Stuck in a slump

看板Diamondbacks作者mittermeyer (真的真的好想休息)時間12年前 (2012/09/30 12:06)推噓2(2推 0噓 0→)

留言2則, 2人參與討論串1/4 (看更多)

http://espn.go.com/mlb/story/_/id/8391100/arizona-diamondbacks-star-justin-upton-already-career-crossroads-espn-magazine 縮網址：http://ppt.cc/wrmZ By Robert Sanchez | ESPN The Magazine This story appears in ESPN The Magazine's Oct. 1 Age Issue. ON A CHARBROILED May morning in Tempe, Ariz., at a nondescript strip mall among a sea of them, Justin Upton exits his ride, puts his black-and-white Dolce & Gabbana sneakers on the asphalt and walks across the parking lot toward a cellphone store. Up ahead, the Diamondbacks outfielder can see folks standing behind a maze of black ropes, in a loose line that snakes along the left side of the building. They are here to get his autograph. Tempe, AZ的某個炙熱的五月早晨，在大賣場海中的一角，Justin Upton步下愛車，踏著 Dolce & Gabbana球鞋，橫越瀝青鋪面的停車場，走向某間手機店。在路途前方，這位響尾蛇當家外野手，可以看到人群站在蜿蜒錯綜的黑色隔離繩後，鬆散的繩子如數條蛇般坐落在建築物左方。球迷們正等著拿他的簽名。 It's a younger crowd, or at least younger than what one might expect in the Greater Phoenix area: lots of men with young children in D-backs caps, and college-aged women wearing Upton's No. 10 jersey. A security guard with a buzz cut stands indifferently near the front door, waiting for the 24-year-old ballplayer -- the man who seven months earlier had led his team to an improbable playoff berth, won a Silver Slugger Award and finished fourth in the National League's MVP voting. The man who now is mired in the worst hitting slump of his five-year career. 年輕的人們，或可以說比你想像的「亞利桑那民眾」來得年輕：男士們牽著戴著蛇帽的小球迷，女大生們穿著10號球衣。頂著平頭的保全面無表情的擋在門前，準備迎接這位 24歲的球星─七個月前帶領球隊不可思議的殺入季後賽，拿下銀棒獎，MVP票選第四。但他現在陷入五年生涯中最大的低潮。 "M-V-P!" shouts someone behind the rope. 「M!V!P!」繩後的某個球迷叫著。 Upton looks wearily at the crowd. The previous night, he'd gone 0-for-3 with a strikeout and an error in a win against the Giants. His average dropped to .229. After his teammates cleared the clubhouse and the lights were turned off at Chase Field, he stayed behind to study video of his at-bats; pitch by pitch, swing by swing. Leg straight. Don't turn over. A few hours later, Upton drove alone to his townhouse near Scottsdale, arriving well past midnight. His parents were visiting from Virginia. He woke his father, Manny; he wanted to talk about hitting. Upton crouched in his batting stance and mimicked his swing while Dad offered critiques. Upton's mother slept just a few feet away. Upton疲乏的看著他們。前一晚球隊擊敗巨人，他貢獻了三支零，三振及失誤各一，打擊率掉到0.229。隊友離去，球場熄燈，Upton獨自一人留下，看著自己的打擊錄影，不放過每個球，每次揮棒，專心毫不馬虎。幾小時後，他開車回家，已是深夜時分。他的雙親從老家來看他，而他叫醒了父親─Manny，與他一同討論打擊。他馬步微蹲，模擬揮擊，父親從旁指導，母親則在一旁熟睡著。 His passion is, at times, his Achilles' heel, and his immense talent is both a blessing and a curse. Those 31 home runs, 88 RBIs and 105 runs last year would have been a career season for most players. For Upton, the overall No. 1 pick of the 2005 draft, they are supposed to be the beginning. And so the kid who has had expectations heaped on him since he was a teenager is now confronting the central tension of his new season: Is he ready to be a franchise player? Does he have the maturity to lead a team and to endure if he struggles, as he has so often in his short career? Only the next five months will reveal that. But there is one thing of which Upton is already certain: In his world, anything short of perfection will be seen as a failure. 他的熱情有時會變成他的弱點，而他那洋溢的才華是天賜也是詛咒。31發全壘打，88分打點，得105分對大部分球員來說已是生涯高點，但對05年狀元Upton來說，這可能只是一個起步。 On this morning, hearing the "MVP" call from behind the rope, he is in no mood for encouragement. "I'm hitting .230, man," Upton mumbles as he brushes past the line. 那天早上，聽著後方的歡呼聲，他完全沒那個心情。「老兄，我只打兩成三耶。」Upton 邊嘀咕邊走過人群。 During slumps of years past, events like this autograph session would worry the people who handled Upton's schedule. One bad game and the rightfielder might show up an hour late. He was seen as uncaring, detached. "You wouldn't know what to say to him," says one of Upton's reps, Mike Dillon, as he watches Upton slide into a seat in the middle of the store. "Or you're worried what someone might say to him." 過去的低潮期，類似這種簽名會的行程讓身旁的助理大為緊張。前一晚的爛表現，可能會讓這位明星外野手遲到一小時。他看起來不在乎，感覺像是沒他的事。「你不會知道要對他說啥。」Upton的其中一位助理Mike Dillon看著他走進店裡邊說道。「不然你得擔心其他人說了啥。」 But here he is. The new Upton, or at least the Upton who now understands what's asked of him. He'd discussed it with his inner circle -- his parents, girlfriend Ashley Borror, best friend on the team Chris Young and agent Larry Reynolds -- before the season began. Be yourself, they told him; good things will happen. Maturity is now his watchword, as in, Isn't Justin so much more mature? He is, at least today. From his chair, he can see the crowd building outside as wave after wave of bats and balls and jerseys and photos are placed on the table in front of him. 但是現在站在這裡的是全新的Upton，至少是知道他人期待的Upton。在季前他會與他信任的決策圈討論─他的父母、女友Ashley Borror、隊上的麻吉Chris Young還有經紀人Larry Reynolds。他們告訴Upton只要扮演好自己，好事就會降臨。成熟度是他目前的觀察指標，亦即，Upton還不夠成熟嗎？至少今天看起來很成熟。從他坐的地方看去，人們手上的各式球隊商品，像是一波波浪滔般的往他跟前的桌子襲來。 Upton signs a photo, Happy birthday, Ethan! Upton簽了一張照片，寫上：「生日快樂，Ethan！」 He signs a bat. Then a ball. 他簽了一個球棒，然後一顆球。 Dillon is beaming. He fetches Upton a blackberry soda and a bottled water. Smiles all around. Thirty minutes later, after the last fans pass through the door, some store employees line up for a group picture. Soon Upton is ready to leave. Dillon很愉快，他遞給Upton一瓶黑莓蘇打跟瓶裝水，笑臉盈盈。半個小時後，最後一位球迷離去，一些店裡的職員排隊合照，不久Upton就要離開。 "Good luck tonight," someone says as Upton makes his way toward the door. "Tear it up." 「祝今晚好運，」其中某人在Upton步向門口時說道，「殺爆對手！」 Upton nods his head. And with that, he's gone. Upton點點頭，然後離去。 (待續) -- ※ 發信站: 批踢踢實業坊(ptt.cc) ◆ From: 114.25.47.6