[翻譯] Yankees prospects may have been forc …

[leddy (耿秋)]

Yankees prospects may have been forced to kick back bonus money

By T.J. Quinn and Mark Fainaru-Wada
ESPN.com

Updated: August 5, 2008, 6:36 AM ET

    好幾位洋基負責多明尼加球探事務的官方人員，目前正接受大聯盟和FBI的調查，是否
這些球團的員工只付給簽約球員少部份的簽約金，而將差額當作自己的回扣。根據一位棒
球人士表示目前接受調查的球隊共有6到8支球隊。而據ESPN獲得的消息目前接受調查的人
約略有20人左右，包括美國藉和多明尼加籍。4位大聯盟的調查員上週回國後已經準備好一
份報告，據瞭解牽涉到的球隊包括洋基、紅襪、國民和白襪隊。和媒體報導不同的是，消
息來源表示FBI調查員尚未前往多明尼加，調查的範圍目前僅限於被白襪隊官方被解雇的
David Wilder、國民隊的GM Jim Bowden及國民隊的特別助理Jose Rijo。

    Wilder沒有作任何評論也沒有回覆ESPN詢問的電話。Bowden先前跟ESPN確認他已經和
FBI談過但是強調他沒作錯任何事，而且FBI的調查員並沒有問過他個人的行為。洋基的GM
Brian Cashman拒絕發表評論。大聯盟的官方人員和紅襪隊週一並沒有立即回覆電話對事
情發表評論。

    這個來源表示，對於洋基隊的調查大約出現在一個月前(註)，但是就在開始調查後不
久又出現一封寄到洋基球團的匿名信。信中列出好幾位新秀的名字，以及他們被刪減掉簽
約金的數額。兩個熟悉信件內容的消息來源表示洋基官方人員已經將信件轉交給MLB的調查
人員並與他們合作。

註: New York Times表示，上個月Cashman表示多明尼加報紙El Caribe所提到，Melky
Cabrera被刪減簽約金的報導是不正確的，他表示調查人員告知他這件事缺乏事證，他週
一則拒絕發表評論。

    信件中列名的其中一位球員是被期待的大物新秀17歲的Kelvin DeLeon，去年被洋基以
110萬簽下。他目前在洋基多明尼加的球隊打球(DSL Yankees)。

    這些來源表示，調查人員也在注意洋基在多明尼加負責球探事務的人員Carlos Rios。

    這項醜聞爆發於三月時，當時是白襪球探部的主任Wilder帶著從多明尼加攜回的4萬現
金在邁阿密被美國海關人員查獲。消息來源表示，Wilder還未被指控犯行，已經與FBI合作
。他和兩位球探則在五月被白襪隊解雇。

    Wilder和其他人則已被控訴浮報一些多明尼加新秀的身價，一當這些球員簽約後便從
球員的家人索取回扣。長久以來飽受批評的便是，多明尼加街頭的經紀人(即大家熟知的
“buscones”)向簽約球員索取很多部份的簽約金當作費用，但是這些消息報導球探和其他
球團正式雇用的人員也索取回扣，則造成多明尼加全國大震動。一個消息來源表示: “球
員的家人已經習慣這樣的事，因為他們仍然拿到了錢，球探們實際上是在偷球團的錢。”


Major League Baseball investigators are looking into accusations that several
New York Yankees prospects from the Dominican Republic were forced to kick
back portions of their signing bonuses to one or more team employees, several
sources told ESPN.


The revelation is one of several developments in an ongoing investigation of
a financial scandal involving the signing of players from the Dominican
Republic. Last week, the Red Sox's Dominican scouting supervisor, Pablo
Lantigua, was fired after MLB investigators confronted him about allegedly
skimming signing bonuses, according to an MLB source.

Sources also told ESPN that the investigation is expected to implicate
roughly 20 people on "a handful" of teams before it is complete.
Investigators also have expanded their probe into Venezuela, where many major
league clubs have player academies. "Things are coming to a head," one source
familiar with MLB's investigation said.

