[新聞] For Williams and Yankees, Clock Is Ticking

[Foresight (NDSL真是太好玩啦!)]

原文網址 http://tinyurl.com/3xn3cv

For Williams and Yankees, Clock Is Ticking
By TYLER KEPNER
Published: February 8, 2007

Bernie和洋基之間，進入倒數階段。

The next road trip on Bernie Williams’s schedule is not to Tampa, Fla., for
Yankees spring training. He will not be packing bats and gloves. Instead, he
will bring his guitar to a church in New Milford, Conn., tomorrow, for a
benefit concert with Chynna Phillips.

Bernie Williams的下一個行程並不是到坦帕灣參加洋基春訓。他並沒有打包他的手套和球
棒，而是帶著他的吉他到New Milford的教堂，參加Chynna Phillips的公益演唱會。

Williams, 38, has the rest of his life to appear at such events. He is an
accomplished guitarist, as anyone who has heard him strumming peacefully in
his corner locker at Yankee Stadium knows. But his days as a baseball player
are numbered.

38歲的Bernie，將在他接下來的生涯中，投入類似的活動。聽過他彈奏的人，都會同意他
是個夠資格的吉他手。但他的棒球生涯卻接近尾聲。

The question is whether they are over, officially. Williams does not want to
retire, and he does not want to leave the Yankees. But he does not want to
grovel for a meaningful job with them, either.

問題就在於是否會真的成真？Bernie本身並不想退休，更不想離開洋基。但他也堅持他對
這份工作的執著。

The Yankees do not want to beg Williams to accept the standing offer they
have made him. Williams has been invited to spring training as a nonroster
player, but with no guarantee of a spot when camp breaks on March 31.

但洋基球團態度也很硬，他們邀請Bernie來參加春訓，但不保證之後會將他納入正式球員
名單。

“Bernie right now is just focused on the Yankees,” his agent, Scott Boras,
said yesterday. “He really is. I know there is interest out there from a
number of other teams, but his focus is on the Yankees.”

"Bernie唯一的選擇就是洋基，" 經紀人Boras表示 "其他球團對他也有興趣，但他就只考
慮洋基而已。"

Other teams have offered Williams guaranteed major league contracts,
according to Boras. But the Yankees have no plans to make such an offer
because they do not envision Williams on their 25-man roster.

其他球隊願意給Bernie保證大聯盟合約，但洋基卻沒有，洋基並未考慮將Bernie放入25人
名單中。

The Yankees plan to carry 12 pitchers and two first basemen, not including
Jason Giambi, who will become the full-time designated hitter. There is room
for only one reserve outfielder, Melky Cabrera.

洋基計畫在名單中放入12名投手，另外，除了專任DH的Giambi，再放上兩名一壘手，這樣
的話，外野手就只剩下一個空缺，給了Melky Cabrera。

Last spring, the Yankees had a comparable roster crunch in the bullpen. They
had space for two left-handed relievers, Mike Myers and Ron Villone, but
agreed to let the veteran Al Leiter come to camp as a nonroster player.

去年春天，洋基牛棚投手較為擁擠，他們留了位置給兩位中繼左投，Mike Myers和
Ron Villone。另外也讓老投手Al Leiter回來試試身手。

That was a new role for Leiter, who had 19 years in the majors. The
difference is that Leiter was ready to retire and mostly wanted to stay in
shape for the World Baseball Classic. Williams, who hit .281 last season,
wants to keep playing.

Al Leiter打滾了19年，他已經準備退休，讓大家對他的印象停留在經典賽的表現。但
Bernie則是想繼續在球場上奮戰。

“I was 40, and Bernie’s 38,” Leiter said yesterday. “So he’s probably
working out, and he feels good. It’s a tough spot, it really is, for him and
the Yankees. I would say, if it’s about playing, he should find the best
opportunity to play. And if he wants to play, his best opportunity is not
with the Yankees.”

"我已經40了，而Bernie才38" Leiter表示 "他還能打，不過他和洋基之間的關係似乎難解
。我必須說，如果他還想打，他就該找到最好的機會，可是最好的機會並不是待在洋基。"

Williams could accept the Yankees’ invitation and hope he makes the team,
either through an injury to an outfielder or a trade of Cabrera. And if the
Yankees end up with no spot for him, Williams would at least have showcased
himself for other teams.

Bernie可以接受洋基的邀請，並努力求取進入球隊的機會，或是等待外野手的受傷，以及
Cabrera被交易。即使洋基最後沒有給他機會，至少還有到其他球隊的可能性。

In a way, though, Manager Joe Torre could be the most important factor. Torre
is loyal to Williams, and he could decide to take only 11 pitchers in April,
effectively postponing a decision on a player he deeply respects.

