[外電] Wang looking forward to start in San Francisco

[heartfree (讓心自由)]

Wang looking forward to start in San Francisco
By PETER ABRAHAM
THE JOURNAL NEWS

(Original publication: June 20, 2007)

DENVER - Chien-Ming Wang checked his cell phone when he arrived at Coors
Field yesterday afternoon. Several new messages had arrived since he left the
team hotel only a few minutes before.

"Everybody wants tickets," the Yankees' right-hander said before the Yankees'
3-1 loss to the Rockies. "A lot of people are calling me."

Wang is scheduled to pitch on Saturday against the San Francisco Giants at
AT&T Park. It will be a major event for the many Taiwanese who live in the
Bay Area. Wang is 7-4 with a 3.33 ERA for the Yankees and has won five of his
last six starts.

Already a national hero in Taiwan, Wang's status continues to rise. Giants
officials said yesterday that as many as 5,000 Taiwanese fans could be at the
game. Wang's arrival has been the focus of stories in the local Taiwanese
press and on Web sites. Fans are planning to bring Taiwanese flags to the
game and bang drums, which is a tradition in Taiwan.

"I hope I pitch good," Wang said with a smile. "They might boo me."

That seems unlikely. Wang nearly pitched a complete game on Sunday as he
allowed two runs in 8 2/3 innings in an 8-2 victory against the Mets at
Yankee Stadium. He walked one and struck out a career-high 10 thanks to his
improving slider and changeup.

The team had a day off on Monday, and the Yankees decided to give Wang a day
off as well. He will pitch on five days' rest instead of four. Wang is 4-0
with a 1.95 ERA in four starts with an extra day of rest this season.

"He's been giving us a lot of innings the last month or so, he can use the
extra day," pitching coach Ron Guidry said. "It could be good for him. We
talked it over and decided that was the way to go."

Wang has become the ace of the Yankees despite the presence of Andy Pettitte,
Mike Mussina and Roger Clemens. He does not accept that designation, saying
only that he is a starter.

"Everybody pitches their game," he said. "Nobody is No. 1. Me, Moose, Andy
and Clemens all the same I think."

Wang has been keeping a close eye on Clemens. He grew up idolizing the
right-hander, watching him on games that were televised in Taiwan.

"My coach used to get tapes, and we would watch those," Wang said. "Clemens,
Clemens, Clemens, I used to watch all his games."

Now that they are teammates, Wang has watched Clemens' strenuous workout
routine and his approach to working in the bullpen between starts. Unlike
Pettitte, he is not volunteering to take on the same grind as Clemens.

"Not yet," Wang said. "He likes to run, I like to ride the bike. Maybe
someday I will work out with him. I want to talk to him about it."

Wang did not know until a reporter told him yesterday that the Yankees had
signed two players from the People's Republic of China on Monday. Left-hander
Kai Liu and catcher Zhenwang Zhang will be in New York early next month. Both
are 19.

Both have played in China's fledgling professional league and are members of
the national team. They are not considered top prospects.

"The baseball is not good in China yet," said Wang, who has faced the Chinese
as a member of the Taiwanese national team in several tournaments. "They are
getting better, but Japan, Korea and Taiwan are better now. But they are
learning fast."

Wang said he is anxious to meet the two players and said he would give them
advice if they asked for it. It is a delicate situation for him, as Taiwan
has uneasy relations with China.

"We all play baseball, we won't talk about politics," Wang said. "I hope they
do good. I will watch them."

Wang said the Yankees are smart to get established in China.

"(There are a) lot of people there," he said. "Probably some good players for
us. More will be coming from there."

Reach Peter Abraham at [e-mail] and read his Yankees blog at
yankees.lohudblogs.com

--
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◆ From: 59.104.213.233
推 wangtsaok:跟王要票>"<... 小王對中國的說法不錯!!
推 HuangJS:成熟的看法
推 Fatsnow:大陸來的當捕手可能要有相當的英文能力才能勝任
→ Fatsnow:王的回答很得宜
推 HXZ:我有看錯嗎...便當？
推 nowend:I will watch them....
推 ytchen:不止王的說法很得宜.重要的是這個記者對台海情勢有一定瞭解
推 blauncher:捕手可能還要學西班牙話,MLB一堆拉丁捕
推 isaacchen:這篇訪談還蠻有深度的，也很得體。國內媒體學習一下咩
推 anjohn:媒體學的起來嘛 ..
推 ILLwill:王的回答不錯,不卑不伉,不過這篇原文恐怕會被某些媒體曲解
推 smallwenwen:drums in MLB games? sounds kind of weird.
推 Cathay:沒記錯的話,A's跟Indians的"MLB games"都曾有人打鼓