A's大象的森林綠（舊站）

A's大象的森林綠搬家了，歡迎至新站收看本文，與最新文章
 縱使裁判取走了老虎隊投手Armando Galarraga的完全比賽 [註1]，使得原本應該是小葛瑞菲 (Ken Griffey Jr.)棒球生涯重要一刻的焦點被前者掩蓋過去，台灣時間6/3那晚的好球帶節目還是令人內心澎湃，又一位"老朋友"高掛球鞋了...

A's大象的森林綠搬家了，歡迎至新站收看本文，與最新文章
 你的入場，總是伴隨著觀眾如此呼喊
"Misawa!!! Misawa!!! Misawa!!!"

A's大象的森林綠搬家了，歡迎至新站收看本文，與最新文章
 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)！

(By Yukihito Taguchi)
兩邊的先發投手壓不住對方打線，桑田站上MLB的首場比賽，是從中繼海的身分亮相。隨著年齡增長，桑田大叔沒有當年效力於日本職棒讀賣巨人的球速與勇於跟打者進行男子漢對決的景象；變化球與投球策略是這兩局裡，他認真努力地面對打者的方式。接連解決五名洋基的選手之後 (含Melky Cabrera, Damon, Jeter)，眼見就要六上六下之際。先是保送了第三棒的Abreu，接著投出的第一球就被A-Rod擊出全壘打牆外。丟了兩分後，桑田面對昔日同隊小老弟兼同胞的松井秀喜，失了控球將酷斯拉保送上壘，共計該場登板兩局掉了兩分

首次出賽被A-Rod擊出兩分彈 (Kathy Willens / AP)
在他尚未遠渡重洋過來美國圓夢以前，他在日本球壇已是個知名的球星。無論是高中時期與好友清原和博 (Kazuhiro Kiyohara) 在PL學園一投一打的KK組合(Kuwata+Kirohara)；或者是加入職棒時，斷送清原巨人夢引發兩人友誼裂痕引起的喧然大波 (*1)。21年的巨人榮光，桑田該拿的投手獎幾乎都拿過了，包括澤村賞,最優秀球員, 防禦率王, 三振王,最佳九人, 金手套等等 (獨缺一生一次的新人獎 (*2) )，也曾因傷在96年術後休養了一個球季，更讓你我熟知的是與槙原寬己，齋藤雅樹建構起的三本柱
2003~2006這幾年實際上桑田已走下坡了，而他打算在高掛球衣之前向棒球的最高殿堂-MLB挑戰。2006年11月巨人隊在東京巨蛋舉辦的球迷感謝日，大叔向日本球迷正式告別，同年12月與匹茲堡海盜隊 (Pittsburgh Pirates)簽下一紙小聯盟合約，他也是海盜隊的第一名日籍選手

(Yahoo! SPORTS)
時間序列拉回2008年。在春訓即將結束的同時，桑田得知自己不會被列在新球季25人名單之內，他決定將他的職棒生涯畫上句點，這也是他事先規劃好的。MLB海盜官網提到，總教練John Russell想要讓他再投個一局，為二十多年的棒球時光劃上休止符。但桑田拒絕了
"I've thrown thousands of innings," Kuwata told Russell. "We need to get our guys ready." 他對Russell說本身已在大小比賽投了數以千局，現在球隊需要趕緊讓大家進入備戰狀態
離開McKechnie Field(海盜於春訓期間採用的主球場 (*3) )前的最後身影，桑田接受各家媒體的提問並逐一回答，也替每一張照片擺好pose。身著黑牛仔褲粉紅色T的他，最後鞠躬，正式地離開投手丘
Russell這樣聊到桑田:
"He's been an unbelievable class act -- a true professional in every sense," Russell said. "He's a great human being, and I'm sure that whatever he does, he's going to be great at it." 
"他一直以來都相當令人無法相信能夠在各方面都這麼專業""我確信日後無論他做什麼都能做的很好"

(Gene J. Puskar / AP)
即使他在海盜系統一年多，年輕球員們也很仔細觀桑田大叔每天的routine。希望從這位傑出的棒球前輩身上獲得些什麼。當然，大叔談話時，小朋友們也都仔細凝聽。之後桑田打算回到日本陪家人，但一時半刻尚未決定接下來要做什麼，不會離開棒球太久就是
"I love baseball," said Kuwata, who made his professional debut back in 1986 for the Yomiuri Giants. "So definitely I [could] become a pitching coach or a manager." 
桑田說:"我愛棒球""很明顯將來我會成為一位投手教練或著總教練"
桑田也希望能繼續與海盜保持聯絡，說不定下次回到匹茲堡，就換成教練的角色
在官網的新聞中，作者Jenifer Langosch 不斷用superstar來形容桑田。這位海盜隊史上第一位來自日本的選手被問到他兩個多月在大聯盟的期間，最棒的回憶是什麼?
"First of all, I can't believe that I made Major League debut at Yankee Stadium," said Kuwata, who allowed two runs in two innings in that June 10 appearance. "[And I was] very excited to get [uniform] No. 18." 
"首先，我無法置信我的debut會是在洋基球場""其次，我能穿上18號的球衣" (桑田在日本時都是穿著這個象徵王牌投手的號碼)