總教練Joe Torre有可能是扭轉局勢最重要的因素。Torre很重視Bernie，他可以決定名單
中只放進11名投手，而擺進Bernie。

For now, Torre could probably convince Williams to come to camp with one
phone call. If Torre tells Williams that he truly wants him in Tampa — even
without the promise of a job in April — it seems likely that Williams would
go.

現在，Torre只需打一通電話，就可以說服Bernie來參加訓練營。只要Torre告訴Bernie他
很希望他能夠來坦帕灣，就算沒有進入名單的保證，相信Bernie也會去。

There is compelling statistical data to keep the switch-hitting Williams in
pinstripes. In 133 at-bats against left-handers last season, he hit .323 with
seven home runs. In 127 at-bats against lefties, Giambi batted .213 with nine
home runs.

有一個數據對Bernie繼續穿條紋制服有利，在Bernie面對左投的133個打席中，他有著
3成23打擊率以及7發全壘打，而Giambi的127個打席，僅有2成13打擊率和9發全壘打。

Torre has always dismissed the idea of trying Williams at first base, and the
Yankees seem intent on keeping Andy Phillips or Josh Phelps as a right-handed
complement to Doug Mientkiewicz. But given his success against left-handers,
Williams theoretically could share the D.H. spot with Giambi.

Torre一直都嘗試忘掉讓Bernie守一壘的想法，洋基球團也傾向讓Andy Phillips和
Josh Phelps成為Mientkiewicz的右打備胎。但Bernie對左投如此有心得，也許他可以跟
Giambi分擔DH的責任。

In any case, Williams is unlikely to approach his playing time of last
season, when he had 420 at-bats. He has seemed uncomfortable as a
pinch-hitter and is no longer ideal for pinch-running or late-inning defense.

無論如何，Bernie上季的表現不像是最後一季，尤其他打了420個打席。但他並不勝任代
打或是只在球賽後段上場跑跑龍套。

One American League general manager, who was granted anonymity because he did
not want to speak publicly about a player who was not on his team, praised
Williams for his class and experience. But he also questioned Williams’s
value on the field.

一位匿名的美聯球隊總管，稱讚Bernie的風度和經驗，但他也對Bernie在球場上的價值存
疑。

“There is not enough offense to consider him an offensive bench player or
enough defense to consider him a defensive bench player,” the general
manager said. “His skills are trending down, and at his age there is very
little reason to believe he will reverse the trend at all this season.”

"他在攻守兩端都已無法為球隊盡力，" 這位總管表示 "他的各項技巧都已衰退，而他的年
紀也不太可能讓他在本季恢復往日的身手。"

In spite of that, if Williams comes to spring training, there will probably
be strong public pressure on Torre to keep him. Williams has the longest
tenure of any Yankee, with 16 seasons in the Bronx.

但是，如果Bernie參加了春訓，Torre將會難以決定要不要留下他。畢竟，Bernie是洋基隊
史上待了最久的球員，足足有16年之久。

It is hard to imagine Torre cutting Williams to make space for Phillips,
Phelps or a 12th pitcher. Then again, it is also hard to imagine Williams
risking the indignity of ending his career by being cut in spring training.

很難想像Torre會為了留下Phillips、Phelps或12名投手而捨棄Bernie；另一方面，也很難
想像Bernie會冒著被捨棄而難堪退休的風險。

“You’re going to be dealing with baseball evaluations, but still — it’s
Bernie Williams,” Leiter said. “He’s a guy who’s going to go down as one
of the great Yankees in the history of the team. You have to be sensitive to
it.”

"你可以用球場上的價值來看待這件事，但他是Bernie Williams，" Leiter說 "他會是洋
基史上最偉大的球員之一，你必須認真看待這一點。"

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◆ From: 220.132.140.147
※ 編輯: Foresight       來自: 220.132.140.147      (02/08 23:15)
推 iuchun1010:紫色眼睛快瞎了= =
推 tzuyiwiki:其實我覺得Giambi不比Bernie好阿..更別說Phillips了
→ tzuyiwiki:年紀跟守備位置才是問題吧..年輕外野手太多了..
推 deanjou:我真的好愛老Bernie唷! 開始看大聯盟的時候他還在中心打者
→ deanjou:但是不管怎樣 都不會是冒著被捨棄而"難堪"退休吧!!
推 uranusjr:Giambi 不比 Williams 好, 這看法還滿具獨特性的
推 richertkk:我想應該是唱歌的能力吧..XD..唱歌大吉一定狂輸...XD
推 youngstory:唉  真是個現實的問題
推 asdfzx:Bernie的專輯超好聽的
推 eilgreen:如果是打DH的話 現在的吉昂比狂勝阿
推 krara:一直想說他可能會練1B，現在= =
推 scarad:唱歌的大吉讓我想到胖虎 囧
推 ryokofan:可是Bernie重要時刻上場的話全主場都會很嗨 XD