Re: [剪報] Baker的訪問全文

看板Celtics (波士頓塞爾提克)作者sofialeon (我愛大頭小白貓)時間21年前 (2003/09/20 01:42)推噓1(1推 0噓 0→)

留言1則, 1人參與討論串2/6 (看更多)

可以把它翻譯成中文嗎? ※ 引述《sofialeon (我愛大頭小白貓)》之銘言： : ※ 引述《Lyotard (非人)》之銘言： : : Baker: I'm an alcoholic : : Celtic speaks candidly about problem : : By Shira Springer, Globe Staff, 9/11/2003 : : DURHAM, Conn. -- When Vin Baker opened the door to his brick : : mansion late Tuesday night, he looked different than he did : : six months ago. He was clear-eyed and harder edged. Most : : noticeably, the puffiness that followed his jawline was gone. : : He sounded different, too; stronger and surer. : : It has been a long journey, and Baker was ready to speak : : candidly and publicly for the first time about events that : : led the Celtics to suspend him Feb. 27. : : "I am an alcoholic," Baker said, detailing a struggle with : : "binge drinking" that reached such a self-destructive level : : last season that he went through nearly four months of : : treatment to change his life. Now, with Celtics training camp : : three weeks away, he believes he has an opportunity to save : : his career. In a wide-ranging interview, Baker discussed his : : treatment, his early denial, the team practices where he : : admittedly smelled of alcohol, the concerns coach Jim O'Brien : : voiced in December, the pressures that came with a contract : : worth approximately $86 million and All-Star honors, the start : : of his drinking problem following the lockout in 1998-99, the : : plans for a successful return to NBA life, and the challenge : : of winning back teammates and fans. : : Last Wednesday, Baker marked six months of sobriety. He stopped : : drinking the day he was suspended. He has spent the summer : : eagerly preparing for a return to the NBA. With a private : : trainer and two workouts a day, Baker has trimmed down to a : : sculpted 241 pounds, his playing weight his first two seasons : : in the league and at least 15 pounds lighter than he appeared : : last season. He suffers no lingering health problems. While : : Baker feels his lift, coordination, speed, and skill have : : returned, he is keeping his expectations vague. No numbers, : : just meaningful contributions to the Celtics. Poor performances : : coupled with unfulfilled expectations, in large part, precipitated : : the drinking problem, he said. : : "The Celtics, the organization, cared for me as a person," said : : Baker. "The suspension gave me a chance at a new life, gave me a : : new lease on life, gave me a new chance at my career. I know a : : lot of people view the suspension as an ax job and he's out of : : here. But I didn't view it as that. I viewed it as a chance that : : they gave me to change my life. Obviously, now six months later : : with not touching a drink, I can see clearly how that gave me a : : new lease on life. : : "I don't know how much I was hiding it or how much I was covering : : it up. It wasn't a situation where I would get plastered or get : : wasted. I just didn't want to think about the success that I wasn't : : having that I had in the beginning of my career. It would just be a : : situation where I would try to numb myself to all the expectations. : : So, it could be three days in a row, four days in a row, or it could : : be no [drinking at all for] a day. It was in and out. It was like : : binge drinking." : : After binge drinking for approximately four years and slipping from : : All-Star to sparingly used backup center, Baker, at the insistence : : of the Celtics, sought treatment. He checked into Silver Hill Hospital : : in New Canaan, Conn., March 4 for a 28-day rehabilitation program. He : : was then supervised for 10 weeks as an outpatient with daily visits : : and testing at Silver Hill. Contrary to published reports, Baker said : : he has never suffered from and is not receiving any treatment for : : depression. : : Support system set : : Since finishing treatment, Baker has gradually made a fresh start, : : ridding himself of bad habits and bad influences while rededicating : : himself to basketball. After stops in Miami and Las Vegas, his : : training routine continues in Connecticut, where he works out at : : home in the morning and plays pickup games with the UConn men's : : team in the afternoon. During the last eight weeks, Baker has : : worked to integrate travel, training, and a sober lifestyle. He : : attends Alcoholics Anonymous meetings two or three : : times a week and talks with his sponsor every day. : : Before training camp starts, Baker, the Celtics, and the league : : will finalize plans for a support network that will stretch to all : : NBA cities. He plans to attend AA meetings upon arriving at : : different NBA stops. He will have counselors available in every : : city and someone he can talk to on the team, if any issues arise. : : He will carry a cellphone specially dedicated for calls to and : : from league and team officials. He will be tested during the season. : : "I feel like in the last six months, I've come full circle and : : come back to the person I was before all this started, before : : [my career in] the NBA started," Baker said. "So, the people that : : I hang around with, the places that I go [have changed]. Those : : components make me say that I don't want to drink anymore. But I : : have to say that every day. As much as this has been such a : : successful last six months for me, I have to say to you that today : : I'm sober. I know the education and how powerful alcoholism : : can be. : : "I have to work every day to say, `I'm not going to go here. I : : certainly shouldn't be there. I certainly shouldn't be around : : that person.' Then, you have to fill in those times with things : : that are good for you, working out, being in the gym, being with : : my kids, being with my family. All those things make up 24 hours : : for me. They don't make up the next five years. They just make up : : 24 hours, saying, `You know what? I'm not going to have a drink : : today.' As much as I want to say, I'm not going to ever have a : : drink, I have to take it 24 hours at a time. That way has worked : : for six months." : : Baker would like to keep his attention focused toward next season, : : but he knows he must account for what happened in his first season : : with the Celtics. In a well-documented downturn, Baker averaged 5.2 : : points per game and 3.8 rebounds before his suspension. There was : : an obvious erosion of skill and athleticism. He appeared : : uncoordinated, particularly when trying to finish around the : : basket. He seemed disoriented, out of synch, distracted during : : many of the 18.1 minutes per game he played. : : Although O'Brien was steadfast in his public support for Baker : : and repeatedly talked about the veteran center making adjustments : : to a new system, the head coach privately sought to address the : : alcoholism, according to Baker. It was not poor play in games, but : : practices that may have provided the strongest evidence of a serious : : problem. According to Baker, O'Brien met with him in December and : : January in an attempt to help (when reached by phone yesterday, : : O'Brien declined to comment) and later visited Baker at Silver Hill. : : "Coach sat me down a couple times and said, `If you think there's : : an issue, then we need to deal with it,' " said Baker. "That was : : from smelling [the alcohol] in practice. He wanted to deal with it. : : Obviously, the alcoholism and the alcoholic speaking say, `No, : : there's no problem coach. I'm going to be fine.' " : : But Baker was trapped in an endless cycle, where poor performances : : led to drinking and drinking led to more poor performances. He did : : much of his drinking privately, in his suburban Boston home or in : : hotel rooms after the many disappointing games. : : "I always had in the back of my mind, I always said, `If I don't do : : well tonight or if I don't go out and play up to my standards, then : : I'm just going to go out and drink to get rid of the pain or get rid : : of the fact that I wasn't successful,' " Baker said. "I was never : : going to give myself a chance to do well as long as I was drinking : : the night before or as long as I drank the previous four nights. : : So, I was working against the odds. : : "You're drinking too much [is] the biggest problem, and then you're : : not playing well. So, it compounds and compounds. The days keep : : going. Like I learned up at Silver Hill, it's always `Poor me, poor : : me, pour me another drink.' That's how it was." : : Meetings, treatment : : There is only so much that mouthwash and cologne can cover. Baker : : suspects those close to him knew what was happening. By February, : : the new Celtics owners not only recognized what was going on, they : : also saw a need to take action. It was one of the first crises with : : which the new ownership dealt. There were lengthy conversations : : among owners Wyc and Irv Grousbeck, Bob Epstein and Steve Pagliuca : : and Celtics lawyer Neil Jacobs, where Baker's future was discussed. : : There was also a meeting after the All-Star break among Baker, : : Baker's family and representatives, the ownership and team officials. : : The same parties met again after the Celtics returned from their : : mid-February tour of the Western Conference. Medical experts were : : also consulted. : : "It was a group effort," owner Wyc Grousbeck said. "We had serious : : discussions and negotiations about how it all ought to be. But the : : goal was to give this player the structure and support and incentive : : that he needed, so, it made it very clear that his best choice was : : to make a change." : : The meetings ultimately led to treatment. While initially reluctant : : to see himself as an alcoholic, Baker gradually took advantage of : : the education, counseling, and group therapy Silver Hill offered. : : He left calling it the "best experience" of his life. From the : : outside, that would seem an odd description for a rehabilitation : : center where classes started at 8:30 a.m. and ran throughout the : : day. In the evening, Baker and other patients could watch movies : : with alcohol or drug-related themes. There was "28 Days" starring : : Sandra Bullock and "Less Than Zero" featuring Robert Downey Jr. : : Initially, Baker spent a lot of time in his room, reading : : motivational books, the Bible and information about alcoholism. : : The education provided by Silver Hill was directed toward : : identifying the symptoms of alcoholism. Baker said it was like : : a checklist of the life he had led. In group therapy, patients : : discussed a particular topic, such as how they hid their : : addiction from their families. : : Although Silver Hill is a facility accustomed to dealing with : : celebrity patients, that didn't make Baker any more comfortable : : "on campus" his first few weeks. Baker admitted he "was on this : : whole professional athlete thing" at first. He was also in denial. : : He said to himself, "Oh, I'm not an alcoholic. I want out of here. : : I'm not like the people in here." But Baker learned he did have a : : problem and that his alcoholism was much bigger than his status as : : a professional athlete. : : "It was tough at first to walk up there because I was like, `Gosh, : : everyone's going to know I'm here,' " Baker said. "For the first : : two or three weeks, I had that feeling. But what I figured out after : : three weeks was that it wasn't about me the athlete up there. I was : : up there to get help. I was up there to change my life. Part of : : changing my life was being honest with myself, being honest with : : the people around me, being able to trust the people around me. : : "The more people that know that I'm an alcoholic, or the more : : people that know I have this problem, the more people I'm going : : to have to be accountable to. And I want to be accountable. I : : kind of got rid of that notion that, `Oh, I don't want them to : : know' because it's a part of me. I want people to say he's doing : : a wonderful job. The success that I had initially in basketball : : I started applying to my sobriety. I wanted to be successful in : : that. I was driven to be sober." : : Back to basketball : : According to Baker, the toughest part of inpatient treatment came : : when he had to say he was an alcoholic for the first time. It was : : tough the second time and the third time, too. But Baker met the : : challenges of inpatient treatment, and after nearly a month, he : : was