(AP)
Jenifer Langosch最後提到，桑田即使在米國可能沒啥人認識，但日本 (我想包括台灣) 會好好地記著他。一名報導桑田在米國情形的日籍轉播員也說著類似的話，我想維尼 (松坂大輔, Dice-K) 之後，就是他了
這位大叔在米國的2007那年，全部以中繼角色上場的21局沒有獲得勝投沒有救援成功的紀錄，另有1敗，防禦率9.43。從高中畢業的1986到最後退休的2008，一共在日美兩個國家總共帶走了173場勝投
桑田真澄昔日用直球拼搏的氣魄，最終英雄式地選擇悄悄關上門，我這個不算是他fan的人(我老弟是巨人迷，小時候我都跟他"決鬥")，想用這篇文章記錄下他離開球場的最後身影。2006年齋藤隆 (Takashi Saito) 以36歲的年齡挑戰MLB (*4)，有網友稱呼他為大叔，但另外這位更高齡的逐夢者-桑田真澄，桑田大叔。最後也順利地一圓美夢

(Al Behrman / AP)
以下摘錄其他媒體關於他退休新聞的相關報導:
ESPN-Pirates pitcher Masumi Kuwata, a major leaguer at 39, retires
4月1日即將滿40歲的桑田，在春訓的五局中防禦率1.80，但自從3月18後就沒再被派上過場投球
決定退休不選擇從海盜3A Indianapolis Indians繼續新球季的大叔。在海盜與老虎的春訓賽後一小時，走向投手丘。遵循日本棒球的習俗，不踩上投手板，小心地放顆球在投手板上面
超過50名日及播報員與攝影師見證這個簡單卻慎重的退休儀式，有些人對於這位來自家鄉看板球隊的球星之離別，溢於言表
"I wanted to try one more time," Kuwata said. "I thought I was pitching with good results. But my heart was telling me it was time to retire."
"我還想繼續嘗試下去"桑田說:"我認為 (春訓) 我投的相當好。但是我內心有股聲音說著:該退了，老兄！"

2008年春訓，桑田與金炳賢 (*5) 的訓練情形 
(Christopher Horner / Tribune-Review)
桑田(39歲)也是自從Diomedes Olivo (41歲) 以來，聯盟初登板 (debut) 年紀第二大的投手 (*6)，兩人剛好都是海盜隊員。Olivo三年投球生涯有過1次先發，共取得5勝6敗，平均ERA3.10，於1977年過世
Pittsburgh Post-Gazette-Pirates' Kuwata to retire this afternoon
海盜決定讓桑田於老虎之戰出賽投球，當做最後一場球的紀念。而大叔決定簡單地從牛棚欣賞這最後一場比賽
領隊Neal Huntington也對桑田提出教練相關職位的聘僱，但他予以拒絕
Beaver County Times-Bucs: Kuwata calls it quits
“I’m so thankful to the Pirates for giving me the opportunity to reach my dream of pitching in the major leagues,” Kuwata said. “It was a great experience and so many people took care of me like (media relations director) Jim Trdinich, (traveling secretary) Greg Johnson and (equipment manager) Roger Wilson. Everyone was wonderful.”
"我相當感謝海盜隊能給我這個機會一圓大聯盟的夢想"桑田說"這是個十分寶貴的經驗，同時也要感謝相當照顧我的各界人士"
桑田有一些些當球探的興趣，據傳海盜隊想請桑田當他們在日本的聯絡人，幫忙與一些有天份的球員牽線。日本(以及亞洲地區) 是海盜隊比較沒有經營的scout區域
補充資料
(1)原先桑田欲進入早稻田大學繼續求學，但後來仍加盟巨人，使得一切都準備好的清原"意外"地披上西武獅袍。據傳桑田與巨人早有密約
(2)1986那年清原很爭氣地拿下洋聯新人王，央聯則是由廣島隊的長富浩志獲得
(3)MCKECHNIE FIELD的相關歷史。Bucs在季賽的主場則為PNC Park
(4)日職養樂多燕子隊的救援王高津臣吾 (Shingo Takatsu) 保有日本職棒救援成功286次的紀錄，第二名是大魔神佐佐木主浩，第三名是今年從日職羅德來到MLB印地安人的幕張防波堤-小林雅英 (Masahide Kobayashi)。高津04年過去米國時已高齡35歲；今年有傳要來興農，綽號Mr. Zero的他後來去參加小熊春訓表現不理想遭釋出，目前接近退休狀態

低肩側投的高津臣吾 (Tony Gutierrez / AP)

是否與大餅林岳平有幾分神似? 立宏哩碼供跨邁
(5)在桑田宣布退休的前後，金炳賢(Byung-Hyun Kim)的合約遭買斷後釋出，至今仍是FA，往後的情形可參考Roto。Bucs開幕前牛棚的競爭情形可參考Pirates add Yates to bullpen最底下的Almost settled
(6)同樣39歲debut的選手，至少還有30年代的Alex McColl與40年代的Les Willis。奮鬥過程曾被拍成電影心靈投手 (The Rookie) 的Jim Morris，debut於35歲。 而老菜鳥的打者有50歲首度出賽的Otto Huber。其他詳見30-Year old Rookies (and older)
　
(其他)
桑田真澄的Blog http://sports.nifty.com/kuwata-masumi/
桑田剛到美國的報導Notes: Kuwata attracts crowd and Kuwata a sage 39-year-old rookie
延伸閱讀

