然而，本期新的運動畫刊為建仔寫了專文，真是不簡單，王建民是我國最棒的正面能量催眠機器，這個巨大機器勝投時，島上會有極多人口歡欣鼓舞下帶動經濟消費，也無怪乎建仔若勝投，股市都會有好表現。瞧建仔這麼神奇，上天呀，再來幾個王建民吧！以下為運動畫刊原文與譯文，中文譯寫由熱血網友處理，請為這款佛心默默付出的好人給點掌聲。He's just one man, one man with just one pitch. The ball comes at hitters on a flat plane, thigh-high, at somewhere betwe en 90 and 95 mph, then it takes a sudden plunge, some seven to eight inches toward the dirt. It's a pitch that's won him more games over the last two years than any other hurler in major league baseball, a pitch that's turned him into the ace of the most famous sports franchise in the world. It's a pitch, his countrymen insist, that influences the stock market in the world's 19th-largest economy, a pitch that has made him the biggest sports star to come out of Asia since Yao Ming, a pitch that, on this sultry January afternoon in Tainan, Taiwan, is the reason why he can't have a piece of cake.
他只是個普通人，一個會投一種球種的普通人。這顆球是朝著打擊者平坦的飛來，速度約在90-95英哩之間，然後突然快速的下降，降幅約往地面直落7-8英吋之間。這個球種讓他在過去二年贏得比其他在大聯盟中的投手更多的勝場數。這個球種讓他成為全世界最有名的運動集團的王牌投手。這個球種，他的同胞堅持的認為，能夠影響全世界第十九大經濟體的股市波動。這個球種，讓他自從姚明後，成為來自亞州最有名的明星球員。這球種，是他無法在台灣，台南，一個炎熱的一月份下午，簡單的擁有他想吃的紅豆車輪餅。(台南的真的比較好吃)
He sits in the passenger seat of a midnight-blue minivan with tinted windows as it squeezes through a swarm of cars and motorbikes, on the city's main avenue. Peering through the side window he spots a line of customers at a street vendor's cart and decides that he wants what they want: a small piece of cake stuffed with red bean -- a local specialty he won't be able to get once he returns to the U.S. in another week. But because he is Chien-Ming Wang, pitcher for the New York Yankees, he can't step out of his vehicle, or even roll down his window, without making news in the next day's papers. "The street food, it's what I miss most in America," he says in a rare moment of wistfulness. Wang could dispatch his bodyguard, Daniel, who is driving, but left waiting in a parked van, Wang would surely be recognized through the front windshield. It happened two years ago, when, on his way home from the airport, a mob of more than a thousand blocked the narrow street to his home. For more than a hour, he sat with his wife in a stationary car, surrounded by the throng until 40 policemen arrived.
小王他在半夜，坐在一台備著深色玻璃窗、藍色廂型車的乘客座上，窗外有一群群的機車及驕車開過。開在市區的主要街道上，透過車窗向外凝視，他看著街邊一個推著車的小販，車前有著排隊的群眾，他決定了他也想要那些排隊人們要的：小小的麵團裡面包有紅豆 – 一種特別的、再一個星期後，他回到美國就吃不到的小吃但是，因為他是紐約洋基的投手王建民，為了避免登上了隔天的報紙頭條，他不能自己走出車外，甚至是拉下車窗。“路邊攤，是我在美國最想念的東西。”他說話時透露出罕見的渴望神情。小王他派了他的保鏢，也是他的司機Daniel去排隊，但是他離開了排隊的人潮回到停好的車上。因為小王無疑的，能輕易透過車前的檔風玻璃被認出來，這樣的情形發生在二年前，當他由機場回家的路上，超過千名瘋狂的群眾檔在他回家狹窄的路上超過一個小時，他和他的太太坐在停止的車上，直到40名的警察到來。
So to the notion of buying a piece of cake, Wang says, "Forget it," and the van rolls on, headed to a gym, where it pulls up to the rear entrance. Inside, he walks through a succession of darkened rooms and into an empty workout area. He lifts weights for an hour. Other than for the rare public appearance, trips to the gym are pretty much the only times that he leaves his apartment in Tainan, his off-season home. Some 7,800 miles from New York City, in his native country -- where his famously stoic face gazes from billboards, ATMs, credit cards, cellphones, bags of potato chips, milk cartons; where the people call him, simply, Taiwan zhiguang (the pride and glory of Taiwan) -- Chien-Ming Wang is everywhere and nowhere, a hero and a prisoner. For an intensely private, excruciatingly shy 28-year-old, being a national icon is a heavy burden. "It's crazy," he says in his slow and soft voice. "I think, This is strange. I'm just one man."
