[新聞] Cobras' star Encarnacion found dead

[chuangsi (God Bless Mario)]

這是我這兩天讀到最中肯的新聞了

2005-10-04 / Taiwan News, Contributing Writer / By Jason Pan

Taiwan's pro baseball league suffered a tragic loss yesterday when the
popular Mario Encarnacion of the Macoto Cobras was found dead yesterday
morning in his room at the team's housing unit in Danshuei.

The local district prosecutor and a team of forensic experts launched an
investigation yesterday afternoon to ascertain the cause of death, and the
coroner is scheduled to perform an autopsy tomorrow.

The 30-year old outfielder from the Dominican Republic was a well-liked
player by the fans and his Cobras teammates, and had made a major
contribution to the the Cobras surprising success this year with 17 home runs
and 45 RBIs in 66 games in Taiwan's Chinese Professional Baseball League.

The Cobras discovered the tragedy after Encarnacion failed to show up for the
team bus at 10 a.m. that was to take the players to the nearby Sanjhih field
for a training session.

After nobody responded to knocks on his door, team officials entered his room
with the help of a room key provided by the building manager, and were
stunned to find Encarnacion's body lying on his bed without any sign of life.

"We examined the building's surveillance camera, and found nothing unusual,"
said Cobras general manager George Chao yesterday.

According to Chao, Encarnacion went out briefly to buy something at a
convenience store around 6 p.m. Sunday evening, then after returning
apparently stayed in his room the rest of the night.

"The surveillance camera did not show any visitor last night," Chao said.

"Our team officials found Encarnacion lying alone in bed. The TV was on, and
the air conditioner was on. He probably suddenly died while watching TV. The
cause of death cannot be determined at this time, and we will wait for the
official report on the medical examination from the district prosecutor,"
Chao said.

The Cobras contacted Encarnacion's family in the Dominican Republic and were
arranging for them to come to Taiwan.

While officials made no official comments on possible causes of death, that
did not stop the local media from filling in the blanks. The general
consensus is that the Dominican player may have died from taking illegal
banned substances, and one local media outlet reported that traces of "white
foam" were evident in Encarnacion's mouth when the body was found.

There were also reports of unspecified pills at his bedside, but none of the
reports could be independently verified.

In May, Encarnacion had tested positive for a banned substance, described as
a dietary stimulant, and was suspended for two weeks. However, both he and
the ballclub contested the test result, insisting that he had not been aware
that an over-the-counter medicine he took to treat a cold contained a banned
substance.

When asked about the issue of possible substance abuse by players, CPBL
officials indicated the league had enforced random drug testing of all
players, and that a number of players had been suspended this season.

At a press conference yesterday, CPBL Secretary-General Wayne Lee (李文彬)
appealed to the media not to speculate on the cause of death, given the
rumors of possible steroid use, and asked the media not to sensationalize the
incident.

But Lee himself indicated that Encarnacion had been suffering from a severe
case of gastro-enteritis this past week, and that may have played a role in
his death.

For the record, Mario Encarnacion played his very last baseball game at
Taipei County's Hsinchuang Stadium in a game against the Chinatrust Whales
last Friday. He went 4-for-4 (one double and three singles) and scoring one
run despite being weakened by diarrhea from his bout with gastro-enteritis.

Very much under the weather, the Dominican standout for the Cobras did not
play last Thursday, in the second game of last week's series against the
Whales.

In the first game of the series in Hsinchuang on Monday last week, he went
2-for-4 and blasted a shot to deep center field for a solo home run in the
sixth inning to clinch the 3-1 win. It was Encarnacion's 17th homer, and his
final triumphant trot around the bases.

In his two final game appearances, he appeared in distress, holding his
stomach in pain while sitting in the dugout.

Encarnacion is fondly remembered by sports journalists and Taiwan's baseball

fans for his friendly disposition, and his great sense of humor that had him
share jokes and parody famous personalities.

In an interview with the Taiwan News earlier this season, Encarnacion proudly
pointed out that he was known as "La Bazooka" in the minor leagues, for his
strong throwing arm that gunned down runners at home plate.

He said he liked Taiwan very much, and enjoyed playing in the CPBL with his
Dominican compatriot Wilton Veras, who helped him adjust quickly.

Encarnacion said Taiwan's hot and humid was similar to conditions back home
in the Dominican Republic, and suited him fine.

Encarnacion played in 20 games for the Colorado Rockies in 2001 and had a
brief stint the next year with the Chicago Cubs before returning to the
minors.

Fans will remember most his setting a CPBL record for hitting home runs in
his first two at-bats in the league to opposite sides of the field against
the Sinon Bulls on April 16 this year.

With his 188-centimeter frame and 110-kilogram weight, Encarnacion was
surprisingly mobile in patrolling center field and also quick with the bat,
as he linked up with home-run threats Hsieh Jia-hsien and Veras to form the
Cobras renowned "Three Big Cannons" at the core of the team's lineup.


http://www.etaiwannews.com/Taiwan/Society/2005/10/04/1128390624.htm


------------------------------------------------------
Mario Encarnacion...

Thanks to your impressive and touching performance...
------------------------------------------------------

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推 fu3m06:這個....有人可以幫忙出個中文版嗎???.....>"<~看無!
→ TaiwanJunior:原來是 Taiwan News 英文報的新聞..
→ pelicanzero:我試試看好了...好久沒有翻譯了 @_@
推 lovelaan:英文太遜了  看了好吃力  樓上靠你了  謝啦
推 Bevan:寫得蠻客觀的，其中也指出了許多媒體未能具體舉證的報導可議
→ Bevan:最後一段很傳神..只能追憶。三門大炮來形容誠泰先發中心打線
→ Bevan:"La Bazooka"是什麼意思？ 應是馬爺外野漫步長傳超強的比喻ꄠ
→ Bevan:Thanks to Mario's impressive and touching performance
推 HGL:La=看啊~ Bazooka=火箭砲
推 Bevan:謝謝HGL
推 alkdj:台灣霉體學學人家怎麼報新聞吧~