A's大象的森林綠搬家了，歡迎至新站收看本文，與最新文章
 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 game is played for laughs. A young woman in tight shorts runs around the infield spraying everyone with sticky string. A muscular guy in a cut-off T-shirt tackles her at third base. Rick, on the mound, tosses a softball underhand to the batter. Nick Cannon, from Nickelodeon, swings and hits a little roller to Rick's right. Rick dives at the ball a second too late and falls flat on his face. Like everyone else, Rick is playing this game for laughs, only with a difference. Rick is having fun, like a kid. The celebrities are being funny to call attention to themselves. 
這場義演賽主要為了能帶給大家歡樂。(以下兩段描述相關過程)
In the fifth inning, play is stopped with Rick at home plate. He leans on his bat and watches as two men lead a statuesque girl onto the field. She is wearing a red tube top and tiny red satin shorts. Her name is Monica or Monique or whatever. According to the P.A. announcer, she has just "signed a huge record contract." She is almost six feet tall, long legged and voluptuous. One of her male handlers gives her a microphone, and Monica or Monique or whatever begins to sing and dance behind home plate. Rick watches with an amused smile. She finishes her tuneless song standing with her legs spread and her chest thrust forward. It is an impressive performance, but she receives only polite applause. 
After the game, I walk with Rick to his black Tahoe in the parking lot. He's going back to his Miami Beach hotel to get some rest before tonight's charity party at Level in South Beach. "What did you think of Monique?" he asks. I smile, shake my head. "She's only 15," he says, raising his eyebrows. "Can you believe it?" In the hotel, Rick sprawls on his bed in a room that looks like it was tidied up with a hand grenade. A friend from Fort Pierce, Chad, is sitting on the other bed watching a movie. Chad is short, frail-looking, with a wispy blond mustache. I ask Rick if he wants to talk. He's tired, a little irritable. "Whatever you want." I ask him about his family. 
在義演賽之後，作者跟 Rick一同走到停車場。他將回到旅館稍作休息，晚上還有一場慈善派對。作者向 Rick詢問有關他們家庭的總總。
"My mom's awesome," he says. "My older brother, he doesn't do nuthin'. My sister, she's got a kid." 
"What about your father?" 
"Some things happen in life," he says. "You get shot down. It's his life. Everyone has problems. You deal with it." 
"我媽管我們很嚴" Ankiel說"我的哥哥沒有做什麼，我的妹妹還只是個孩子"
"那談談有關你父親的事"
"他的人生發生了一些事"他說"每個人也都有自己的問題，你應該知道"
There's an awkward silence. Finally, I ask him why he recently moved from Fort Pierce to Newport Beach, Calif. 
過了一陣令人尷尬的沉默之後，作者問他最近為何從皮爾斯堡搬到加州的新港灘 (Newport Beach)
"Why not?" he says. "I'm 21. I'm not responsible for anyone else." Rick is reluctant to talk about the unsettling events of last summer. But others aren't. "Hell, yeah, I think all those things have got to affect him in some way," says his high-school coach, Charlie Frazier. "No wonder he moved to Newport to get away from it all." 
" 為何不可以搬? "他說" 我已21歲，我只需要對自己負責 "Rick不情願地去談去年(2000年)夏天令人不安的事件。不過 Rick的高中教練 Charlie Frazier說"我認為那些事情在某方面影響了他""他搬到 Newport 想遠離之前的一切，並不令人意外"
 by Reuben Cox 
The one thing Rick hasn't been able to get away from, the thing that has preyed on him throughout his long off season, is his meltdown during the playoffs. "Last fall was my first test with adversity," he says. "I just lost it right there on the mound. I don't know what I was thinking. I'd go blank before I'd throw the ball, and then after I'd say to myself, 'How the hell did that happen?' It was definitely weird. I mean, I'd been doing it so many times in my life, and suddenly I can't throw a ball?" 