所以，想像著買這小小的紅豆餅，小王說“算了吧～”車子再度開動，前往健身房。車子停在後面，他經過幾間暗暗的房間，走進無人的健身區。他練舉重約一個小時，除了少數的民眾出現，在台南，健身房是他離開他住的公寓後唯一去的地方。他休季時的家，距離紐約市約7,800英哩的地方，他的故鄉 – 有著一大堆地方有著他著名面無表情的臉龐，ATM、信用卡、手機、洋芋片上袋子的照片、牛奶盒等等。人們簡單的稱呼他為“台灣之光”-- 在他的家鄉，王建民是位於四面八方且無所不在的，他是名英雄、也是名囚犯。對這位極度重視隱私、又超極害羞的28歲大男孩而言，做為一個全國性的偶像是個沉重的負擔。“這實在太瘋狂了”他用他緩慢而柔和的聲音說道“我想，這真的的奇怪，我只是一個人而己啊！”
With the start of the 2008 baseball season, he was back on the front pages of the Taiwanese newspapers, back as the lead story on so many of the country's television news shows. Yes, it was a thrill to win his first Opening Day start, and, yes, he came within a fluke home run (rightfielder Bobby Abreu mistimed his leap on a catchable fly ball) and a bunt single of a no-hitter against the Red Sox last Friday night. Yet, the best start of his four-year big league career doesn't wash away the disappointment of last October. Six months ago he sat alone in the home dugout, a blank stare of disbelief on his face as a grisly silence enveloped Yankee Stadium during Game 4 of the American League Division Series. It was only the second inning, and already Wang had been yanked after retiring just three hitters while allowing four runs -- a meltdown that came four days after he'd been hammered for eight runs over 4 2/3 innings in New York's Game 1 loss. When the night was over, after his team had been eliminated by the Cleveland Indians, there was no way around it: Tagged with two of his team's three postseason defeats, Wang was the one player most responsible for yet another premature Yankees playoff exit.
隨著2008年的棒球球季開始，他又再次回到台灣報紙的頭版頭條，回到了所有有線電視頻道的主要焦點。是的，他在開幕戰的第一場表現的極其亮眼，是的，他在上週五晚間，那場對上紅襪子出現怪異全壘打（可能為右外野手錯估時間而沒接到的飛球）及被偷點而打破無安打的比賽，可說是他到目前為止四年的大聯盟生涯最好的比賽。然而，這並沒有洗刷掉他在去年十月時的失望。在6個月前，他獨自一個人坐在主場的休息室前，可怕的沉默包圍著不敢相信的表情和空洞的眼神出現在他臉上，那是在洋基球場上演的美聯分區賽的第四場比賽。那時才第二局而己，而小王己被打出三支安打失了四分被噓下場 – 在紐約第一場在4 2/3局中失了八分的第一場後的相隔四天，被再次擊敗。在他的隊伍被克里夫蘭印地安人淘汰的那晚結束，沒有地方可閃躲，背負著他的隊伍，三場比賽中失敗的二場的敗戰標籤貼在他身上，他是最需要承擔洋基無預期被提早淘汰的主要原因。
Wang had been exposed as a one-pitch anomaly, or so said the baseball cognoscenti, the scribes and the sabermetricians who've long proclaimed the 6' 3", 225-pound righthander the beneficiary of a large amount of good fortune. How else to explain why a pitcher with a minuscule strikeout rate, who misses fewer bats than almost every other major league starter, could be so successful? No, Wang's October wasn't just a pair of fluke performances in an otherwise accomplished season, nor was it the result of a tired arm, but rather the sign of something larger. This, the skeptics said, was perhaps where the end began.
小王一直被認為是只有ㄧ個球種的異數-- 至少所謂的棒球專家, 數據派, 球評記者長久以來都宣稱，這位6尺3寸 225磅的右投手受惠於龐大的(打擊)後盾，要不然如何能解釋一個三振率極低 被打擊率比聯盟其他投手還高的投手可以如此的成功呢？不，小王十月的表現不會只是一個傑出球季後的偶然，也不是手臂疲倦，反而看來像是某種更大的意義，抱持懷疑者態度的人說，也許小王已經不行了。
Situated on a coastal plain in western Taiwan, 170 miles south of Taipei, Tainan is the country's fourth-largest city and is known for its greasy street snacks, for its ornate ancient temples and for baseball. During Taiwan's nearly three decades of dominance in the Little League World Series -- between 1969 and '96, a Taiwanese team left Williamsport, Pa., with the winner's trophy 17 times -- Tainan produced five of those world champions.
