A's大象的森林綠

你的入場，總是伴隨著觀眾如此呼喊

"Misawa!!! Misawa!!! Misawa!!!"

2007年某一天晚上，隨手轉到了體育台，播著失去新鮮感的球場與球衣顏色

電視放著。突然在接近凌晨三點的時候，毫無預警地看到一名球員站上投手丘，這驚喜令人興奮地想在午夜大叫。那18號球衣背後繡著"Kuwata"，他是39歲的桑田真澄  (Masumi Kuwata)！

The article is translated from A mound of troubles
The New York Times Magazine-- Pat Jordan

I am standing off to the side, watching Rick. He is sitting at a picnic table under the shade of a banyan tree on a sunny Florida afternoon in December. He is surrounded by little boys and girls, foster children who have come to Fort Lauderdale Stadium(註一) to watch celebrity athletes and models and singers play a softball game for their benefit. After an autograph session, Rick walks back to the baseball field for the game. He is a tall, husky youth with blond tints in his short, sandy hair. He walks in that plodding, hunched-over manner of young athletes not yet used to being gawked at. 
作者在一旁看著Rick。現在是12月某個充滿陽光的佛羅里達午後，他坐在榕樹樹蔭下的野餐桌。他的身旁圍繞著許多來自寄養家庭的小朋友，這些小朋友來到Fort Lauderdale Stadium 參觀一場由傑出運動員，模特兒，歌手進行的慈善壘球賽。自由拍照的時間過後，Rick走回比賽的場地。高壯的他染了一頭短金髮，卻沒有精神地蹣跚而行。

The article is translated from A mound of troubles
The New York Times Magazine-- Pat Jordan

In 1998 and 1999, Rick sailed through the minors, never lasting more than a few months in one league before being promoted to the next level. His first year, he was 3-0 at Peoria before advancing to Prince William, where he finished 9-6, with 181 strikeouts in 126 innings. In 1999, he started the season at AA Arkansas, where he won six times without a loss, and was promoted to AAA Memphis, where he went 7-3. With that, the St. Louis sports media began clamoring for Rick's promotion to the Cardinals.
98與99兩年，Ankiel在小聯盟的升級相當順利。98年在紅雀1A Peoria 投出三勝零負之後，便被升到高階1A的Prince William，在126局中投出181次三振，取得九勝六負。隔年(1999)，他從2A Arkansas出發，六勝零負的完美成績又將他帶到了3A Memphis 留下七勝三負的成績，' 當地的媒體就紛紛討論著他該上大聯盟了(這兩年的SO/BB 更是接近4:1，詳見此)。

Rick Ankiel (by Rick Bowmer/AP)

The article is translated from A mound of troubles
The New York Times Magazine--Pat Jordan

Rick says he had a "Tom Sawyer kind of boyhood" in sleepy Fort Pierce. He went barefoot every day, swam in the ocean, dove off piers, fished for snook in the Indian River and put on shoes only to play Little League baseball. He says he wasn't a very good player in Little League. "I was always the smallest kid," he says. "I was terribly shy. Maybe it was because my dad yelled at me so much. I was afraid to mess up." 
Rick說他在寧靜的皮爾斯堡有著"Tom Sawyer(註一)般的孩童時期"，他每天都ㄊㄥˋ洽咖(台語)，不是在海中游泳，在碼頭跳水，不然就在 Indian River(註二)釣魚，只有在參加少棒聯盟(Little League baseball，簡稱LLB，國內俗稱威廉波特少棒賽)時才會穿上鞋子。他說他在聯盟中不是很出色"我總是雄細漢ㄟ(台語)""我以前超級害羞的，也許是我的父親常對我大吼，我害怕搞砸一切"

Steve Blass在71年世界大賽獲得兩場勝投，
72年球季賽取得19勝，之後就只贏過三場比賽 (AP)

The article is translated from A mound of troubles
The New York Times Magazine--Pat Jordan

What happened to Rick Ankiel and Von McDaniel has befallen a number of major league pitchers over the years, most notably Herb Score of the Cleveland Indians in the 1950's, Steve Blass of the Pittsburgh Pirates in the 1970's and Mark Wohlers of the Atlanta Braves in the 1990's. They had a lot in common: blinding youthful talent, sudden success, thoughtful and intelligent natures. They were all nice guys, humble men, who somehow never trusted their success. It came too quickly. They didn't deserve it. What if they lost it? Indeed, Von McDaniel once said that "maybe things came too easily." 
除了降臨在Ankiel以及McDaniel 身上的不幸之外(回顧一下慘狀)，大聯盟的歷史上也有好幾位大聯盟投手發生類似的情況，特別在幾位球員身上可以看到:50年印地安人的Herb Score，70年代海盜隊的Steve Blass(73,74年)，90年代勇士的Mark Wohlers(99年) 。在他們身上可以找到一些共通點:耀眼的資質，快速的成名以及細膩且具有智慧的天性。他們同樣是謙虛和善的人讓人都相信他們會成功。成名太快以至他們還沒有享受到。McDaniel 曾說過"也許是事情都太順利了"

在今年九月初，聖路易紅雀的外野手Rick Ankiel(安凱爾)展現了一連串的長打能力(9月6日更是四之三包含兩隻HR一隻2B，共七分打點)，當時看到lannkyle的介紹Ankiel是棄投從打的選手，而好不容易以打者身分有所表現後，屋漏偏逢連夜雨地又傳出在疑似服用HGH(human growth hormone)的消息接受調查。

總是給人一種強悍且濃烈自我風格印象的清原和博，也會在球場上落淚?

8/9在仙台由巨人迎戰橫濱的比賽，清原和博首度上場打擊時，橫濱換上了他們的22號--[大魔神]佐佐木主浩。一個打席的對決中，大魔神最終仍是用他的拿手球路-"指叉球"，在他的職業生涯先行劃上了休止符。但這一個打席中，可以清楚看見清原忍住淚水，在最後一球被三振後，清原立即脫下頭盔上前向佐佐木致意，此時清原也落下了男兒淚。也許是難過一個同時期的優秀選手將離開球壇了吧!

  
武藤敬司的悲傷....橋本去世了

      前陣子傳出一個令人相當錯愕的消息，台灣摔角迷相當熟悉的[破壞王]-橋本真也，毫無預警地走完了他40年的人生。