[轉錄][ESPN] Wakefield, Dickey share a unique rel …

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標題: [ESPN] Wakefield, Dickey share a unique rel …
時間: Fri Jul 25 01:19:14 2008

作者: Pedroia (Dustin Pedroia  #15) 看板: BosRedSox
標題: [ESPN] Wakefield, Dickey share a unique relationship
時間: Fri Jul 25 01:14:15 2008

http://sports.espn.go.com/mlb/columns/story?id=3500094

Wakefield, Dickey share a unique relationship
老魏與迪基—一段特殊的聯繫

By Sean McAdam
Special to ESPN.com

SEATTLE -- One is almost 42 years old; the other is 33. One has won 174 games
in the major leagues; the other, 18. One has been with the same team since
1995, while the other has been with four organizations since the end of 2006.

單比這兩人的數字幾乎看不出啥關連：老魏快42歲、迪基目前33；前者大聯盟拿下174勝
、後者才18；老魏1995後一直待在襪子、迪基2006年底到目前穿過四隊球衣。

But where it counts -- on the pitcher's mound -- Tim Wakefield and R.A.
Dickey are more alike than not. Both belong to an exclusive club, which has a
membership of two: themselves.

然而若提到投手丘，這兩人的關連性可大了～
他們各自待在獨一無二——好吧其實應該是獨二無三——的球隊：
因為這兩支球隊各自擁有這兩位選手（真像繞口令）

Like some sort of endangered species, they are the only two current major
league pitchers who throw a knuckleball. As such, they share a unique kinship.

為了避免再賣關子就要被END，事實上是這兩位投手為現今大聯盟瀕臨絕種物種——
蝴蝶球投手，沒錯，他們是有血緣關係的。

Across baseball, there are approximately 370 pitchers. Select almost any two
at random, and the pair could compare notes and share common experiences.

在大聯盟總計370名投手中隨便挑兩個，他們總能各自分享筆記跟自身經驗。

Not Wakefield or Dickey, though. Nobody knows the troubles they've seen. Or
felt. Or faced.

…除了老魏跟迪基外，沒人能知道/感受/面對他們所遭遇過的問題。

Except themselves, of course.

還好他們還擁有彼此。

"I don't mean this as any disrespect to conventional pitchers," Dickey said,
"but it takes a special amount of fortitude to throw a 65 mph pitch to
Vladimir Guerrero."

「不是說瞧不起其他投手，可是我覺得敢對葛諾諾投個65麥的人，的確是很帶種」迪基說

Knuckleballers were never exactly rampant, but in the modern era, the game
has had its share. Some -- such as Phil Niekro and Hoyt Wilhelm -- were good
enough to earn induction into the Hall of Fame.

蝴蝶球在大聯盟從來就沒真正流行過，但不可抹滅的，它在近代棒球中仍擁有特殊的位置
。最頂尖的蝴蝶球好手，像是Phil Niekro與Hoyt Wilhelm甚至進了名人堂。

Some were good enough some of the time to win 20 games multiple times (Wilbur
Wood, each season from 1971 to '74) or consistently win in double figures
(Charlie Hough, nine straight seasons from 1982 to 1990).

而其餘的蝴蝶大師也有過多次單季拿下20勝（Wilbur Wood，1971-1974）；或是擠進單季
持續兩位數勝投榜（Charlie Hough，1982-1990）。

Most pitched well into their 40s before retiring. But now Wakefield and
Dickey stand alone, as if threatened by extinction. If they're not the last
of their breed, they are, for now, the only links to the game's most unique
pitch.

大多蝴蝶球投手就算超過40仍是能持續貢獻局數，然而現在老魏跟迪基卻孤伶伶，彷彿要
被滅種一般。就算他們並非蝴蝶族最後的血脈（作者似乎忘記襪子3A的Zink），至少目前
，他們是唯一投球有連結性的。

And though they pitch for different American League teams -- Wakefield for
the Boston Red Sox and Dickey for the Seattle Mariners -- and their teams
face off nine times this season, they're in this together.

雖然他們為米聯不同球隊效力（赤襪老魏、水手迪基，而兩隊一季只交手九回），但他們
的關係遠比這緊密。

"It's lonely sometimes," Dickey said of his existence. "You almost feel like
a place-kicker on a football team. 'Yeah, you go over on that other field by
yourself.' Lots of guys throw a slider or a sinker or a changeup. But only we
throw knuckleballs. That's a bond that Wake and I share."

談到身為蝴蝶球傳人，迪基表示有時真的很孤單：
「有時會覺得自己像是米式足球的開球員：『得獨自一人跑到對場去』；其他投手都丟
滑球、伸卡、變速，只有我們丟蝴蝶——這是我跟魏老的共業啊！」

Monday afternoon at Safeco Field, as the Mariners left the field after
batting practice and the Red Sox took over, Dickey lingered in the outfield
and talked with Wakefield for almost a half hour.