位於台灣西南方、距離台北南方約170英哩，台南是台灣第四大的縣／市，因地方小吃、因古代廟宇華麗裝潢、因棒球而聞名。台灣近三十年間，在少棒世界系列賽中 – 在1969及1996中間，台灣隊伍贏下威廉波特少棒賽的冠軍高達17次，而台南，產生了5次冠軍。
Tainan is also the home of the three Taiwanese players in the major leagues today: Wang has been joined by Chin-Lung Hu and Hong-Chih Kuo, both with the Los Angeles Dodgers. The No. 3 prospect in the Dodgers system as rated by Baseball America, and the most valuable player of last year's MLB Futures Game, Hu, 24, is a diminutive, slick-fielding shortstop who is expected to replace Rafael Furcal after Furcal's contract runs out at the end of this season. Kuo, a 26-year-old lefthanded pitcher with a linebacker's build, is regarded by scouts as the most naturally gifted pitcher to come out of Taiwan; two years ago he was L.A.'s Game 2 pitcher in a first-round playoff series against the New York Mets, but he has since been slowed by arm injuries and moved to the bullpen.
台南同時也是目前三位在大聯盟中球員的故鄉。小王及效力於洛杉磯道奇的郭泓志及胡金龍。被評定道奇農場系統內第三名的潛力新人同時也是去年MLB明日之星最有價值球員的胡金龍今年24歲，是位個子驕小的游擊手，預計取代在今年合約結束的Rafael Furcal。小小郭，今年26歲的左投手，有著像足球後衛的身材，球探視他為台灣最佳天生的投手．二年前，他是道奇隊季後賽第二戰對上紐約大都會的先發投手，但那之後，因為手臂受傷的關係而讓的速度有些減慢，他現在從牛棚重新出發。
Hu and Kuo are everything that Wang is not: bubbly, charismatic, at ease in the public eye. But they are not nearly as famous as the Yankees righthander, whose success story is known throughout Taiwan. The adopted son of workers in a metal utensil manufacturing company, Wang played Little League but was never regarded as a standout while growing up in Tainan. "In high school, he was kind of terrible," says Louis Yu, a sportswriter who covered Wang then. "He was tall and very, very skinny. His delivery wasn't smooth, and his fastball was not impressive."
小小郭和小胡有著一切小王所沒有的，情緒外露的、有吸引力的，在公開場合能夠很自在。但是他們並沒有像這位，成功故事傳遍台灣大街小巷的洋基右投手般的有名。一個五金行老闆所收養的兒子，這位從小就打棒球但在台南的成長過程中也從沒有多卓越突出。“在高中時，他看來有些嚇人”一位長時間報導小王的記者Louis Yu說“他很高，但是非常、非常、非常的瘦，他的投球看來並不頂順，而他的快速球，也沒有多令人印象深刻。
After two-hitting Boston last Friday, Wang was 3-0 with a 1.23 ERA.
上週五在芬威球場，建仔讓小紅襪打出兩支安打完成比賽；建仔目前成績是3勝，自責失分率是1.23
In 1998 Wang enrolled at the Taipei Physical Education College, about the same time Taiwanese-born Chin-hui Tsao was turning the heads of the Colorado Rockies, who would sign the righthanded pitcher in October 1999. By Wang's second year of college, he began showing a low-90s fastball, which caught the attention of the Seattle Mariners, who offered Wang a $1 million signing bonus in May 2000. "The first time we saw him in a nine-inning game," says Mariners scout Jamey Storvick, "he threw harder as the game went along. That's one thing we liked: He took it to another level in pressure situations." Seattle, however, didn't know that Yankees scout John Cox and team international scouting director Gordon Blakeley had seen Wang pitch in a college tournament in Taipei. Just as Wang was about to sign with Seattle, with him and his family sitting at home in Tainan wearing Mariners caps, New York swooped in with a $1.9 million offer. "While we knew Tsao could be a star," Yu says, "Wang never had a great game in high school or college like him. People in Taiwan were surprised [the Yankees] gave him so much money. No one thought he could be a star."
