[外電] Welcome, The King Of Israel（上）

[santabrelai ()]

http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/vault/article/magazine/MAG1164016/1/index.htm

Rabbi Reuven Taff took 21 members of his congregation to Israel this summer
and made sure they saw all the historic landmarks most sacred to Jews from
Sacramento: the Western Wall, the Golan Heights, Old Jaffa, Masada, the Dead
Sea, the Holocaust Memorial at Yad Vashem and, of course, the childhood home
of Kings rookie Omri Casspi. On a 10-day pilgrimage to the Holy Land, that
had to be their first stop.

    今年夏天，拉比Reuven Taff 帶了二十一位他的教眾由沙加緬度前往以色列，他們去
了幾乎每一個猶太聖地：哭牆、戈蘭高地、約帕、馬薩達、死海，還有以色列猶太大屠殺
紀念館。而他們還去了一個地方，國王新秀Omri Casspi 的家。其實在十天的聖地之旅中
，這是他們的第一站。

They flew into Ben Gurion Airport in Tel Aviv, changed into fresh
purple-and-black garb and hopped a bus straight to the suburb of Yavne, once
known as the first settlement after the destruction of Jerusalem in 70 A.D.,
now known as the first town in Israel to produce an NBA player. The
congregation could identify the hallowed house by all the bouquets of flowers
on the sidewalk, left by neighbors and fans after Casspi, a 6'9" forward, had
been taken by Sacramento two weeks earlier with the 23rd pick in the draft.

    他們先飛抵台拉維夫的Ben Gurion機場，在換上了紫黑色的傳統服裝後，跳上巴士直
抵Yavne 郊區。這個地區之前曾是猶太人大流亡後的第一個安居點，而現在出現了第一位
以色列的NBA 球員。人行道上擺滿的鮮花，代表了人們的祝賀，因為Casspi這位六呎九吋
的前鋒，在兩週前被國王以23順位選進。

The visitors were greeted at the front door by Casspi's parents, Shimon and
Ilana, and led to the backyard, where they feasted on bourekas and wine.
After many mazel tovs and l'chaims, it was time to reboard the bus and head
back to Tel Aviv, but Shimon would not let the rabbi go. "He came running up
to me, and there were tears in his eyes," Taff says. "He was carrying two
Israeli flags in his hands, and he told me to take them." Shimon explained
that he had bought the flags when Omri was 14 and waved them at every
international game his son had played. "I want you to promise me," Shimon
told Taff, "that these two flags will be at every game Omri plays in
Sacramento."

    來訪者在門前受到Casspi雙親Shimon及Ilana 的熱烈歡迎，他們領著賓客到達後院，
以酒和點心給了客人們一道盛宴。在經過一連串的恭喜聲後，是時候搭上巴士返回台拉維
夫了，但Shimon不讓拉比走。「他跑向我，眼中帶著淚光，他交給我兩隻以色列國旗，要
求我把他拿好。」Shimon打從Omri十四歲起，就會在他打的每一場國際賽為兒子揮舞國旗
。「我希望你承諾我一件事，讓每場Omri在沙加緬度的比賽，都能看到這兩隻國旗。」這
是一位父親的要求。

（Mazel tov：恭喜  l'chaim：to life）

The request didn't come at the best time for the rabbi: He no longer had his
season tickets. So on Rosh Hashanah, Taff walked down from the pulpit,
carrying a wireless microphone in one hand and the flags in the other, and
outlined the challenge that Shimon Casspi had put to him two months earlier.
Even if the Kings were in last place, even if Omri Casspi never got off the
bench, at least one member of the Mosaic Law Congregation had to attend every
game at Arco Arena—and to stop by the synagogue first to fetch the flags.

    這個任務對Taff來說其實是件難事，因為他沒有再買季票。在猶太新年時，Taff走下
講道壇，一手持著手機，一手拿著國旗，盤算著如何實現Shimon兩個月前交給他的任務。
不管任何情況，即使國王墊底，即使Casspi場場坐板凳，至少一位教會的成員會出現在球
場，為Casspi展開那面旗幟。

（Rosh Hashanah：猶太新年，約在九月前後）

The congregation has responded, and so has Casspi. He doesn't start and isn't
even Sacramento's best rookie (see high-scoring combo guard Tyreke Evans),
but at week's end he was averaging 11.0 points on 52.5% shooting and 4.0
rebounds, contributing 23.8 strong minutes per game on a 10--12 team that has
exceeded expectations. Beyond that, Casspi is making an impact on the NBA in
more original ways—debating Kobe versus LeBron in Hebrew, eating foods
prepared by a kosher cook, wearing number 18 because it is the Jewish symbol
for life and playing with what he calls "the Israeli spirit," which manifests
itself in floor burns and busted lips. "He can piss some people off," says
Kings swingman Francisco Garcia, "and I love that about him."