allowed to commute. Baker made the 80-minute trip every day, : : arriving in time for the 8:30 class. In his 2 1/2 months as an : : outpatient, he slept at home, got tested every day and attended : : AA meetings at night, in addition to the daily routine : : he had established during his inpatient stay. : : While at home, Baker willed himself to watch the Celtics on : : television a few times. He became a fan. With the exception of : : a brief trip to the basketball court at Silver Hill, Baker went : : without playing or practicing for three months. : : In late May, he went to the University of Hartford to participate : : in pickup games with college players from his alma mater. It was : : a start. Baker also began to work on conditioning with personal : : trainer James Lloyd that month. His sessions consisted of running : : on a treadmill, biking and lifting weights. In mid-June, Baker : : started with two-a-days entirely devoted to conditioning. He : : lifted weights and sprinted on the treadmill in the morning. He : : cycled and went through a series of sprints on the court in : : the evening. He has done basketball work for only a month. : : "For me, I've worked so hard this summer physically," Baker said. : : "I've worked harder mentally and emotionally. What I've worked for : : is to come back and help the team, whatever way I can help the team. : : What capacity that's in right now, I don't know. I just know I've : : worked my butt off to get back on the court and be in good shape. : : A realistic goal? Just coming out and competing and having fun and : : helping this team win. I really feel like I can help this team win : : basketball games. Honestly, I can't give you a number on rebounds : : and points. But my goal is not just to stay sober every night and : : have people say, `Oh, he's doing great.' " : : These days, Baker has structured his workouts similar to what he : : expects to face at Celtics training camp. He runs the treadmill : : and lifts weights in the morning, then heads to Storrs for : : scrimmages every afternoon. In games, he goes up against UConn : : standout Emeka Okafor. He plays for approximately two hours. : : "My legs are back, my lift is back," Baker said. "But again, I've : : got to test it. Jumping in the gym by yourself is completely : : different than jumping with nine other people on the floor : : competing for rebounds. It's different. I can drill all day. : : We'll have another conversation Oct. 2 or 3, and I'll tell you : : a little bit more how I feel. I don't want to set any unrealistic : : goals, but I just feel great. : : "Conditioning-wise, this probably is the best I've been in any of : : my seasons coming back. Now, it's about just getting on the floor : : and playing. I've obviously answered the questions for me from the : : physical standpoint. Now, it's the emotional part, getting back out : : and enjoying it and playing the game like I played it eight years : : ago, five years ago. I'm working on that every day. That's my trips : : up to Storrs. It's the psyche that I've got to work on now, and I : : think it's coming." : : Although not intended as tests, Baker spent time working out in : : Miami and Las Vegas, cities known for vibrant party scenes. In : : both cities, Baker said he was not even tempted to drink, though : : he was accompanied by a league representative in both places. : : Baker added he never thought about going to South Beach or the : : casino at the Hard Rock Hotel & Casino where he was staying in : : Las Vegas. For Baker, the experience in both cities was similar : : to traveling with an NBA team, and in that respect, the trips : : were good preparation. : : While Baker has worked hard physically and mentally to prepare : : himself for next season with the Celtics, there are still aspects : : of life as a professional athlete that he cannot control. He knows : : he will still be judged by many in terms of the three years and : : roughly $43 million remaining on his contract. And Baker said he : : must apologize to his teammates. Several times Baker tried to : : watch tapes of his play last season but could not do it. He didn't : : want to remind