1998年，建仔到台北體院就讀，約在同一時間，台灣選手曹錦輝和科羅拉多洛磯隊在99年10月簽約。
上二年級時，建仔展現91~93英哩的球，引起西雅圖水手隊的注意，他們在2000年五月時向建仔提出一份1百萬美元簽約金外加津貼的合約。『我們第一次看到他已是第九局時…』水手隊的球探Jamey Storvick說『他面無表情的完成這一場比賽，這是我們喜歡的，他的抗壓境界極高…』。
當時水手隊並不知道洋基的球探John Cox跟國際球探組織頭頭Gordon Blakeley已在台北的校際聯賽中看過建仔的表現，在台南，當建仔跟他的家人們戴上水手隊的球帽、即將跟水手隊簽約的時候，洋基隊殺出來提供190萬美元的簽約金，『我們知道小曹可能成為明星』體育記者余先生說『建仔在高中跟大學時未曾有過像小曹一樣的優秀表現，台灣的人們還很訝異洋基提供建仔這麼高的簽約金！當時沒人想到建仔會成為明星…』
Fourteen starts into his professional career Wang blew out his shoulder and sat out the entire 2001 season following surgery. He was told by the Yankees that he had to bag his out pitch, the slider, to ease the stress on his arm. In the summer of '04 he learned the pitch that would change his career. During a bullpen session shortly after his promotion to Triple A Columbus, Clippers pitching coach Neil Allen approached him with a suggestion. "Try this," Allen said to Wang, holding the ball with his index and middle fingers along the seams that framed the ball's sweet spot. "ush harder here," he said, tapping his index finger against the ball.
職業棒球生涯開始14場比賽後，建仔因為治療肩膀而休息，一直到2001年整個球季結束。
洋基球團跟建仔說他必須調整他的滑球動作以減緩手臂的壓力。
2004年夏天建仔學習新的投球技術可能改變他的職業生涯。
在建仔被升到3A球隊不久後，某次在牛棚練投時，投手教練Neil Allen走向建仔並提供他的意見。
『試試這個』Allen教練跟建仔說並示範用食指跟中指控制棒球的縫線處。
『由這裡施力』Allen教練示範食指的施力點。
Wang began throwing and, he recalls, "the ball started to drop." It took only a few starts in Columbus before the sinker became his signature pitch, and the results were immediate: Wang finished the year 5-1 with a 2.01 ERA. The following April he was called up to replace the injured Jaret Wright in the Yankees' rotation and went 8-5 with a 4.02 ERA while logging the third-most innings (116 1/3) among the team's starters in 2005. Wang's sinker gradually earned a reputation as one of the game's filthiest pitches. "An ultimate weapon, like Johan Santana and his changeup," says Yankees pitcher Andy Pettitte. "It's the best sinker I've ever seen."
建仔開始練習，他回憶說『球開始會往下掉…』
建仔在3A只待了一段時間，當建仔成為伸卡球投手後，成績立即顯現出來：這一年建仔在3A 5勝1負，自責失分率2.01。
隔年(2005)的四月建仔被從3A徵召到洋基取代因傷休息的輪值先發投手Jaret Wright，
2005年建仔拿下8勝5負，自責失分率4.02，而他的投球局數也是球隊中第三多的116 又1/3局，
建仔的伸卡球逐漸出名，成為比賽中「最邪惡」的投球。
『那是一種終極武器…就像山塔那的變化球一樣厲害…』洋基的派帥說『這是我所見過最上乘的伸卡球…』
Halfway around the globe, in a baseball-crazed country starved for somebody to root for, Wangmania took off. In Taiwan, fans had been heartbroken by the decision of the Chinese Taipei baseball association in 1997 to pull out of Little League World Series competition rather than abide by a rule that allowed only schools or districts with enrollments of under 1,000 to participate. (The island returned to competition in 2003.) And while there has been a professional league in Taiwan since the early 1990s, a series of gambling scandals in the late '90s precipitated a massive drop in attendance. "Baseball has been in the Taiwanese people's blood since it was brought here by the Japanese some 100 years ago," says Ben Shao, press director of the Taipei Economic and Cultural Office, "and Wang is the baseball star we've been waiting to pour our hearts into."