    有了教會的支持，Casspi也做出了回應。他沒有先發，也不是國王的最佳新秀（因為
Tyreke更猛），但他以五成二五的命中率拿下十一分，還有四個籃板，每場為這隻球隊貢
獻23.8分鐘的時間，接下來搞不好還會更久。除此之外，Casspi真的對NBA 造成了些衝擊
，他會用希伯來文辯論Kobe與LeBron的對戰，吃符合猶太教規的食物。他穿十八號是因為
這個數字在猶太人中象徵著生命，而他更以自稱「以色列魂」的方式在場上打球，絕不害
怕失怕與挫折。「他會電掉不少人，而我真的很愛他這點。」Francisco Garcia說。

Casspi is a spindly 225 pounds, with a black beard that covers his sunken
cheekbones and a toughness that belies his frame. He can defend everyone from
point guards (he hounded the Bulls' Derrick Rose) to centers (he begged to
cover the Suns' Amar'e Stoudemire). Each steal or tip-in provokes a swell of
national pride within him. "Every time he scores," says Kings assistant G.M.
Jason Levien, "it's as though he's wrapped in the Israeli flag."

    他的身材並不壯碩，只有225 磅，在削瘦的臉龐上，蓋著濃密的山羊鬍，同時也有一
顆強硬的心躺在他的身體裡。他可以由控球（對公牛守Rose）守到中鋒（在對上太陽時，
他向教練要求守Stoudemire）。每次抄截或點進球都如同在表現著國家的榮譽。「每次他
得分時，就像在揮舞國旗一般。」國王助理GM Jason Levien 說。

Like most NBA players, Casspi grew up watching Michael Jordan—only he had to
wake up at 4 a.m. to do it. At 17 he signed with Maccabi Tel Aviv, the best
team in Israel and one of the best in Europe, but a year later he was drafted
into the army. Every able-bodied 18-year-old Israeli must serve three years
in the Israel Defense Forces, a rule that derails most promising athletic
careers. But Casspi was among a handful of basketball players chosen by the
IDF's sports committee as an "outstanding athlete," meaning he would stay
with Maccabi and be sheltered like an elite American college recruit.
Although he went to basic training and learned to shoot a gun, he only had to
report to the base in Tel Aviv twice a week, and then he wore a sweat suit
instead of a uniform. While his older brother, Eitan—a standout point guard
in high school—was a paratrooper jumping out of planes in the middle of the
night, Casspi was sorting paperwork and refereeing officer basketball games,
a soldier in name only. Basketball kept him safe, but it also kept him
separate, and even though he was grateful for the arrangement, there were
times he felt a little guilty.

    就像很多NBA 球員一樣，Casspi小時候也是看MJ長大，只是他得在早上四點起床看轉
播。十七歲時，他和以色列最佳球隊Maccabi Tel Aviv簽約，同時也是隻歐陸強權，但一
年後他就被陸軍徵召。在以色列凡是十八歲、身體健康的人就要為軍隊服役三年，這個規
定讓很多運動員的生涯受到困擾。但Casspi是國家中少數被IDF 運動協會認可的傑出運動
員，這代表他可以留在Maccabi ，或是前往美國打NCAA。雖然最後他還是受了基礎軍事訓
練，也扛過了槍。但接下來他只要在每兩週向軍營進行報到手續，就可以回家換上便服。
他的哥哥Eitan 在高中也是個不錯的控球，但他當了三年的傘兵。Casspi只要經過一些紙
上作業便可以專心在他的比賽上。籃球給了他安全，但也讓他有些疏離感，即使他很感激
這個安排，心中卻覺得有罪惡感。

"In Israel, being in the army is a special experience, and my friends will
take it with them their whole lives," Casspi says. "I didn't have that
experience. I didn't really do anything in the army. But right now, I am
trying to serve my country in another way."