即使搬了家，在季後賽的崩盤的陰影並沒有遠離他。"去年秋天是我首次面對逆境的考驗"他說"我就是在投手丘上失去該有的一切，我不曉得我那時在想些什麼，我在投球之前腦筋一片空白，在我對自己說著"究竟是怎麼了?"之後，發生的事實在令人不可思議。我的意思是，在我的生命中我已經做這些動作很多遍了，突然我變得不會投球?"
He hasn't thrown one pitch since. "I'm working out," he says. "I run, lift weights and long-toss on the grass. But, no, I haven't thrown off a mound yet. I'm trying to enjoy every day." 
季後賽之後他沒有再正式投過一球。"我好多了"他說"我跑步，舉重，在草地上長距離丟球，但是我並沒有再站上投手丘，我只是嘗試去享受每一天"
In the early-evening darkness, Rick, Chad and I are walking past the shops and restaurants on Lincoln Road. Rick and Chad stop at a clothing store, Biker's Den, and go inside. I wait on the sidewalk smoking a cigar. I watch them for a few minutes, pulling clothes off racks, disappearing into dressing rooms, reappearing, until finally they bring their purchases to the cash register. Rick pulls out his gold American Express card, pays for the clothes and they step outside. 
接近傍晚時，作者與 Rick以及 Rick從皮爾斯堡就認識的朋友 Chad一同去街上走走
"Whaddya think?" Chad asks. "An improvement?" He's wearing his newly bought clothes, a black jersey and baggy gray slacks that bunch up around his shoes. We hail a cab, which drops us off at the party. Rick orders a glass of red wine, and we begin talking baseball. He asks me what it was like when I pitched in the minor leagues, which I did from from 1959 to 1962, when I was released at the age of 21.
隨後他們開始聊棒球，Rick問作者在小聯盟(1959~1962，21歲時被釋出)那幾年表現得怎麼樣
"Nobody counted my pitches," I say. "I pitched until I couldn't get anyone out. Sometimes I threw 130, 140 pitches in a game." 
"沒人算我的投球數"作者說"我總投到沒辦法解決打者才退場，有時一場比賽我投個130,140球"
"Jeez, I wish the Cardinals would let me do that." 
"天ㄚ，我多希望紅雀讓我這麼做"
We talk for some time. Later, having lost track of him in the crowd and feeling tired, I leave the party and begin walking to my car. I'm surprised to hear Rick call out. I turn. He's running toward me. 
在 party中，作者與 Rick談了不少時間，隨後在作者離開派對後，Rick跑向作者。
"Where you going?" he asks. I tell him I'm tired. 
"你要去哪裡?"他這樣問。作者回答他累了。
"I'll leave, too." he says. "I don't have to stay there."
"Thanks," I say. "But you should stay." I smile. "Maybe Monique will show up."
"Yeah, maybe," he says. Then he shakes my hand.
"That was a nice thing to do," I say. "Buy those clothes for Chad."
He looks embarrassed. "I try to do things for him. He hasn't had my advantages."
"Call me," I say. "Maybe we'll go throw the ball around one day."
"Yeah, that would be cool."
"You gotta get back on the mound. You should always be throwing from the mound."
"I know," he says. "Soon." 
閒聊的過程中，作者說也許有哪一天可以一起丟丟球，他也建議 Rick要時常練投，好再回到投手丘上
"It's no big thing," I say. "You've been throwing off a mound ever since you were a kid. Just don't think about it. You've got to force yourself not to think about your motion, or it will mess you up." He looks down at the sidewalk and nods. "Just remember," I say. "The mound is where you live." He looks up and smiles. 
作者說"你需要面對你自己，而不是去想有關你的動作如何的事情。那些都只會弄亂你"Rick看著人行道點頭"作者又對他說"記得投手丘就是你生存的地方"隨後他看起來心情不錯並微笑著。
"How do you know?" he says.
"Why do you think I'm here? What's happening to you happened to me in 1961. I forgot how to pitch. I've been thinking about it ever since."
"What'd you learn?" he asks.
"Not to think." 
"你為何會知道怎麼調適自己?"他問
"你想為什麼我會在這邊? 那些發生在你身上的事情，我也曾在1961年遇到，我忘了如何投球。我到現在還在想這件事情"
"那你學習到什麼?"他問
"別去想"
........The End