在地球的另一端，有一個非常瘋迷棒球的國家，人們渴望能為某人加油。
王建民熱開始。
在台灣，1997年時球迷因為中華台北棒球聯盟選擇離開世界少棒聯盟而不是遵守由學校或是登記在1000人以下的區域隊伍參賽而傷心 (台灣在2003年重回世界少棒聯盟) ，90年初台灣也有職棒聯盟，末期因為一連串的簽賭醜聞加速球迷觀眾的流失，『大約百年前日本引進棒球運動到台灣之後，棒球就充斥在台灣人的血液之中』台灣經濟貿易文化辦事處新聞局長Ben Shao說『而建仔正是我們等待已久、傾心支持的棒球明星』
After his rookie season Wang returned home to a hero's welcome, receiving an invitation to meet President Chen Shui-Bian. By the time Wang returned home after the 2006 season, in which he went 19-6 with a 3.63 ERA and finished second in American League Cy Young voting, he was more popular than the president. "There's no question that he has more impact than anyone else in our country," says Shao. "The way we look at it, a president is in office for no more than eight years, then someone else comes along. Wang, he's everlasting."
建仔在第一年菜鳥球季之後回國，受到英雄式的歡迎，並受陳水扁總統邀請見面。
2006年球季結束，建仔帶著19勝6負，自責失分率3.63，美聯賽揚獎第二名的優秀成績回家，建仔比總統更受到歡迎！
『毫無疑問的！在我們國家他比任何人都更有影響力！』蕭先生說『在我們看來，總統(的影響力)頂多八年，但建仔(的影響力)是永遠的！』
Now Taiwan's major newspapers charge a higher advertising rate for issues published on a day that Wang pitches, as well as the day after each start. The country's largest circulation daily, Apple Daily, estimates that it sells as many as 300,000 extra papers on days that carry reports of another Wang victory. Endorsements that have come Wang's way include McDonald's, Ford, E Sun Bank (one of the largest in Taiwan) and computer-maker Acer, which claims that Wang's name alone has increased its product sales by 10% and lowered the average age of its consumer by almost four years.
現在台灣的主要新聞媒體，在有建仔出賽的當天跟隔天的廣告費都比一般時候高，
國內發行量最大的蘋果日報估計，當天若有報導建仔獲勝的新聞將會比平日多賣出30萬份。
建仔的影響力還可以從這些地方看出：麥當勞、福特汽車、玉山銀行及電腦製造商宏碁電腦，
宏碁表示以建仔命名的「建仔紀念機」銷售量提升百分之10而且購買年齡層下降4歲。
A lagging economy, political scandal (the president's wife, Wu Shu-Chen, and three aides were charged with embezzlement, while former Vice Interior Minister Yen Wan-Ching was recently convicted in a bribery case) and escalating tensions with China have made this a nervous time for the Taiwanese people. "Wang, he's our only consensus," says Shao. Referring to the government's combative legislative branch, which is renowned for in-chamber brawling among lawmakers, Shao says, "When our congressmen are debating, they'll stop their fighting, watch Wang pitch, then go back to fighting when the inning is over."
經濟衰退、政治醜聞(省略不翻)及台海間的形勢在在都使台灣人民覺得不安，『建仔是大家唯一的共識』蕭先生說。以好爭鬥的立法院(以立法委員吵架而聞名)為例，蕭先生說『當我們的立委在爭論時，他們會先停下辯論來看建仔的球賽，比賽結束之後再繼續爭吵…』
Last year a study in a Taiwanese business journal, Money Weekly, found a correlation between Wang's pitching performances and the fluctuations of the Taiwan Stock Exchange. The report attributed a 25% index rise last summer to Wang's strong June and July. "We absolutely believe it to be true," Shao says of the relationship between Wang's performance and last summer's bull market. "sychologically, how [Wang] does has a huge effect on the Taiwanese people. If he does well, people are in a good mood, and they go out and spend money. If he doesn't, you walk around and you can see people depressed. It's a very personal matter to the Taiwanese people." (For the record, the country's stock index was up roughly 6%, through Monday, since Wang's first start this season, on April 1.)