The Yankees placed several employees on leave pending the results of
baseball's probe into the possible skimming of bonuses in the Dominican
Republic, The New York Times reported Tuesday.

The employees scouted in the Dominican Republic, the newspaper said, citing
an unidentified person in baseball who was briefed on the matter. Their names
and jobs were not revealed in the report.

Four MLB investigators returned to the United States from the Dominican last
week and are preparing a report for the commissioner's office. While clubs
have fired several officials already implicated in the scandal, MLB has
worked closely with the FBI, which is conducting its own investigation into
the alleged skimming of bonuses.


One source briefed on MLB investigators' findings said he believed "less than
a half-dozen" teams would be implicated, including the Yankees, Red Sox,
Nationals and White Sox.

The 20 or so employees, based in both the United States and the Dominican
Republic, either received money or were aware of others who did, the source
said.


Sources said FBI agents have not traveled to the Dominican, and contrary to
media reports, have limited their probe thus far to allegations surrounding
fired White Sox official David Wilder, Washington Nationals general manager
Jim Bowden and Nationals special assistant Jose Rijo.


Wilder has not commented and did not return several phone calls. Bowden
previously confirmed to ESPN that he had spoken with federal authorities but
insisted he has done nothing wrong, and that FBI agents had asked him nothing
about his own activities. Yankees general manager Brian Cashman declined to
comment. Officials with Major League Baseball and the Red Sox on Monday did
not immediately return calls seeking comment.

The accusations against the Yankees surfaced more than a month ago, sources
said, but were augmented by an anonymous letter sent to the club shortly
after investigators began looking into the charges. The letter listed the
names of several prospects and the amount of money allegedly skimmed from
their signing bonuses.

Two sources familiar with the letter's contents said Yankees officials turned
it over to MLB investigators and have cooperated.

One of the players named in the letter was well-regarded prospect Kelvin
DeLeon, a 17-year-old outfielder who signed for $1.1 million last year. He is
currently playing for the Yankees' Dominican League club.

Investigators are looking at the involvement of Yankees scouting official
Carlos Rios, sources said.

The scandal began to break in March when Wilder, then the scouting director
for the White Sox, was stopped in Miami by U.S. Customs officials while
trying to bring about $40,000 in cash back from the Dominican Republic.
Sources said Wilder, who has not been criminally charged, has been
cooperating with the FBI. He and two scouts were fired by the White Sox in
May.

Wilder and others have been accused of inflating the value of some Dominican
prospects, then demanding a kickback from the players' families once the
players were signed. Critics have long complained that street agents known as
"buscones" had been taking large cuts of players' bonuses as fees, but the
news that scouts and other officials employed by the clubs were taking money
has jolted the island.

"The families went along with it because they were still getting the money,"
one source said. "[The scouts] were really stealing money from the clubs."

Mark Fainaru-Wada and T.J. Quinn are reporters for ESPN's Enterprise Unit.
Fainaru-Wada can be reached at [email protected]. Quinn can be reached at
[email protected]. The Associated Press contributed to this report.

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◆ From: 220.132.198.21
※ 編輯: leddy           來自: 220.132.198.21       (08/05 23:43)
推 abc12812:手腳真快，才剛看到原文就有人翻譯了
推 littlelike:感謝翻譯，獎金已發放
推 sherlockt:都已經出身較為貧困還要被薛 :(
→ asdf121250:《經濟狀況》小富
推 kimifort:3f是說多明尼加選手 不是leddy...
→ asdf121250:XD我是看到版主說獎金發放就看了他的經濟狀況
推 kimifort:(握)  我剛剛也這樣 囧>
推 subcrew02:《經濟狀況》赤貧  去多寫幾篇好的文章吧
→ ashidaka:3F的,原文有說了,球探是浮報簽約金,所以他們是薛球團