A's大象的森林綠搬家了，歡迎至新站收看本文，與最新文章
 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在小聯盟晉升地相當順利。98年在紅雀1A Peoria 投出三勝零負之後，被升到高階1A的 Prince William，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，當地媒體就紛紛討論著該讓安凱爾上大聯盟了 (這兩年的 SO/BB 更是接近4:1，詳見此)。

Rick Ankiel (by Rick Bowmer/AP)
The team at first resisted, with one executive saying, "We won't rush this kid no matter what the pressure is," and then promoted Rick to the major leagues in September. Pitching in relief, he was 0-1, with one save, but he had an impressive 3.27 E.R.A. and struck out 39 batters in 33 innings. The Cardinals had no choice now but to put Rick in their starting pitching rotation in 2000. They never noticed the warning signs that had appeared during his two successful minor league seasons. 
紅雀一開始堅持無論各方的壓力如何，他們不會急著將他帶到 MLB舞台。但在九月還是將他升上來了，擔任中繼的 Ankiel在33局內投出39K，零勝一負以及令人印象深刻的防禦率3.27。於是在2000年，紅雀也不得不將表現搶眼的 Rick擺進先發輪值內。他們並沒有注意到連續兩年成功的小聯盟球季背後所帶來的警訊。
Most players coming out of high school stumble in their early years in the minor leagues. Away from home for the first time in their lives, they miss the comforting routine of the only life they ever knew, their family, friends, girlfriends. But Rick loved getting away from home, being "in new places with new people," possibly because life with his father was never all that comforting. Furthermore, Rick's game never went bad. He never had to stand in a phone booth crying to his father: "I can't get anybody out! What should I do?" Rick says: "I never had a bad year. I was always moving up. It was fun." 
大部分從高中剛畢業的球員，在小聯盟初期都表現不好，由於第一次遠離家裡，無法像以往一樣常見到家人，朋友，情人。但Rick喜愛遠離家園這回事 (可能是父親的原因)，在新的地方與新認識的人們生活。此外，由於他的好表現，他也用不著在電話那頭向父親哭訴，Rick說"我一直往上升，那很有趣"
In retrospect, admits Mike Jorgensen, the Cardinals' director of player development, this probably wasn't the best thing for Rick. "Very few pitchers go through the minor leagues without adversity," he says. "It's very difficult to make adjustments in the major leagues if you haven't had adversity in the minor leagues." 
Cards的球員發展部經理 Mike Jorgensen回想以前的經驗，Rick這樣的成功可能不是好事"很少投手在小聯盟中不會遇到困境的 "Jorgensen又說"如果你在小聯盟都沒失敗過，在來到 MLB後會很難再做些調整"
While in the minors, Rick became such a hot property that Cardinal officials insisted he be given special treatment. He was not allowed to throw more than 100 pitches in a game. His pitching coaches were forbidden to teach him a slider, for fear it would hurt his arm. His pitching coaches, possibly afraid to tamper with such a precious commodity, overlooked a few minor flaws in his motion. "If you've got a race car that's leading the Daytona 500, you don't bring it in for a tune-up," Jorgensen says. "All we did was fine-tune a couple of things with his motion, but nothing major." Besides, Jorgensen adds, "We have a pitch count for all pitchers in the minor leagues." 
小聯盟時期的 Rick被視為球隊的珍貴資產，也有些特殊待遇。一場球不能投超過100球，投手教練被禁止教他 slider (滑球)，怕傷到他的手臂。教練在擔心損害"球隊資產"的同時也忽略了Rick動作中的一些小缺點"就像你的跑車已經在 Daytona 500 (註一)領先的話，也就不會想去做調整" Jorgensen說"對他的動作頂多是做些微調罷了" Jorgensen又補充"球隊對於小聯盟的所有投手都會做球數控管的"

2008年 Daytona 500 50th的 logo (from Wiki)
Once again, though, this special treatment did not escape Rick's notice. If others thought his talent was so fragile, then maybe it was. "If it goes, what do I have to fall back on," he says. "Really nothing. It's scary." 
On rare occasions, he did falter in the minors. "Every now and then I'd hit the backstop with a wild pitch," he says. "But when I asked my pitching coaches what I was doing wrong, they wouldn't say a word to me. They'd just say, 'I'm not allowed to mess with you."' 
他在 minors時鮮少時候會顯得猶豫"在我暴投球打到本壘後方的護網時，我問教練我哪裡出現問題，但是他們都不會說什麼，教練們頂多說他們不被允許打亂我"
Rick's special treatment continued into the major leagues, even during last summer's stardom. He was put on a strict pitch count because the Cardinals -- and his agent, Scott Boras -- didn't want to overwork his delicate young arm. In his first four major league starts, Rick averaged 101 pitches. He was taken out of two games while working on a shutout and finished the four-game stretch with a 1.50 E.R.A. Rick chafed at the pitch limit. "I want to throw more pitches, but they won't let me," he says. 
Rick的特殊待遇持續到大聯盟。他的投球數被仔細地計算，因為紅雀隊與他的經紀人 Scott Boras (這個經紀人大家應該都多少有些認識吧，A-ROD的也是這位)都不希望讓 Ankiel珍貴的年輕手臂太過操勞。他在2000年的前四場先發平均投101球，包含兩場在沒失分的情形下退場。Rick對於投球限制感覺焦躁"我想投更多球，不過他們不允許我這樣做"
In the middle of the 2000 season, Rick's parents were divorced, adding another shattering element to the emotional turmoil that began with his father's imprisonment. "I can't even fathom all he has to deal with," Denise said, "the choices he has had to make at 17, 18, 19 and 20. He does not have a normal 20-year-old's life." There is no way to establish a simple cause-and-effect relationship between the emotional shocks and Rick's subsequent troubles on the mound. But one thing is clear. By the time he was 21, pitching in the playoffs, Rick's career and his young life began to unravel. 
在兩千年球季中 Rick的父母離婚，在他父親入獄之外又給了他增加了另一個情緒上不安的因素。這情感上的震撼彈與Rick接下來遇到在投手丘上的麻煩，我們無法簡單地理出出它們的因果關係。不過有件事很清楚，當他21歲在季後賽投球時，他的生涯與年輕時期開始崩壞。