去年台灣的一份商業雜誌「理財周刊」研究發現了建仔勝投跟股市波動的關聯性，
研究報告顯示去年6、7月建仔狀況好時，股市上升約百分之25，
『我們絕對相信這是真的！』蕭先生提到建仔表現跟股市上升的關聯性表示，
『建仔的表現對台灣人民的心情會有很大的影響！當他表現很好時，大家心情就好，就會外出、花錢 ，若不然，你就會發現周遭多人看起來都很沮喪 (像這樣 )…(建仔的表現)對每個台灣人來說都很重要』
In their coverage of pop stars and politicians, the Taiwanese papers can be as cruel as the New York tabloids; when it comes to their Taiwan zhiguang, they generally do not pry into his personal life. (Still, six Taiwanese TV networks, four newspapers and a wire service have reporters in the U.S. covering him on a daily basis during the season.) The reason Wang isn't a star in New York City, where he freely walks the streets undisturbed, is the same reason that so many Taiwanese embrace him: Fans see Wang as humble, quietly hardworking, uncontroversial. "He's like a good son, or someone you can meet in your own neighborhood," says Wen Lee, a press officer for the Taipei Economic and Cultural Center. "The [Taiwanese] media, they know about this image. They could write about the expensive jewelry he buys, but they don't. They don't want to hurt the image." The Nike billboards that tower over downtown Taipei show Wang zipping his lips with his fingers next to the Chinese character for silent, and the words i just pitch.
台灣報紙對當地的明星或政治家可以像紐約報紙一樣殘酷無情，
但對他們的台灣之光 (Taiwan zhiguang)，他們通常不會窺探他的隱私，
(但仍然有 6家電視台、4家新聞媒體及1家新聞通訊社有派駐記者在美國，在球季中報導建仔的新聞)
建仔在紐約還不算是明星的原因是因為他可以自由自在、不受干擾的在街上行走，不像台灣有許多人看到建仔會圍住他，
球迷認為建仔謙虛、安靜、努力並且不主動引起注意，
『他就像個好孩子或是鄰居的小孩一樣！』台灣經濟貿易文化辦事處新聞處李文說『台灣的媒體知道建仔的形象好，他們大可以寫建仔也會花錢買名牌…但是他們不會…他們不會傷害建仔的形象』
矗立在台北市中心的Nike廣告牌上，建仔緊閉雙唇、手指指著「安靜」兩個字，旁邊寫上「我只投球」
Wang, exiting Game 4, was shelled by Cleveland twice in the Division Series last fall, giving voice to his doubters.
去年秋天，小王在分區系列戰第四戰被印弟安人打爆，讓質疑他的人有話可說。
On the Yankees, Wang has no close friends. He has known second baseman Robinson Cano the longest -- the two rose through the minors together and were promoted to the majors within a week of each other in the spring of 2005 -- but neither can recall the last time they socialized outside the ballpark. "[Wang] sits there and goes through all his stacks of fan mail," says Yankees centerfielder Johnny Damon, who has lockered next to Wang for the last two years. "He looks at his car magazines. I know he likes cars. I know he likes expensive watches. But that's pretty much it."
小王在洋基隊裡沒有特別親近的朋友。大家都知道他和二壘手小卡認識最久－－他們兩人是從小聯盟一起掘起，在2005年春天一起被推薦進了大聯盟，但是，要是問起他們上次在球場外Social是什麼時候，大概兩人都回答不出來吧。"（小王）都坐在那裡然後看著他那一堆又一堆的粉絲來信，" 在過去兩年，置物櫃一直位於小王的置物櫃旁的洋基中外野手大門說，"他會看他的車子雜誌。我知道他喜歡車子。我知道他喜歡貴重的錶。但我也只知道這些了。"
Many U.S. reporters who cover Wang assume he's reserved because of the halting manner in which he speaks English, but he talks that way in his own language in his own country. When asked about Wang, former college teammate Kao Lin-Jie says, "His face never had an expression. He didn't say anything. He was just . . . strange."
很多以小王為題的美國報導記者們都認為，小王語帶保留的原因是因為他講英文，對這個語言不熟悉所造成的禮貎。但他在自己的國家，用自己的語言時也是這麼說話的。他的前大學隊友Kao Lin-Jie被問起小王時說："他的臉上從不會流露任何情緒。他不會說什麼。他就是～怪。"
Wang's former college coach, Kao Ying-Chieh, recalls, "He always sat alone during lunch. Once our team took a trip to the Alisan mountains [outside of Taipei]. The team went down to a creek, and everyone jumped in and played around. But Chien-Ming wasn't there. I looked up and saw him on the bridge, looking down at the creek, alone. That just tells you what kind of person he is."
