, which is very important to me. The other side is professionally. I just don't think there's anything more special than putting the uniform on and playing for the Yankees." "我真的認為上帝自有祂的安排，而且我也經歷了很多。我的家人熱愛紐約，我女兒喜歡她。她喜歡住的公寓，喜歡中央公園。從家庭的角度來說是如此，而你們也知道家庭對我而言十分重要；從另一個角度來說，我實在想不到有什麼事情會比穿上洋基的制服出賽更特別。 A-Rod was so thrilled to be back, he seemed to barely care about the money anymore. Faced with the thought of having to move on, he lost interested in the loot. A-Rod對於回到洋基是如此興奮，他似乎不再在乎錢。 Rodriguez triumphantly called Boras from the meeting with the Steinbrenners. He mentioned some hope for incentives but didn't seem to care too much about them. Boras nonetheless pressed for $30 million in very attainable home-run milestones and finalized the contract language. So with the $10 million Texas was obligated to pay after the opt out, that could bring the total haul to $315 million -- which is not too bad for a guy who was portrayed as crawling back. Yet, it probably still fell short of what he could have gotten elsewhere (or maybe even from the Yankees, had he waited it out). 與史家兄弟會面的時候，A-Rod打電話給波拉斯，提及激勵條款的事。後來波拉斯與球團達成30M全壘打獎金的協議，讓新約塵埃落定。 Rodriguez declined to discuss why he ran back to the Yankees on his own or detail his current relationship with Boras. There is also no explanation for what A-Rod meant when he said on 60 Minutes that Boras told him the Yankees weren't interested in him when it was known the Yankees were offering $230 million before he opted out. While it appears he is still not back to calling Boras almost daily (or perhaps even at all), Rodriguez still employs Boras as his agent, and he does acknowledge that the opt-out clause was the key ingredient for his new deal. A-Rod拒絕談論為何自己出面找洋基高層，或是最近他跟波拉斯兩人間的關係；同樣的，他也沒有解釋當時上六十分鐘節目時所說的話(波拉斯告訴他洋基對他沒興趣，但是當時大家都知道洋基在A-Rod逃脫前就提出230M的條件)。或許現在A-Rod跟波拉斯的聯繫不如過去般密切，波拉斯仍然是A-Rod的經紀人。他也承認逃脫條款是現在他新合約的主要因素。 Now, he only wants to talk about how thrilled he is to be back. 現在，A-Rod只想說他有多高興回到洋基。 "The history of the pinstripes .... There's nothing like it,'' Rodriguez said. "I respect this uniform more than I can say. "I also thought that the opportunity to play fourteen years with organization is very exciting to me, as opposed to being a guy who jumps around.'' "想想這條紋球衣的歷史......沒有其他事物可比擬，我對這制服的敬意無法以言語形容。" A-Rod說：" 我也認為，職業生涯十四年能在同一個球隊打球是多棒的事，不用在不同的球隊間轉來轉去。" It's hard to say now where he might have jumped had the Yankees stuck with their public stance that he was gone. But to A-Rod's delight, he never had to find out. 如果洋基當時吃了秤砣鐵了心就是不追A-Rod回來，現在A-Rod會在哪個球隊就很難說了。但就A-Rod而言，他很高興自己永遠也不用去找答案。 ---------------------------------------------------- 歐巴桑的Blog =.= http://www.wretch.cc/blog/AllyDai -- ※ 發信站: 批踢踢實業坊(ptt.cc) ◆ From: 219.91.67.122

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