週一下午當水手結束打擊練習與客隊紅襪交替，在外野閒晃的迪基走向老魏聊了半小時。

Even from afar, Wakefield could be seen going through his motion, rotating
his hand to demonstrate a grip or a release point as Dickey listened intently.

就算遠望也看得出老蝴蝶正在教學：轉動著手示範如何握球或是放球點在哪，而身旁迪基
則是認真地聆聽。

"This is valuable time for me," Dickey said, "because I don't get to see him
very often."

「對我而言，這一刻無價」迪基表示「平時我很少有機會與他碰頭」

Sometimes the two talk on the phone. Wakefield offers advice and, sometimes,
encouragement.

有時迪基會用電話與大師請益，老魏則會給予建議和適時鼓勵。

"I can't believe how accommodating he is," Dickey said. "It's kind of
humbling because he doesn't have to do this."

「他對我好到無法置信；說實在的，他並不需要這麼大力幫助我」晚輩說

But Wakefield feels, if not a sense of duty or obligation, then a certain
past debt. When Wakefield was learning his signature pitch, he learned from
Hough. Later, after he was released by the Pirates and desperate to reclaim
his command, he worked with Phil and Joe Niekro, who won a combined 539
games. Still later, he occasionally consulted with Tom Candiotti.

而就老魏而言，這就算非出自責任感或義務、至少也是世代傳承的人情債：老蝴蝶從著名
的Hough學習他爾後闖蕩大聯盟的招牌利器；被海盜釋出後他亟需找回控球，於是找上了
合計539勝的Phil Niekro與Joe Niekro；甚至之後，他偶而也會向Tom Candiotti請益。

Now it's Wakefield's turn to help someone else, to pay it forward, as it were.

現在該是老魏克幫助傳人的時刻了。

"It's such a small fraternity," Wakefield said. "When I was coming up, it was
nice to talk to guys. I remember when I worked with Charlie for the first
time, I watched him throw and carried a tape recorder with me. I can remember
Phil standing behind the screen, watching me throw and giving me direction --
'Take a little off this one; throw this one a little harder.' I can still
hear him.

「蝴蝶投手屬於小族群。很慶幸我出道時得到那麼多人幫助——我還記得第一次和
Charlie Hough學習時他投球的動作，他甚至拿了台錄音機給我！我也記得Phil站在護欄
後指導我投球，他說道：『這顆可以輕些；這顆還要在用力點』，他當時的聲音依舊在我
耳邊環繞。」老魏分享當初他學習的歷程

"It's not a responsibility that I feel. But I think it's cool to give back to
somebody, to be able to help someone like those guys helped me."

「幫助迪基並非出自一股責任感，而是我覺得能跟教導我的大師們那般回饋他人是件很酷
的事。」

Not all knuckleballers are created equal. Some throw harder than others, and
some throw the knuckler more often than others.

就算是蝴蝶球投手也不是一個模子出來的。有的投的比其他快、有的使用蝴蝶球的頻率比
其他人高。

Then there are the mechanical differences and stylistic variations.

此外也有投球機制不同和風格上的差異。

"We're all different," Wakefield said.

「沒人是相同的」老蝴蝶表示

But the knuckleballers share enough similarities, especially when two members
of the fraternity get together.

可是蝴蝶球投手共通的孤立感倒是殊無二致，特別是他們湊在一起時。

"Think about it," Red Sox pitching coach John Farrell said. "They can't talk
to someone else in their own dugout [when they're struggling] because the
other guys can't relate and can't help them. So they have to seek out
like-minded pitchers to share their experiences. There's some commonality
there."

「這是理所當然的，」功力不凡的赤襪投手教練表示，「遭遇挫折時他們無法與休息區其
他隊友討論，因為其他人無法瞭解。自然而然他們必須向外找到與自己經驗共通的人交流
。」

Farrell has learned enough about Wakefield's checkpoints that he sometimes
sits in when Wakefield and Dickey exchange ideas and offers some thoughts of
his own.

投手教練飛瑞爾早熟悉老蝴蝶教授的要點，所以當老魏與迪基交換意見時他有時會坐在旁
邊提供個人見解。

Like Wakefield, who was drafted as a first baseman but fell into the
knuckleball as a way to avoid being released in Class A, Dickey came to the
knuckler late in life. He took his early tutorials, the basics, from Hough.

如同老魏當初為了避免在1A被釋出而從一壘轉職投手；迪基也是在後期才開始向Hough學
習他的蝴蝶球基礎課程。

But Wakefield, who one day could surpass Cy Young and Roger Clemens to become
the Red Sox's all-time winningest pitcher, can offer a master class.

但像老魏這種有天會超越賽揚和火箭人拿下襪子隊史勝投王的大師，有能力提供蝴蝶球進
階課程。

"Where he's valuable," Dickey said, "is with the arm arc, the action on the
pitch, the rotation. … Charlie was really instrumental in building my
foundation. But now I have to execute it consistently, and to do that,
mechanically, you have to be so perfect."