小王的前大學教練高英傑回憶："他總是午餐時一個人坐在那裡。有一次我們全隊到阿里山全隊跑到一個小溪邊，大家都跳下去玩水。但是丫民不在那裡。我看了四周，發現他站在橋上，向下看著小溪。獨自一個人。這只是要讓你知道他是什麼樣的人。"
Wang was raised by an aunt and uncle who adopted him at a young age. During the baseball season Chien-Ming and his wife, Chia-Ling, whom he met in his first year of college and married in December 2003, live in a modest three-bedroom house in Fort Lee, N.J. In the off-season he, Chia-Ling and his adoptive parents share an apartment in Tainan, where he spends the days playing Nintendo Wii, watching scary movies and eating his mother's cooking. The most animated he gets is when he's talking about expensive cars. "I want to be just like Moose," Wang says with a smile, referring to Yankees pitcher Mike Mussina, who owns a collection of vintage cars.
"He's very simple," says Yu, the sportswriter. "But I think that is good for him when pitching on a team like the Yankees, in a city like New York, where there's so much pressure. He doesn't get too excited. He's in his own world."
小王在很小的時候被他伯父伯母領養帶大的。在球季期間，小王和他老婆嘉姈（他們在小王大一時認識，2003年十二月結婚）住在紐澤西的一間三房大小的房子裡。在休兵期間，他、嘉姈還有他的養父母則一起住在台南，他在那裡玩Wii，看恐怖片還有吃他媽媽的料理。最活潑的時候便是他談起那些貴重車款的時候。"我想像穆帥一樣" 小王微笑著說，他指的是洋基隊的投手Mike Mussina，他擁有一整系列同廠的車款。
"他是個很簡單的人" 一個運動作家Yu這麼說，"但我想這對他是好事，尤其是在洋基這種球隊裡，像紐約這種城市。到處都是壓力。他不太容易緊張。他活在自己的世界裡。"
While many other ballplayers from Taiwan have suffered physical breakdowns at a young age, Wang is still pitching into his late 20s. Tsao was the Rockies' minor league pitcher of the year in 2003, but over the past five seasons he made five trips to the disabled list, had two arm surgeries and logged only eight major league starts. The 26-year-old Tsao is trying to reclaim his career with the Kansas City Royals' Triple A affiliate in Omaha. Kuo, the Dodgers lefthander, had two Tommy John operations in the last five seasons, during which he worked a total of 102 innings. At the start of the 2008 season there were 25 Taiwanese players under contract to MLB organizations, roughly a quarter of whom were pitchers who have spent time on the disabled list.
當大多數來自台灣的球員正因年輕時受的傷而苦惱時，小王在他年近三十時仍一球一球投著。小曹贏得2003年洛磯隊小聯盟的年度投手，但是在過去五個球季裡，他進了傷兵名單五次，動過兩次手臂手術並且在大聯只累積八次先發。26歲的小曹目前正試著由KC皇家隊的三A重新出發。小小郭，道奇左投，在過去五個球季裡動過兩次TJ手術，在那之間他總投球局數是102局。在2008球季開始時，有25位台灣球員被MLB的組織所簽下，而其中約四分之一是花了許多時間在傷兵名單中打轉的投手們。
Grueling training regimens in Taiwanese colleges and professional leagues have been blamed for the short careers of pitchers. When he was 18, Tsao says, he followed a half hour of long toss with a three-hour bullpen session and an hour of pitching live batting practice. He once started three games in a four-game tournament. But many believe that the arm abuse begins even earlier. "By the time they get to college, they're already damaged," says the director of Asian scouting of one major league team.
台灣學院派及職棒場裡嚴酷的訓練被視為縮短投手職業生命的主要原因。小曹說，在他18歲的時候，在半小時的遠距長投之後，又練了三小時的牛棚練投，接下來又面對長達一小時打擊練習，總共花了四小時半在投球。 他曾經在四戰的比賽中先發其中三戰。但許多人相信手臂的過度使用早就已經發生。某一個大聯盟球團的亞洲觀察長說："在他們進大學前，他們就已經被操壞了。"
"In the Little Leagues, it's about quantity of practice, not quality," says Kao, Wang's college coach who also was an assistant on the Tainan team that won the 1986 Little League World Series. "Mentally, we push the kids too hard, which is why so many don't go further. [At Williamsport in '86] we had lunch once next to an amusement park, and I remember seeing the boys crowded at a window watching the players from the other teams go. We wouldn't let them go play. They'd waste their energy, the [other] coaches said. I felt sorry for them."