    「在以色列，當兵是個特殊的經驗，我的朋友都進去從軍了。而我卻沒辦法擁有這個
回憶。我並沒有為軍隊做到什麼事情，但我會試著為我的國家在其他地方效力。」Casspi
說。

--
※ 發信站: 批踢踢實業坊(ptt.cc) 
◆ From: 125.224.128.151
推 RonArtest93:他的地位在以色列應該跟王哥哥一樣了吧  XDDD
→ RonArtest93:push
推 bibby0110375:以色列人真可憐，當兵當這麼久，台灣當一年算不錯了
→ santabrelai:難翻到我快哭了，看到有第二頁就瘋了Q__Q
→ santabrelai:有錯煩請幫忙指正<(__ __)>
→ santabrelai:第一頁還有部分已翻完，將併於第二頁一同
推 Yocoldagain:辛苦了
推 RonArtest93:加油  有需要支援丟到我這來吧
→ santabrelai:那就麻煩您了<(__ __)>
推 Tmix:推以色列的卡葛葛～～
→ kingpredrag:好文推
推 eliczone:推
> -------------------------------------------------------------------------- <

作者: santabrelai () 看板: Kings
標題: [外電] Welcome, The King Of Israel（下）
時間: Fri Jan  1 17:08:21 2010

http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/vault/article/magazine/MAG1164016/1/index.htm

Before this season 70 nations had sent players to the NBA, from Iceland
(Peter Gudmundsson) to Estonia (Martin Muursepp), from Egypt (Alaa Abdelnaby)
to Iran (Hamed Haddadi). But Israelis had a history of rimming out. Mickey
Berkowitz tried to sign with the Hawks in 1979, but Maccabi would not release
him from his contract, and when Berkowitz took the team to court, a judge
denied him as well. Oded Katash signed a two-year deal with the Knicks in
1999 but lost patience during the ensuing lockout and returned to Israel. The
Sonics took Yotam Halperin with the 53rd pick in 2006, but second-rounders
are not given guaranteed contracts, so he too went back to Israel.

    這季之前，總共有七十個國家有球員打過NBA ，冰島到愛沙尼亞、埃及到伊朗。以色
列倒還是頭一遭。Mickey Berkowitz和老鷹在1979簽下合約，但Maccabi 不想放人，雙方
最後還鬧上法庭。Oded Katash 和尼克在1999簽下兩年約，但他最後決定要回到以色列。
超音速在2006年以第五十三順位選了Yotam Halperin，但第二輪沒有保證約，他也回到了
以色列。

That crushed Levien, who was then an agent representing Halperin. A former
guard at Pomona who was bar mitzvahed in Jerusalem, Levien was driven to
bring the first Israeli to the NBA. After Halperin went home, Levien turned
his attention to an athletic but unpolished teenager from Maccabi, Omri
Casspi. "He was frenetic," Levien says. "He was a force of nature. He dunked
in a way I'd never seen a player from Israel dunk." But before Levien could
enter Casspi in the 2009 draft, he was hired last November by Sacramento.
Although Levien still wanted to see an Israeli make it to the NBA, he now had
to value the Kings' interests over Casspi's, Israel's and even his own. "I
had to be totally objective," Levien says.

    這讓Levien有點失望，受過割禮的他當時是Halperin的經紀人。Levien決定自已要帶
一個以色列人進NBA ，而他接下來注意到的就是Maccabi 的一位年青人Omri Casspi 。「
他超瘋狂的，他擁有那種天生的本能，他的灌籃方式跟其他以色列選手完全不一樣。」但
在Levien帶Casspi前進選秀會之前，他被國王雇用了。雖然他依然渴望著能看到以色列的
第一次，他現在卻必須由整體面上來考量，而不能只看自已的決定。「我得顧全大局。」
Levien說。

http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/vault/article/magazine/MAG1164016/2/index.htm

Meanwhile, Casspi was seeing Levien at predraft workouts, telling him, "If
you pick me, I will fight for you. I will go to war for you." Coming from
another athlete, the war reference might have been off-putting, but given
Casspi's background, it had greater meaning. As a Kings executive, Levien
appreciated Casspi not because he was a potential pioneer but because he
could bring energy off the bench immediately; over time, under Sacramento's
coaches, he could add strength and smooth out his jumpers. G.M. Geoff Petrie
and other Kings scouts, who brought imports Hedo Turkoglu and Peja Stojakovic
to Sacramento with great success, had tracked Casspi for years and were
already intrigued with his abilities. When NBA commissioner David Stern
announced that Sacramento was selecting Casspi, Stern cracked a smile, which
Casspi maintains was a little wider than usual. "Because he's Jewish," Casspi
reasons.