Rick Ankiel (AP)
During his three playoff appearances against the Braves and Mets, Rick's pitching was pitiful to the point of embarrassment. "It was tough to watch," a fellow Cardinal pitcher, Andy Benes, said at the time. After throwing five wild pitches against the Braves, even Rick had to admit that he was, as he said: "A joke. You've got to laugh." Then he talked about the mechanical things he was doing wrong: "I wasn't keeping my left shoulder in. It was so obvious, and I didn't finish my pitches. I just need to dig deep." 
在他三場季後賽面對勇士以及大都會的出賽 (也是迄今唯一三場)，Rick的投球內容還真是難堪地令人同情"那(投球內容)令人很難看下去"當時他的隊友 Andy Benes說。在他面對勇士投出五次暴投之後，就連他自己都這麼說"我看起來像個笑話"隨後談及他投球技巧上的缺失"我的左肩明顯開了，我也沒完成我的投球(指定局數)，我恨不得挖個洞躲起來"
Before his start against the Mets, he claimed he'd figured out what he was doing wrong. "It was mechanical, totally," he said. "I feel great." Then he went out and threw 5 of his first 20 pitches off the home-plate screen. The Cardinals tried to play down his collapse. The pitching coach, Dave Duncan, said he just needed to go out to the mound and "have a nice easy inning and probably get back on track." So the Cardinals sent Rick out to the mound in a low-pressure situation, the seventh inning of a game they were losing, 6-0, to the Mets. He walked two batters and threw two wild pitches. "For some reason," Rick said, "it just didn't click." 
在國聯冠軍系列戰碰上Mets之前，他宣稱已發現他哪裡有問題"全部都是投球技巧上的"他又說"我感到十分舒服"。在 NLDS隊上勇士的前20球就投出5次暴投之後，紅雀試著減低他瓦解的程度。球隊的投手教練 Dave Duncan說"讓他在沒有壓力的半局上場。也許能把他拉回軌道上來"所以球隊面對 Mets的第五戰，在六比零落後的第七局派他上場，但 Ankiel仍投出兩次四壞球+兩個暴投。(該系列梅子以4:1晉級，後來在WS輸給洋基)。
After his three disastrous performances, Rick called his father in prison. "You were sorry," his father said. "Are you hurt?" 
Rick said, "I'm O.K."
 
"Then what the heck were you doing?" 
"I couldn't figure it out." 
"Aw, you'll be all right." 
在那三場災難式的出賽後，Rick打給他在監牢的父親
"對不起", 父親問 "你受傷了嗎?"
"我沒事"
"那你怎麼表現成這樣"
"我也無法理解"
"你會沒事的"

Rick Ankiel賽前在3A Memphis Redbirds 的dugout (by CHRIS LEE/P-D)
Back in Florida, his high-school pitching coach, Charlie Frazier, had watched Rick's self-destruction on TV. "I never saw him lose his motion like that before," says Frazier. "I saw mechanical flaws. He was throwing across his body; he was standing up in his follow-through. I asked him what his pitching coaches told him. He said, "They don't tell me anything!" 
在佛州，他的高中投手教練 Charlie Frazier也從電視上看到了 Rick的表現。"我從來沒見過他那樣，動作都不對"
....待續

 

A's大象的森林綠搬家了，歡迎至新站收看本文，與最新文章
 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"。
Rick Ankiel Sr. was not an easy man to grow up around. He once worked hanging drywall, and then as a fishing guide, a career choice that led to his last line of work, drug smuggling. He had already been arrested 14 times -- and convicted 6 times -- for such offenses as burglary and carrying a concealed weapon, before he was arrested on drug charges. Rick stood beside his father in court last March, when he was sentenced to six years in federal prison. 
安凱爾的爸爸有搶劫，攜帶非法武器，走私毒品等違法行為，2000年時，他爸爸因6年刑期還在監獄裡。 
"His dad has been his coach, his friend and his foe," says Ankiel's mother, Denise. Rick Sr. said of his younger son, by then in the majors, "He's been rode hard a lot of times." 
安凱爾的媽媽說安凱爾 的爸爸一直以來是他的教練，關係亦敵亦友。
Rick says: "My dad was hard on me all the time. If I swung at a bad pitch in Little League, he'd make me run wind sprints when I got home. It was always, I could've done better. But maybe if he wasn't hard on me, I would've gone down the wrong path. He always said, 'Do what I say, not what I do."' Rick says his father taught him his smooth delivery, his high leg kick and slow, deliberate motion. He also taught his son "never to show emotion on the mound," Rick says, "which I always thought was strange because I wasn't like that anyway."
Rick回憶小時候 "我爸爸總是很嚴厲地管教我，如果我在聯盟投不好，他就會叫我一直衝刺跑直到回家，所以那時我總是表現不好；但是他如果沒有對我這麼嚴格的話，我可能會走歹路，他總是這樣跟我說:照我說的做，但不要學我的行為" Rick說他爸爸教導他柔軟的出手，高抬腿以及不慌不忙的投球動作。他也教他的孩子"千萬不要在投手丘上透露出你的情緒"不過 Rick不太喜歡，也不懂他的道理。
Like most boys, Rick pitched for his father's approval and, maybe even more important, to avoid his wrath. "I tried to argue with him sometimes," he says, "but. . . . " When Rick wanted to go fishing instead of play baseball, his mother would intercede on his behalf. "If he doesn't want to play," Denise would say to her husband, "Let him do what he wants." What Rick wanted to do at 14 was quit baseball. He told his father: "I'm never going to be in the major leagues. So I'm going to do stuff with my buddies, hang out on the beach, go surfing, go fishing." 
每當 Rick想去釣魚而不打棒球，他媽媽會幫 Rick求情，"讓他去做他想做的吧"，Rick14歲時唯一想做的就是遠離棒球。他跟他爸爸說"我以後不可能會上大聯盟，讓我跟同伴去海邊衝浪釣魚吧"
His father was adamant. "That's not gonna work," he said. "If you love the game, good things will happen." 
他爸爸相當堅持"那不可以"又說"如果你熱愛球賽的話，好事才會隨之而來"
But Rick didn't really love the game. He liked the game the way most boys his age did, but he wasn't devoted to it. By the time he was a sophomore in high school, he was just a decent pitcher with an 84-mile-per-hour fastball. But he was also mature beyond his years. Everyone who knew him described him as a man among boys, thanks to the toughness of his father. Even his father said, "He's a very good young man, a good person at heart, a great kid." 
但 Rick並不真正地熱愛球賽。他喜歡像他這種年紀的孩子喜歡玩的遊戲，但他無法盡情玩耍。到了高二的時候，他是個還不錯的投手，具有84mile的快速球，但由於父親的嚴格，也使他較同年齡的球員來的成熟。

