火箭人Clemens智取勝投王Beckett

Yankees 4, Red Sox 3
Clemens Relies on Guile to Outduel Beckett

今天一邊趁著看王建民對紅襪的同時,一邊寫這篇看完打算放上來的報導,目前看來一定會接著放阿民這場比賽,目前已經對老爹Ortiz 2K 1 Ground Out,加上他好朋友 Robinson Cano連兩個打數兩轟.Youkilis跑到草地上躲開A Rod的觸殺不過被判Out,突然間我自己都想跳過這篇了,不過這篇還是有很多有趣的敘述跟大家分享一下.

首先我要推下這個標題Clemens Relies on Guile to Outduel Beckett
這題目用了兩個有巧思的用字,有時候有些很優秀的作者用了一些字會讓你覺得活靈活現,如果用中文來翻成Clemens靠著詭計在與Beckett的對決中勝出,這樣也沒什麼不對,但是個人就覺得原標題的味道其實有點沒出來,希望有高手指點一二,我用Collins 字典查了guile這個字,Guile is the quality of being good at deceiving people in a clever way.Clemens投到這個年紀真的很了不起,能夠以這樣的高齡走跳大聯盟,除了讚嘆保養的好之外,不再適合常用剛球對決卻有另外一套的智慧投球法;這個標題以我簡單的大腦第一時間就會寫最簡單的defeat這個字,用outduel 這個字當然是從duel這個字衍生來,這個字是雙人意境很強烈的字眼,讓人腦海中浮現西部槍手對決或是日本武士持刀對峙鮮明的畫面.out開頭去表示勝過凌駕的字有其特別的動態感如outlive,outnumber,outperform,outplay,outsell......(看來這很適合我寫篇字彙比較啊)

這場比賽的一開始Beckett是相當佔上風的, "When Josh Beckett broke off a curveball to end the first inning last night, he looked so dominant that it could have been the 2003 World Series all over again. Alex Rodriguez took it for strike three, immediately flipping his bat toward the Yankees’ dugout in a sign of surrender." Beckett用曲球結束第一局時,他看起來握有了主控權,好像又回到了2003的世界大賽(Beckett, who silenced the Yankees four years ago to win a title for Florida, had his best stuff. 四年前他在馬林魚隊,壓制了洋基並在世界大賽勝出), A Rod被三振馬上玩著棒子回到休息區有點投降的意味.

不過球是圓的,"Yet when his workday was over at Yankee Stadium, he had allowed 13 hits, a career high, in six and two-thirds innings. Roger Clemens, who made his major league debut on Beckett’s fourth birthday, beat him with guile." Beckett這場6又2/3局吞下了生涯最高的13安,而在Beckett四歲生日大聯盟初登板的Clemens用巧思擊敗了他.

小時候見到偶像應該開心的不得了,時空變遷,被兒時偶像打敗可是另一回事.

“A guy like that, you don’t use power,” Mariano Rivera said of Clemens. “You use your experience. That’s what he did.” Rivera對Clemens的評論.

說真的這兩個加起來超過80的老傢伙也真是神奇了,美國職棒讓我感到驚訝的地方這些老將佔了很大一部分,得天獨厚我想不用說,頂尖的運動選手誰不是得天獨厚,但是得享天年而且到這種高齡還能笑傲球壇真的不容易,武俠片中常有老前輩內功深厚,但是真實人生大家都知道拳怕少壯才是普遍的真相.感謝這些老選手,給我們這些老大不小的人繼續運動很大的鼓舞.(雖然我已經在籃球場上看到機動性太好的年輕人會棄守.)

文中也提到了2003年美聯冠軍賽也是Clemens對上紅襪,當時的是靠著名將Aaron Boone在延長賽第11局的全壘打跟Mariano Rivera的終結贏的,Aaron Boone以經離開紅襪很久,不過繼任他守三壘的A Rod在第7局也給了Beckett一發全壘打;Rivera包辦了最後的四個出局數,三個滾地球出局在54,986個激動的觀眾面前(小插曲鏡頭還剛好照到Beatles的Paul McCartney,jammed on air guitar for the scoreboard camera ,哈哈 ,老麥也是洋基球迷嗎?他是英國人也)

Clemens thrived in the atmosphere of a rivalry he knows so well.
“I’ve enjoyed baseball in the East,” Clemens said. “It’s nice when things matter. You can see guys wear it on their sleeve a little bit.”
老克在這種他熟悉的敵對的氣氛下表現優異."我喜歡東區的球賽,"老克說."比賽看得很重,你可以看出當大家都很在意勝負." 紅襪洋基天敵這個我想是大家都知道的,東區兩大城市在各項運動上都有點互別苗頭的味道,又以棒球最為有名.

"Johnny Damon’s two-out two-run single in the second was a pivotal hit off Beckett, who stranded six runners in scoring position over his first six innings. He threw a 96-mile-an-hour fastball with a full count, and Damon poked it through the left side, energizing the Yankees a day after thumping a two-run homer."連續兩天Johnny Damon應該是紅襪迷恨得牙癢癢的頭號叛將,不只打得好還打老東家打得特別狠.前一天的制勝兩分全壘打後,這次來個兩人出局後兩分打點的一壘安打,這安打讓Beckett前六局把六個跑者牽制在得點圈的成績破功,把這個96英哩的快速球打個正著到球場左邊.
我個人觀戰的觀點是CCD( Cano,Cabrera,Damon)的組合其實相當恐怖,如果前兩個有成功上壘的,Damon只要安打打點的機會非常高,CC真是能跑,Cabrera常有硬把安打跑成三壘的感覺.Damon的一壘安打這兩個少年人從一二壘都跑回本壘.很可惜Damon自己沒有被打回來.

前面很沉寂的A Rod這場球也幫自己打了本季第44支全壘打(贏釀酒人小王子5發),124分打點居全聯盟第一(贏老虎Ordonez 5分).

Yet in the end, the winner was Clemens, who will never again throw as hard as Beckett or snap breaking pitches so sharply. His best asset is experience, and he knows how to use it.
最後這段我想很適合當本文的總結老克當然沒法子向Beckett那樣子猛投球了,不過他最棒的本錢就是經驗,而且他知道怎麼去用他的經驗.

天色已白,在阿民的勝投中我把這篇跟大家分享,此時發現阿民勝投的新聞已經登上NYT的體育頭版,不過我的體力有限,且等下還要出發去馬祖玩耍,所以只好回來再唸這篇阿民勝投文.寫這些東西一方面是跟大家分享看棒球的快樂外,另一方面也由於我本身對英文有興趣目前晚上在進修英文.希望這樣的雜文對大家去看原文的棒球報導也有點幫助.再次強力推薦NYT的棒球報導寫得真的很生動,看完漂亮的球賽同時欣賞一下漂亮的英文,我想娛樂的同時作者的一些用字遣詞會隨著球賽讓你有更生動的記憶喔.