    而後，Casspi在選前的workout 上遇見了Levien，Casspi告訴他「如果你選我，我會
打出漂亮的勝仗給你看。」戰爭是一個常被濫用的字眼，可Casspi的經歷卻讓他真實的了
解這個字的涵意。身為國王管理人員的Levien很欣賞Casspi，因為他總能由板凳上跳出來
給予能量。Geoff Petrie和國王的球探們，成功引進了Hedo和Peja，而今他們也追踨Omri
很長一段時間，並了解了他的能力。Stern 在選秀會上發表Casspi中選的那一刻，也出現
了一抹神秘的微笑。

There is a scene in the movie Airplane in which a flight attendant asks a
female passenger if she would like something to read. The passenger asks the
flight attendant, "Do you have anything light?" Without hesitation, the
attendant hands her a leaflet entitled Famous Jewish Sports Legends. The
joke, which has dozens of derivatives, was a bit off-base, especially
regarding hoops. The first basket ever in the Basketball Association of
America—predecessor to the NBA—was scored in 1946 by Ossie Schechtman, a
Jew from Brooklyn who played for the Knicks. The '46 Knicks had four Jewish
starters in all. Three years later the Syracuse Nationals signed Dolph
Schayes, who made 12 All-Star teams and the Hall of Fame. But since Schayes's
son, journeyman center Danny Schayes, retired in 1999, the only Jewish player
of repute has been Lakers guard Jordan Farmar.

    在電影「空前絕後滿天飛」中有這麼一個場景，一位空服員詢問乘客是否想讀點東西
，乘客說：「你們有輕鬆點的東西嗎？」，空服員會錯了意，以為對方想要的是輕點的東
西，她帶來的書就是一本沒幾頁的「著名猶太明星」。這個笑話雖然隨著電影流傳，卻不
是非常正確，特別是在籃球方面。BAA（NBA前身）的第一分就是由一位效力尼克隊的猶太
人Ossie Schechtman所拿下。1946年時，尼克隊的先發有四位是猶太人。三年後，雪城國
家隊簽下了Dolph Schayes ，這位猶太球員是十二度全明星，也是名人堂成員。但在他的
兒子，浪人中鋒Danny Schayes 於1999年退休後，聯盟裡尚有名氣的猶太球員就剩湖人隊
後衛Jordan Farmar 而已。

David Vyorst, who produced and directed the 2008 documentary The First
Basket, believes that Jewish migration to the suburbs after World War II is
to blame for the falloff. If difficult and densely populated environments
tend to yield the best basketball players, it only made sense that the next
Jewish hope would come from Israel. When Tal Brody arrived in Israel in 1966—
he was drafted 13th by the Baltimore Bullets out of Illinois but signed with
Maccabi Tel Aviv instead—every game was played outside. Maccabi played in
the rain, in the snow, on a kibbutz in the middle of a dust storm. When
Saddam Hussein was in power in Iraq, Israeli high school players hauled gas
masks to the court as if they were part of their uniform.

    David Vyorst是紀錄片"The First Basket"的制片跟導演，他認為二戰後猶太人的四
處遷徒是運動不振的主因。沒有足夠的人口，就很難有好的籃球員，所以下一個猶太希望
只可能出現在以色列。1966年，Tal Brody 由伊利諾畢業後被巴爾的摩子彈隊選中，但他
選擇和Maccabi Tel Aviv簽約，當時的以色列比賽場地還是在室外。Maccabi 的球員在雨
中、雪中、沙塵暴中打著籃球。海珊執掌伊拉克政權時期，以色列的高中球員甚至會帶防
毒面具到球場，把那當成制服的一部分。

When Casspi was drafted, Brody called it "the completion of a circle." Mickey
Berkowitz said it "made my dream." Dolph Schayes started checking Sacramento
box scores every morning.

    當Casspi被選中後，Brody 說這是「圓滿的輪迴」Mickey Berkowitz說：「夢想成真
。」而Dolph Schayes 開始每天早上看國王分數盒。

At first Casspi appeared overwhelmed by U.S. hoops, shooting a ghastly 29.5%
in the Las Vegas Summer League. After a morning practice in late September,
Francisco Garcia told Casspi to meet him in the gym at 10 p.m. "He showed up
at 9:45," Garcia said. That night Garcia revealed his secret to life in the
NBA: "Work when everyone else is asleep." Garcia underwent surgery on his
right forearm and wrist in mid-October and will miss most of this season, but
he is still traveling with the Kings, mainly to keep an eye on Casspi.