Ankiel and his father(left)  by Jason Nuttle/The Palm Beach Post 
When Rick was a sophomore at Port St. Lucie High School, his coach, John Messina, described him as "a great kid off the field, but nothing exceptional as a pitcher." Rick's greatest attribute as a pitcher, Messina says, was that "he picked up everything in seconds. He had a mind like a computer." When it came to pitching, Rick says: "I understood things in my head before I did them physically. I picked up pitching quick. Everything else. . . . " He laughs. "Well, I was goofy. I walked like a klutz. I spilled milk at the dinner table every night." 
當 Rick在 Port St. Lucie高中時，他的教練 John Messina這樣形容他"一個優秀的投手，下了球場的他是個不錯的少年家"，教練談及 Rick的投球時表示 "他像部電腦，總在短短時間內學會一切 "Rick說"我在做動作前腦中已經理解了，所以我很快地學會投球，以及任何事情"
By his junior year, Rick had grown from "a small kid" into a strapping six-footer. His fastball now cruised toward the plate at over 90 m.p.h. He struck out batters at will, once fanning 14 of the first 15 batters he faced. "I came out of nowhere," he says. "There were major league scouts at every game. I realized I had a chance now for a scholarship to the University of Miami, or a professional contract." 
當 Rick升上三年級時，他從小個子轉變成六呎高個。他的快速球也超過了90mlie，三振打者也相當得心應手。Rick說"當時到哪裡出賽都有大聯盟球探，我也了解我可以選擇依獎學金進入邁阿密大學就讀，或是得到一份職業合約"
His father became obsessed with his son's career. He went to every game, sat in the stands and flashed signs to Rick indicating what pitch to throw. When Rick struck out the side, he walked off the mound, glancing at the stands for his father's approval, a nod, a smile, anything. In one game in his junior year, Rick was pitching a no-hitter when he heard his father's voice screaming, "Throw him the funk!" This was his father's word for a knuckleball. Rick threw the next batter a knuckleball, and he hit a home run.
Rick父親對於兒子的職業生涯開始著迷，他每一場球賽都到場，坐在看台上指示 Rick該投什麼球。在他高三的一場比賽，在對方無安打的情形下，他爸爸給了暗示，knuckleball(蝴蝶球)，結果就被打了全壘打。
"Boy, that ticked me off," says Rick's pitching coach then, Charlie Frazier. "He was always calling Rick's pitches. After a game, he'd tell me I called a lousy game." Rick Sr. was described by one fan as a "borderline problem. He was always arguing with the umpires, coaches, athletic directors. He was a character in town. Boisterous, a drinker, a party guy. Rick tried to play down his shortcomings, and to tell the truth, his dad did try to be a good dad to Rick. He took him fishing, things like that." 
Rick的投手教練 Charlie Frazier指出 Rick的父親總是指揮 Rick投球。他父親也時常與裁判，教練，指導員爭吵。
Rick's father wasn't the only one to recognize Rick's gift and try to assert control over it. His coaches, who had previously seen him as just a decent pitcher, now began to treat him like a hothouse flower. They refused to let him bat right-handed (he was a switch-hitter) because they were afraid he might get hit in his exposed left arm. 
Rick 的爸爸不是唯一了解 Rick的天賦的人。他的教練們以往都把他看做只是個還不錯的投手，而現在開始像照顧溫室花朵的方式去對待他。他們開始不讓左右開弓的 Ankiel以右打席豋場，因擔心持棒在前的左手會被球砸到。(現在 Ankiel為左打，可能也是由那時開始的)

This special treatment did not go unnoticed by Rick. It dawned on him that he had a special talent, a talent that had to be protected, a talent that he began to fear losing. Rick could see this in the eyes of others, even though he didn't feel special himself. He thought of himself as just "a normal kid" until his senior year, when he was named the best high-school pitcher in the country and realized, with a shock of recognition, that the most prized possession in his life was "my left arm." The only person in his life who didn't define Rick by his talent was his mother. "No matter what you do for your career," she told him, "what you do is just what you do. That's not who you are." Then she asked her husband, "Is he really that good?" 
Rick對於特殊待遇並非毫不在意，反而讓他逐漸明白他有過人的天賦，需要被保護的天賦，讓他開始害怕失敗的天賦。Rick可從別人的眼光看到這些，既使他本人也覺得黑謀薩哪(台語)~他在高中高年級(四)獲得全國高中最佳投手之前，都覺得自己只不過是個普通的孩子，後來他了解了他生命中所最珍貴的是"他的左手"。在 Ankiel生命中唯一不以棒球天份來看待他的人，是他的母親"不論你職業生涯打的怎樣"她這樣告訴Rick"成績就只是成績，但你還是你"然後她問她的丈夫"他(Rick)真的那麼好(球技)嗎?"
....待續

