[翻譯] For A-Rod, No. 600 is a million miles away

[Tamburlaine (帖木兒)]

Klapisch: For A-Rod, No. 600 is a million miles away
Monday, August 2, 2010
Last updated: Tuesday August 3, 2010, 12:48 AM

By BOB KLAPISCH
RECORD COLUMNIST

http://ppt.cc/TcxC

NEW YORK – You had to listen hard, really hard, but there was no mistaking
the boos that sprinkled over Alex Rodriguez like a light mist in the ninth
 inning. He had failed (again) to convert on a chance for career home run
No. 600, and the crowd, already irritable from A.J. Burnett’s collapse,
had finally reached its breaking point.

雖然聲音並不大，但是第九局A-Rod挑戰生涯六百轟再次失敗時，的確招致一片嗡嗡
噓聲。因為AJ被打爆，球迷本來就已經不太爽了，A-Rod再次失利讓他們的不滿情緒
到達了臨界點。

Rodriguez bounced out to shortstop, his fifth hitless at-bat, none of which
 were memorable. From any prism it was a dreary Monday night in the Bronx,
where the Yankees surrendered sole possession of first place with an 8-6 loss
to Toronto. A-Rod, meanwhile, continues wandering in the desert.

A-Rod擊出游擊方向的彈跳球遭刺殺出局，五個打席表現都乏善可陳，沒有安打。
星期一晚上在洋基主場的這場比賽實在是悶的可以。以八比六輸給藍鳥之後，
洋基拱手讓出獨霸的王座，A-Rod的表現也持續低迷。

Yes, a small number of fans really did turn against Rodriguez, who’s gone
43 at-bats since his last home run with no sign of a breakthrough. His swing
has become choppy and mechanical. Pitchers are challenging him without fear.
Fastballs are beating Rodriguez in the heart of the strike zone.

的確有少數球迷開始批評A-Rod，因為距離A-Rod上次開轟已經有43個打席了。他的揮棒
動作變得生硬。投手開始大膽挑戰他。A-Rod面對塞往紅中的快速球也是莫可奈何。

Those are the red flags a hitting instructor sees. Joe Girardi, however,
picks up on the body language of his troubled slugger. It’s those deep
breaths A-Rod takes before he steps into the batter’s box: They’ve become
so exaggerated even the Lamaze handbook would consider them a hazard. It’s
not an encouraging sign for a slugger looking to make history.

這些都是打擊教練可以觀察到的警訊。Girardi則是注意到A-Rod的肢體語言所顯示的
不對勁之處。現在A-Rod站進打擊區前需要深呼吸，而且呼吸幅度幾乎比孕婦生產時還
誇張。這對這位要挑戰歷史里程碑的強打來說，實在不是個好徵兆。

This extended drought is bound to raise questions about Rodriguez’s
long-term resiliency. It’s crazy to even ask, but the Yankees have to wonder
which A-Rod will be occupying the cleanup spot in the postseason.

長期低潮會使人對A-Rod的長期戰力產生信心動搖。洋基隊可能得開始擔心季後賽時
A-Rod到底會狀況如何，畢竟他是打線裡關鍵的一員。

Will it be the one who was practically unstoppable last October, the one who
hit six home runs with 18 RBI? The one who finally broke through as a
mainstream Yankee? Rodriguez finally had turned off the spigot on his
narcissism, trading in the ego for a World Series ring. Taking down Barry
Bonds’ home run was the next soft target.

今年季後賽A-Rod會像去年一樣有6支全壘打、18分打點的超人表現嗎？去年A-Rod
終於以表現證明了他在洋基的地位，他終於走出自戀情結，放下身段，贏得世界大賽
冠軍戒。打破Barry Bonds的全壘打記錄是下一個目標。

But the quest for No. 600 has peeled away a few layers of A-Rod’s
psychological flesh, revealing the anxious, self-doubting A-Rod of old.
Forty-three at-bats are too many to blame bad mechanics. It’s all about
anxiety now, nourishing itself one failed plate appearance at a time.

但是在這嘗試突破600轟的過程裡，我們卻看到A-Rod又暴露出他以往焦慮、缺乏自信
的那一面。連續43個打席未開轟絕不只是因為單純的打擊姿勢出問題，跟他的心理焦慮
一定有關。這種焦慮隨著每次挑戰600轟失敗就愈形嚴重。

It’s up to Girardi to absorb the slings and arrows for Rodriguez, and he did
his best after the game. The manager said, “answering questions every day”
has taken its toll on the slugger. The point is at least partially valid.
Rodriguez faces scrutiny not just from the media, but from fans who exert a
unique pressure of their own.

Girardi必須替A-Rod辯駁，應對種種批評。賽後Girardi也的確盡力替A-Rod解釋，他
表示：「每天應付媒體的問題對A-Rod已經造成負面的影響。」這個說法某種程度
上的確有道理。A-Rod不只要面對媒體的放大鏡檢視，他還要承受來自球迷的壓力。

Rodriguez feels it with every swing now – a ballpark turned into a blinding
light show. There are literally tens of thousands of camera flashes in
A-Rod’s face now, even for a check swing. It’s a show of respect,
of course, but Girardi asked, “How can you not think about [No. 600]”
when every at-bat makes it feel another million miles away?