    首度出場的Casspi，看來被美國的籃框給擊倒，夏季聯盟的命中率只有見鬼般的二成
九五。在九月的一次晨練後，Francisco Garcia要Casspi晚上10點來體育館跟他碰頭。在
Casspi九點四十五分到場後，Garcia開始傾囊相授他成為NBA 球員的秘訣：「在別人睡著
時努力工作。」Garcia隨後在一次重訓時受傷，大半球季都不能出場，但他依然跟著球隊
移動，主要就是為了盯緊Casspi。

Casspi's combative approach could land him in some trouble. During a predraft
group workout he accidentally hit Gonzaga's Austin Daye with an elbow,
splitting his lip. During an early-season game against the Warriors, he went
face-to-face with notorious brawler Stephen Jackson. Even in practice Casspi
is constantly hand-checking teammates, bucking the image of the soft Euro.
Among the Kings he is a source of admiration and irritation both. "He gets
people riled up," center Spencer Hawes said. "He gets them to the brink."
Casspi developed his style under Zvika Sherf, coach of the Israeli national
team, who used to tell his players before big tournaments, "We are not going
to be the tallest or the strongest or the most talented. But we have
something different. We are Israel. We are going to play harder, and that's
how we are going to win."

    Casspi的戰鬥天性有時會惹些麻煩。在選前的小組試訓中，他不小心給Gonzaga 大學
的Austin Daye 來了一拐，讓Daye的唇部裂傷。在對上勇士時，他和大亂鬥後惡名在外的
Stephen Jackson 槓上。即使只是球隊裡的訓練，他也常有手部動作，歐洲等於軟在他身
上絕不成立，隊員們對他愛恨交織。「他很會搞毛別人，總是差點讓人氣炸。」隊友Hawes
說。Casspi這樣的風格來自於他以色列國家隊的教練Zvika Sherf ，Zvika 在賽前總會告
訴球員們：「我們不是最高的、最壯的，也不是最有才華的。但我們就是有特點，我們是
以色列國家隊。我們會很拼命的去打球，這是我們贏球的方式。」

In recent years Hollywood has released films such as Munich, Defiance,
American Gangster and Inglourious Basterds in which the main characters are
aggressive, physical and Jewish. "It used to be that tough Jewish actors had
to play Italians because nobody believed Jews could be that way," said Rich
Cohen, author of Tough Jews. "James Caan played Sonny Corleone. Henry Winkler
played Arthur Fonzarelli. Jewish characters always had to be the nebbish
sidekick—the doctor, the lawyer, the banker, the accountant. There is a very
different image of Jewish men in the world right now."

    近來好萊塢拍了不少以頑強好鬥的猶太人為主角的電影，比方說慕尼黑、聖戰家園、
美國黑幫和惡棍特工。「之前硬漢猶太演員都只能演義大利角色，因為大家不相信猶太人
也可以這麼強悍。」Tough Jews作者Rich Cohen說。「像James Caan演Sonny Corleone，
Henry Winkler 演Arthur Fonzarelli 。猶太角色都是那種邊邊角角的好人，醫生、律師
、銀行員、會計師。現在大家對猶太人的印象可大有不同了。」

Omri Casspi plays a small role in the evolution, a seventh man in Sacramento
trying to establish himself in the NBA, willing to throw a few elbows if
that's what it takes. His physicality is part of his appeal, along with his
sense of service. On Nov. 17 the Kings lost to the Bulls by 14 points, and
Casspi scored only two baskets. But after the game he stood patiently on the
court, posing for pictures with the Pollack and Gonzalez families, members of
the Mosaic Law Congregation who that night had waved Shimon Casspi's flags.
Being the first Israeli in the NBA comes with a responsibility to meet the
local rabbis and hit the community Hanukkah parties. More important, though,
it comes with the responsibility to keep fighting when everyone else is
asleep.

    Omri Casspi 也在這感覺革命中佔了一個角色，這位國王的第七人開始自已的NBA 生
涯，有必要的話，他不介意用拐子給別人來個招呼。他不僅在外表上受歡迎，他的態度也
非常好。十一月七號國王對上公牛，在主場輸了十四分，Casspi僅命中兩球。但在賽後他
耐心地留在球場，和當晚揮舞Shimon Casspi 旗幟的Gonzalez、Pollack 家族合照。做為
首位以色列球員，他要和當地的拉比見面並參加光明節的聚會。而更重要的是，他擔負著
重責大任，即使在他人早已熟睡的時刻，他仍然在為自已的球員生涯努力奮鬥。

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大量參考 http://bbs.hoopchina.com/0912/1063972.html

Sonny Corleone很帥，我喜歡的電影、小說角色之一！Tom Hagen是猶太人嗎？

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