himself of the player and person he was. When : : training camp starts, he will have to face teammates who dealt : : daily with the player and person he was last year. : : "I want to get a chance to talk to my teammates and apologize to : : them for last year and talk to them about the things that I've : : gone through," Baker said. "I really sincerely think that I owe : : my teammates an apology. But the biggest way to win my teammates : : back is to come and give an effort every day in practice and : : training camp and work as hard as I possibly can. I didn't do : : that last year for them, not in training camp, not during the : : season. What I want to say to them I've been doing in the gym. I : : think at the end of the day they're going to respect that and : : appreciate that more than any words I could ever say to them." : : And what about the fans? : : "The only thing that I can hope for is that people understand : : that I went through a situation that was very tough for me," : : Baker said. "It's something that was bigger than basketball, : : bigger than scoring 20 points a game. I hope they can understand : : that. If they don't understand that, that will be something that : : I have to live with. As honest as I'm being, there's going to be : : some people who aren't going to buy it. Those are the people I'm : : going to have to say, `Buy [my hustling] up and down the court, : : buy blocking shots, buy rebounding.' That's going to be the answer." : : Baker is eager to show fans, teammates, and coaches what he can : : do as a sober NBA player. Until then, he enjoys a better : : relationship with his parents and three children. "It never : : crossed my mind to stop playing basketball," Baker said. "All : : the time that I was out and I wasn't playing last season and : : obviously the time during the summer, all I thought about was : : that this is going to make me better. I'm going to be better : : physically. I'm going to be better emotionally." : : c Copyright 2003 Globe Newspaper Company. : EQWEWQEWQEWQEWQEWQREWURIOWEQRUIOEWURIOEWQURIOWEURIOWERUWEOIRUWIEORUWEOPRUWEORUEOWRUEWIOURIWEOURWERUIWOEURIOWEURIOEWURIOEWURIEWURIUWEIORUWEIOURWEIOURIEWURIOWEUIOEWURIWEOUROIPWERUOEWPRIOWPEROWEURUIOWEURIWORIOWEUIROWEURIEWIURUIWEURUWEIRUWEIOPURIWEOUROEWIUREO: WIUREWIORUWOEIPRUIWEOURUIWEORUWEIORUIOWEUROIEWRUEWIORUIOEWRUOEWIURUOIEWUOIREWURIOEWURIOEWUREOWIURIOWERUIEWIOUREWIORUEWOIUREWIORUWEIURUWEIORUWEUREWIUOURWEOIURWEUIRUEWIOUUREWUIOROUIEWUOIRUIEWUIREWIOPRUEWIURIWEOPRUWEOIUROIEWURIOEWUREWIOURIOWEJFSDJFLSDJFLSDJF: LDSJFJSDJFSDKLJFKLSDJFLSDA;KFJPOEWRIWEPORIWERIOEWPOITWR[UTEY0-690636REITOUERUTOERUTIOERUTOIERUTOIERUTIOERUTOREIUTJGDFJGFDL;JGDFJGLKFJGFDJGJGJFDGJGDJGLDFJGDFJGJGJGLKDJGDFGJFDGJDFLGJDFJGDFLKGJFDJGLDFJGFDLGJDFJGDFJGJDFGJFDJGJFDJGFDJKGJFDJK;LGJDFS;JKGJDKF;LSG: 'DSF;LGKK'REKLTK'ERKT';REKT;'ERKT;'ERKT;ERKT;'ERKT;LERKT;ERKT;LKER;TKER;LKTER;KLTKERL;KT;LERKTERLKTREKTERKTKREKT;LERKTRE;LTKREKLTL;ER'KT'ERKT;ERKT;'ERKT;LERKT;LERKT;'ERKTRE;LKT;ERLT'ERKTL;REKT;LRETK;LREKT;ERLTK;LERKT;RELKTL;ERKTERL;KTERLKTERK'TERLKT;E'RKT: ;ERKT;E'RTKER';TKE'R;KTER;'TKRE;KTKERKTER;LTKER FFFTESTETSTESTETETETUYURIWEYRWUIEYRIUWEYRUIWEYRUIWEYRIUWEYRUIWEYRUWEYUIRWEYUIREWYURIURWEYRUWEYRUIWYRUIWYRUIYRUIEWYRUIWEYRUIWEYRWUEIRYUWYRWUEYRWUEIRYUWIEYRUWEYRUIWEYRUWEYRUIWYRUIWEYRUWEYRUWEYRUIWEYRWEYRWYERUEWYRWEYRUEWYRUIWEYRUIWEYRUIWEYRUYWERUYWEURYWUEYRUWIEYRUWEYRUWEYRWEURYWERYWEIURYWEURYWEURYEWUYREWURYWEUYRUWEYRUWEYRUIWEYRUWEYRUWEYRUIWEYRWUEIYRUIWEYRUIWERYUIWEYRUIWEYRWUEYRUWIERYUWERYUWEIRYUWIEYRUIWERYEUIWRYUIWEYRIUWEYRIUWEYRIUWEYRUIWEYRUIWEYRUIWEYRIUWEYRIUWEYRIUWEYRUIWEYRWEUIYREWUIYRWUIRYEWUYREWIUYRWEI URYWEUIYRUIWEYRUIWERYUWEYRUIWEYRUWEIYRUIWEYRWUIEYRUIWEYRUIWEYRUIWEYRUIWEYRUWEYRUIWEYRUWEYRUWEIYRUWIEYRUWEYRUIWEYRUIWEYRUIWEYRUIYWEURYEWUIYRUIWEYRWUIERYUIEWYRIUEWYRUIEWYRUIEWYRUIWEYRIUWEYRUIWEYRUEWYRUIWEYRUEWRYUIWEYRUIWEYRUIWEYRUIWEYRUWEIYRUWEYRIUEWYRUIWEYRIUYWERUWEIRYUIWEYRUIWEYRUIWERYUIWEYRUEWYRUIWERYUIWEYRUIWEYRUIWEYRUEWYRUIWEYRUIWEYRUWERIEWYRUIWEYRUIWEYRUIWEYRUIWEYRUIWEYRUIWEYRWUIERYWUIEYRUWIEYRUIWEYRUWEYRUIWEYRUIWEYRUIWERYWIUEYRWEIUYRUIWERYIWUEYRIUWEYRIUWEYRIUWEYRUIWEYRWEIURYUWEIRYUIWEYRUIWERYIWUEYRIU -- ※ 發信站: 批踢踢實業坊(ptt.csie.ntu.edu.tw) ◆ From: 61.228.109.73