重回達拉斯的Juwan Howard

當打了13個球季，平均每場16.1分並且可抓7.1個籃板的Juwan Howard重回小牛時，許多小牛迷可能會想，我們的禁區可以硬一點了，甚至打趣地說是否會出現所謂的JJ連線或者Howard連線(加上我們陣中已有的Josh Howard)。

(NBA.com)

Rick Ankiel的過往日子 (5)

The article is translated from A mound of troubles
The New York Times Magazine-- Pat Jordan

I am standing off to the side, watching Rick. He is sitting at a picnic table under the shade of a banyan tree on a sunny Florida afternoon in December. He is surrounded by little boys and girls, foster children who have come to Fort Lauderdale Stadium(註一) to watch celebrity athletes and models and singers play a softball game for their benefit. After an autograph session, Rick walks back to the baseball field for the game. He is a tall, husky youth with blond tints in his short, sandy hair. He walks in that plodding, hunched-over manner of young athletes not yet used to being gawked at. 
作者在一旁看著 Rick。現在是12月某個充滿陽光的佛羅里達午後，他坐在榕樹樹蔭下的野餐桌。他的身旁圍繞著許多來自寄養家庭的小朋友，這些小朋友來到 Fort Lauderdale Stadium 參觀一場由傑出運動員，模特兒，歌手進行的慈善壘球賽。自由拍照的時間過後，Rick走回比賽的場地。高壯的他染了一頭短金髮，卻沒有精神地蹣跚而行。

Rick Ankiel的過往日子 (4)

The article is translated from A mound of troubles
The New York Times Magazine-- Pat Jordan

In 1998 and 1999, Rick sailed through the minors, never lasting more than a few months in one league before being promoted to the next level. His first year, he was 3-0 at Peoria before advancing to Prince William, where he finished 9-6, with 181 strikeouts in 126 innings. In 1999, he started the season at AA Arkansas, where he won six times without a loss, and was promoted to AAA Memphis, where he went 7-3. With that, the St. Louis sports media began clamoring for Rick's promotion to the Cardinals.
98與99兩年，Ankiel在小聯盟晉升地相當順利。98年在紅雀1A Peoria 投出三勝零負之後，被升到高階1A的 Prince William，126局中投出181次三振，取得九勝六負。隔年 (1999)，他從2A Arkansas出發，六勝零負的完美成績又將他帶到了3A Memphis，留下七勝三負的成績，當地媒體就紛紛討論著該讓安凱爾上大聯盟了 (這兩年的 SO/BB 更是接近4:1，詳見此)。

Rick Ankiel (by Rick Bowmer/AP)

Rick Ankiel的過往日子 (3)

The article is translated from A mound of troubles
The New York Times Magazine--Pat Jordan

Rick says he had a "Tom Sawyer kind of boyhood" in sleepy Fort Pierce. He went barefoot every day, swam in the ocean, dove off piers, fished for snook in the Indian River and put on shoes only to play Little League baseball. He says he wasn't a very good player in Little League. "I was always the smallest kid," he says. "I was terribly shy. Maybe it was because my dad yelled at me so much. I was afraid to mess up." 
Rick說他在寧靜的皮爾斯堡有著 "Tom Sawyer (註一)般的孩童時期"，他每天都ㄊㄥˋ洽咖 (台語)，不是在海中游泳，在碼頭跳水，不然就在 Indian River (註二)釣魚，只有在參加少棒聯盟 (Little League baseball，簡稱LLB，國內俗稱威廉波特少棒賽)時才會穿上鞋子。他說他在聯盟中不是很出色"我總是雄細漢ㄟ(台語)"，"我以前超級害羞的，也許是我的父親常對我大吼，我害怕搞砸一切"。

2換6，Dan Haren到Arizona

根據MLB官網報導，A's完成了與響尾蛇的交易，將去年勝場數及三振都是career high, 防禦率是career low(同時也是美聯第三低)的右投Dan Haren加上2004年第31輪選進的投手Connor Robertson換來了六名潛力新秀。


Dan Haren (AP)

Rick Ankiel的過往日子 (2)

Steve Blass在71年世界大賽獲得兩場勝投，
72年球季賽取得19勝，之後就只贏過三場比賽 (AP)

The article is translated from A mound of troubles
The New York Times Magazine--Pat Jordan

What happened to Rick Ankiel and Von McDaniel has befallen a number of major league pitchers over the years, most notably Herb Score of the Cleveland Indians in the 1950's, Steve Blass of the Pittsburgh Pirates in the 1970's and Mark Wohlers of the Atlanta Braves in the 1990's. They had a lot in common: blinding youthful talent, sudden success, thoughtful and intelligent natures. They were all nice guys, humble men, who somehow never trusted their success. It came too quickly. They didn't deserve it. What if they lost it? Indeed, Von McDaniel once said that "maybe things came too easily." 
除了降臨在 Ankiel以及 McDaniel 身上的不幸之外 (回顧一下慘狀)，大聯盟歷史上也有好幾位大聯盟投手發生類似的情況，特別是50年代克里夫蘭印地安人隊的 Herb Score，70年代匹茲堡海盜隊的 Steve Blass (73,74年)，90年代亞特蘭大勇士隊的 Mark Wohlers (99年) 。在他們身上可以找到一些共通點: 耀眼的資質，快速成名以及細膩且具有智慧的天性。他們同樣是謙虛和善的人，但不知為何沒有成功。事情來得太快，也非他們應得的，又為何會失去呢?  McDaniel 曾說過"也許是事情都太順利了"

Rick Ankiel 的過往日子 (1)

今年九月初，聖路易紅雀的外野手 Rick Ankiel (安凱爾)展現了一連串的長打能力 (9月6日更是四之三包含HR*2 2B*1，共七分打點)，當時看到 lannkyle介紹，了解到 Ankiel是位棄投從打的選手。而 Ankiel好不容易以打者身分有所表現後，卻又屋漏偏逢連夜雨地傳出因疑似服用 HGH (human growth hormone)接受調查。

台南人的統一獅 三商虎迷的台南人

我相信統一企業在台南這數十年來的經營，在台南人心中有相當的認同感。基於地緣關係，很多台南人都會支持統一獅；統一跟台南球場的關係，確實在台灣職棒有著所謂主場一詞，無論是名義上的劃分以及實質上的認養與用心。記得這幾年經過台南球場時，三壘側外的球員大布幔，著實讓我驚奇了一下(以往只有明星賽或者特別的邀請賽，正門才有相關布幔，球場兩側之外好像好少會出現些什麼)，在台南廣播電台的廣告中不時也可以聽到球員的聲音，為活動或商品宣傳之類的。