A's大象的森林綠搬家了，歡迎至新站收看本文，與最新文章
 
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)，大聯盟歷史上也有好幾位大聯盟投手發生類似的情況，特別是50年代克里夫蘭印地安人隊的 Herb Score，70年代匹茲堡海盜隊的 Steve Blass (73,74年)，90年代亞特蘭大勇士隊的 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，但不知為何沒有成功。事情來得太快，也非他們應得的，又為何會失去呢?  McDaniel 曾說過"也許是事情都太順利了"

18歲加盟紅雀的 Von McDaniel (AP)

Pitchers who forget how to pitch seem to fear not failure but success. They don't want to face the pressure of the expectations of their success. So they rebel, self-destructing in a way that puts them beyond blame. The reason for their failure, their fear, is so deeply rooted that neither they nor anyone else can ever drag it to the surface to make them confront it. It's all a mystery. But the only way they can ever overcome their apparently inexplicable collapse is to admit that it's no mystery, that it is their fault. They are afraid.
忘了如何投球的投手們似乎比較害怕的是成功。他們不想面對期盼他們獲勝的那股壓力。因此他們開始反抗，自我毀滅。那股讓他們失敗的恐懼深植於他們心中，以至於自己 (其他人)都沒辦法拉自己 (他們)一把。他們對於無法解釋的崩盤唯一能克服的只有，一切都是自己因害怕所產生的錯，非關神秘力量。

95-97年共97次救援成功的Wohlers 
(Rob Tringali Jr./Sportschrome East/West)

What are they afraid of, anyway? Throwing a baseball? They have been doing that since childhood. Somewhere along the way, though, they realize that it makes them special. After that, a simple act takes on mythic importance. They begin to think about it, the mystery of their gift, and they get lost. They stand on the mound, their minds filled with discordant thoughts. Sometimes they replay their pitching mechanics over and over until they begin their motion and, unbelievably, it all flies out of their heads like a bird loosed from a cage. In midmotion, they remember nothing, move as if in a dream, weightless, until they release the ball and come back to where they were -- on the mound, waiting for the catcher to retrieve their latest wild pitch. Now, too late, they remember everything. 
到底是什麼讓他們如此害怕?投球嗎?他們自孩提時期就開始從事這項運動，某方面來說，他們知道投球這件事讓他們跟別人不同，一個簡單的動作可使他們擁有神話般的重要性。於是他們開始去思考這上天給予的禮物，同時他們也因此迷失。站在投手丘上，心中卻充滿雜念。有時他們在進行投球動作之前，腦中不斷重播著有關投球的種種，就像離開鳥籠的鳥不斷的四處飛翔。在投球動作進行時，他們什麼也不曉得，直到等待補手接到他們最新的一記暴投。太遲了，現今的他們記得發生的一切。

Joe Cowley在投出無安打的隔年的五場先發
合計11又2/3局-被安打21,保送17,失20分
(Keith Myers/The New York Times ) ps.名字上有連結
 

A's大象的森林綠搬家了，歡迎至新站收看本文，與最新文章
 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HR*2 2B*1，共七分打點)，當時看到 lannkyle介紹，了解到 Ankiel是位棄投從打的選手。而 Ankiel好不容易以打者身分有所表現後，卻又屋漏偏逢連夜雨地傳出因疑似服用 HGH (human growth hormone)接受調查。
這幾天 ESPN報導大聯盟發布了關於禁藥處置的消息
Guillen, Gibbons suspended; no punishments for Matthews, Ankiel, Glaus and Schoeneweis
Ankiel擊出全壘打後與 Pujols 擊掌  Jeff Roberson / AP

 "Gary Matthews Jr., Rick Ankiel, Troy Glaus and Scott Schoeneweis also were linked to performance-enhancing drugs, but baseball decided there was "insufficient evidence" to determine they committed a doping violation. They were accused of receiving the substances before 2005"
Ankiel說04年在肩膀手術後服用的所有藥物，都是按照醫師指示服用的。大聯盟官方在05年頒布相關罰則，由於沒有明顯的證據顯示涉入服用禁藥的 Ankiel等人在05年之後有違反藥物規定，所以他們在明年球季不會遭到禁賽的處分(簡單來說: Ankiel在肩膀手術後服藥那時，大聯盟並未有相關藥物使用規定；遭到禁賽15場的選手則是 Jose Guillen與 Jay Gibbons，而文章也提到關於印地安人投手Paul Byrds的調查將會在近期內完成)。
Cards的GM Walt Jocketty (left)陪 Ankiel出來說明有關 HGH的爭議
關於 Rick Ankiel的小故事，曾於2001年2月被紐約時代雜誌介紹: 
A mound of trobles
The New York Times Magazine--Pat Jordan

A's大象的森林綠搬家了，歡迎至新站收看本文，與最新文章
 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?

A's大象的森林綠搬家了，歡迎至新站收看本文與最新文章
   
武藤敬司的悲傷....橋本去世了