現在A-Rod每次上場打擊，球場上就出現一堆閃光燈猛拍，他的一舉一動都是無數相機
鏡頭的焦點。當然這表示他的明星地位和歷史紀錄備受矚目，但是Girardi不禁要問：
「每次挑戰失利，背負的壓力就更大。在這種狀況下，要怎麼保持平常心呢？」

Rodriguez actually is fighting a two-front war, both against his nerves and
Mother Nature. At 35, he’s clearly begun his decline phase – evidenced by
a 62 at-bat home run drought earlier this season and one that spanned 72
at-bats in 2009. Before 2010, Rodriguez averaged one home run every 14
at-bats; this year that ratio has plummeted to one every 23.

除了要挺得住壓力，A-Rod還要面對老化的問題。他35歲了，顯然已經開始走下坡，
數據上可見端倪。本季稍早前A-Rod曾經連續62個打席沒擊出全壘打，2009年球季還曾
連續72個打席沒開轟。在2010年之前，A-Rod平均每14個打席就會開轟，今年已經退步
到平均每23個打席開轟一次。

He’s reached the age that, without chemicals and amphetamines, the muscles
no longer fire as quickly. Recovery takes longer. He tires more easily. That,
coupled with the stress of the last two weeks, A-Rod’s bat feels heavier,
although he’s desperate enough for positive signs to have said, “I thought
I swung the bat a little better [Monday].”

到了這個年紀，如果沒有藥物幫助，肌肉反應會變遲鈍。受傷復原要花更久的時間，而且
比較容易累。加上近兩個禮拜以來沈重的壓力，A-Rod的打擊更不靈光了。A-Rod也只能強
作樂觀的說：「我覺得禮拜一那場比賽，我的揮棒動作有比較好了。」

In a perfect world, A-Rod would’ve slammed that historic home run in the
ninth inning off David Purcey, jump-starting a  comeback to keep the Bombers
in first place. But A-Rod’s grounder to Yunel Escobar was the Bombers’ last
gasp, and with it, the introduction of a new reality: the Rays are now
co-tenants atop the AL East.

如果一切照完美劇本演出的話，A-Rod在該場比賽應該可以在第九局從David Purcey手中
揮出創記錄的第600轟，帶起洋基隊反攻獲勝，保住王座。但是A-Rod最後擊出滾地球出局
，洋基反攻夢碎。美聯第一的戰績被光芒追平。

While the Yankees aren’t panicking, they’ve long since given up hope of
running away with the division as they did in 2009. Girardi said, “I’ve
said all along that this race is going to go down to the wire. We’re in a
very talented division.”

洋基雖然不感驚慌，但他們其實已經放棄了像2009球季雄霸分區，把其他球隊遠遠甩在
後頭的想望。Girardi表示：「我一直都說要等到最後才能分出高下，我們這個分區的球
隊可是都很強的。」

The Bombers desperately need to crack the code on Burnett’s inconsistency,
although as one talent evaluator said recently about the Yankees’
right-hander, “good luck with that.” Burnett was bludgeoned for eight runs
in 4 2/3 innings, and was booed thickly after finally getting knocked out.

雖然最近有位球探對AJ的表現前景不表樂觀，洋基還是需要趕快設法解決AJ不穩定的
問題。AJ這場球投了四又三分之二局，失八分，下場時被大噓特噓。

If A-Rod absorbed a fine mist, Burnett was soaked by the crowd’s animosity.
Girardi was nearly as impatient with the right-hander, who he said, “just
wasn’t hitting his spots, he wasn’t making his pitches.”

現在球迷對待A-Rod還可稱得上是客氣，AJ則是已經成為洋基球迷公敵了。Girardi也差不
多失去了耐性，他說AJ：「控球不到位，就是投不好。」

The Yankees have two months to fix Burnett; they expect Rodriguez will
self-repair much sooner than that. Logic and the law of averages say 600 is
so close it’s almost like a second skin now. But try telling that to the man
wandering in a desert that seems to stretch forever in front of him.

洋基還有兩個月的時間解決AJ的問題。至於A-Rod，洋基則是希望他能在短期內就自己
振作起來。無論依照常理推斷，或是依照A-Rod過去的數據表現來看，600轟都應是伸手
可及了。但是對A-Rod來說，創記錄還是遙遙無期。

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◆ From: 218.167.106.253
※ 編輯: Tamburlaine     來自: 218.167.106.253      (08/04 21:13)
推 NIKE74731   :感謝翻譯
推 jom217      :A-ROD~加油啊~我都快哭了@@ 心魔啊
推 a79777977   :看起來AJ比較慘這樣..
推 chancewen   :快找Kate幫助Arod恢復信心阿@@
推 evilvens    :壓力真的很大
推 jom217      :我想到去年A-ROD拿到冠軍用實力證明自己就很感動~
推 jom217      :誰有去年他熱淚盈框拿到冠軍的影片(清楚點的)
推 ymcdc       :壓力真的太大 加油
推 hhashoww    :阿肉加油!!
推 b0213       :肉哥加油!我還是挺你!
推 siliver     :等600轟一出爐,就豁然開朗了.
推 armyguy     :可能對到世仇紅襪就會爆發
推 NIKE74731   :現在比較希望600轟後慢慢加溫到季後賽 不過...季後賽
→ NIKE74731   :目前看起來也沒有很穩XD
→ rjv         :咦～季後賽的資格不是穩拿的嗎XD
推 zack0428    :加油阿  振作起來
推 DiCaprio    :明天對藍鳥開轟如何?
推 kenta79522  :反正明天要600轟了 ~"~
推 yffurdyeknom:心理這關真的不好過~
→ freeover    :肉哥  我還是支持你~  快度過600這難關吧!!
推 phchih      :我猜阿肉 600 轟之後洋基就要發威了.
推 jeff0323    :就是下一場了 大夥甭緊張
推 cappa       :噓啥不懂 要求太高了吧