「他厲害的地方在於投球手臂角度、投球的動作、和旋轉…Charlie為我打下根基，但現
在我必須保持動作的一致性——機器式地，這意味你表現必須很完美。」迪基說道

Beyond the vagaries of the pitch, there's the mental aspect. Almost every
modern knuckleballer has a career record near .500 because the pitch
sometimes is as baffling to the pitcher as to the batter attempting to hit it.

除了投球難以掌握之外，另外還有心理層面的問題。幾乎所有近代蝴蝶球投手的生涯勝率
都在五成左右，因為蝴蝶飛舞不僅對打者，也同時對投手造成困擾。

"I've learned that being able to weather all the ups and downs that go with
throwing the pitch is very important," Dickey said.

「我現在已知道，瞭解天氣因素對球路上飄下飄的影響有多重要。」迪基表示

In stark contrast to the career of Wakefield, the longest-tenured Red Sox
player, Dickey's baseball journey has been nomadic. He spent parts of 11
seasons in the minor leagues and turned to the knuckler three seasons ago.

相較於老蝴蝶，這位在赤襪有史來待最久的球員，擁有穩固的合約；迪基簡直是棒球裡的
游牧民族，他花了11年在小聯盟，直到最後三季才變成蝴蝶球投手。

He just now may be beginning to command the pitch: After moving out of
Seattle's bullpen, he's 1-1 with a 1.37 ERA in his past four starts. He'll
use the knuckler Tuesday night to try to beat Wakefield's Red Sox.

他至今才開始慢慢掌握這種特殊球路，來到水手牛棚後，他近四場先發成績是一勝一負、
防禦率1.37，而他周二晚還對上老魏所在的赤襪。

"I hope we win 1-0, or 2-1," Wakefield said when asked whether he'll feel
conflicted. "I want him to do well, and I want us to win."

「我希望我們能以一比零或是二比一獲勝，」被問到心中是否天人交戰的老魏回答「我期
盼他有好的表現，但我也希望我們贏球。」

Dickey echoed that sentiment: "It's not awkward for me. We're human beings;
we have a relationship. There's that unwritten code [among knuckleballers],
about being as helpful as possible to one another."

迪基對此也有同感：「沒那麼尷尬啦～我們都是一般人，並有著特殊關連性。對蝴蝶球投
手們有個不成文規定：就是盡可能幫助對方。」

Told that Wakefield hopes the Mariners knuckleballer pitches well but loses a
low-scoring game Tuesday night, Dickey smiles and nods.

被告知老魏希望週二的比賽他能有好表現，但同時也希望襪子能以低比數贏得勝利，迪基
笑著點點頭表示他很瞭。

They understand, even if others don't. They know.

就算他人不懂，蝴蝶球投手們自己倒清楚的很。

"You want to win," Dickey said, "by half a run."

迪基說：「我很想贏～贏個半分就好～」

--
補上赤襪雜魚3A的蝴蝶投手Charlie Zink今年成績：

Team League   W  L  ERA   G GS CG SHO SV    IP  H  R ER HR BB SO GO/AO  AVG
PAW    INT   11  3 2.54  21 21  2   1  0 127.1 98 50 36  7 38 81  0.93 .211

不過他已經29歲，一般而言，He has no time
但對蝴蝶球投手我們是否可以多期待一點 XD
（滿想看到他近90的快速球是什麼姿勢投的）

--
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║  █▌◢█ ◢█◣ ◢▌█ ◢◢◣ ◢█◣ ◢ ◢█◣  █  ◥██◣  ￣ ▃╱╱ ║
║  ███◤ █◢◤ █◢█ █◤   █▌█ █ █◢█  █   ▄  █      ╱ˇ   ║
║  █◤     ◥█◤ ◥◤◥ ◤     ◥█◤ ◤ ◥◤◥◢█◣◥██◤    Γ  ﹀  ║
╰═◤═══════════════════════════════════╯

--
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◆ From: 219.81.152.147
※ 編輯: DoMoe           來自: 219.81.152.147       (07/25 01:26)
推 skittles:推  但怎麼覺得今年這兩隻蝴蝶都滿悲情的T.T
推 Belladonaa:Zink應該是放棄90mph快速球了 動作差太多了
→ Belladonaa:修正一下 找到資料
→ Belladonaa:投mid-80s fastball/cutter/knuckler動作都一樣
推 betadu:不知道Zink投蝴蝶球的比重如何 BB/9還算不錯
推 mrkey:在一起 在一起~~~ (誤)  其實 knuckler 以前還有幾個...
推 sandwichpope:有點好奇Zink能不能上MLB啊?數據很漂亮...
推 Belladonaa:他已經準備好被Call on 9月看看吧
→ Belladonaa:不過他明星賽後 大爆炸