Are such attitudes changing? "Changing," Kao says, "but slowly changing."
"在少棒的時候，只談練投數，而非投球內容," 小王的大學教練高英傑說。他曾經是1986年世界少棒冠軍隊台南隊的助理指導。"我們在精神上把孩子們逼得太緊。這也是為什麼他們無法走得長遠。（1986年在威廉波特）我們有一次在遊樂園旁邊吃中餐，我還記得看著那些小男生聚在窗戶旁，看著別隊的球員在玩。我們不讓他們去玩。另一個教練說，這樣會讓他們失去精力。我覺得他們好可憐"
這樣的態度現在有變嗎？"有在變," 老高說, "但是很慢。"
Wang recalls rigorous throwing regimens and high pitch counts in Taiwan, but he doesn't criticize the practices. "I don't think [the workloads] have hurt me," he says. "Maybe it's made me stronger." Since his arm surgery in 2001, Wang has avoided serious injury; he missed two months with shoulder tendinitis in '05 and was on the disabled list to start last season with a strained right hamstring. "I think he'll be fine," says Storvick, the Mariners scout, who is based in Taiwan. "One thing going for him is that he's got a real smooth delivery."
小王回想起那些在台灣那些嚴厲的訓練和高用球數，但他並不批評這樣的訓練。"我不覺得（這些投球量）讓我受傷，"天使般的小王說。"也許是它讓我變得更強壯。" 從他2001年動了手臂手術以來，小王一直避免了嚴重的傷害；他在2005年因肩肌腱炎休息二個月，在去年球季一開始時，也因為右腿拉傷而進了傷兵名單。在台灣的水手隊觀察員Storvick說："我想他還OK的啦！他很重要的一點是他投球動作很順暢。"
But even if Wang stays healthy, how long can he continue to perform as a No. 1 starter? Go to any Yankees fan forum on the Internet and you'll find extensive debate on the topic, Is a Chien-Ming Wang decline inevitable? In 2006, when Wang had the best season of his career, he averaged a major-league-low 3.14 strikeouts per nine innings while hitters put the ball in play in 84.2% of their plate appearances against him (the highest percentage among major league starters). Last year Wang won 19 games for the second straight season, had a 4.70 strikeout rate (10th lowest in the majors) and saw hitters put the ball in play 82.4% of the time (10th highest in the majors). Wang's doubters look at those numbers -- and his shellacking last October -- and say he won't last as a dominant starter.
但即使小王保持健康，他又可以當洋基頭號先發多久呢？到網路上各大洋基球迷論壇走走，你會發現針對「是否小王走下坡是早晚的事？」這種爭論真是落落長。以小王表現最出色的2006年球季來說，他每九局三振數是3.14，位居全聯盟最低，而打者打到他的球的機率卻高達84.2%（這是大聯盟先發投手中最高的）。去年小王連兩年拿下19勝，三振率4.70（大聯盟排第十低）而打者打到他球的比率是82.4%（大聯盟第十高）質疑小王的人看著這些數字－－加上他去年十月被打爆的事－－就會說他當不了一個有霸氣的先發投手的。
On the other hand, others are starting to view him as an anomaly, the pitching equivalent of Kirby Puckett or Don Mattingly -- hitters who rarely worked deep counts or drew walks but who swung the bat often, made solid contact and put the ball in play. Wang pounds the strike zone and commands his pitches well, and gets hitters to ground out early in the count. "The difference between [Wang] and other sinkerballers," says Toronto Blue Jays centerfielder Vernon Wells, "is that it moves so late. Because he throws it so hard, you don't have time to react. You commit to it, but by the time you start your swing, the ball is almost in the dirt. You know what's coming, but it just doesn't matter."
從另一個觀點來說，開始有些人將他視為異數，甚至認為他的投球可以和像Kirby Puckett或Don Mattingly這樣的打者相提並論－－這些打者很少消耗投手的用球量或是拗到保送，但是他們在比賽裡可以常揮擊、打中球心甚至推打。 小王強襲好球帶並且精準控球可以讓打者在球數精簡的情況下打出滾地球出局。藍鳥隊中外野手Vernon Wells說："他和其他伸卡球投手不同的地方在於, 因為他投球力氣很大，造成球很慢才改變移動方向。你根本沒時間反應，你知道他要丟球，但是當你開始揮擊時，球幾乎都落地了。你知道來的是什麼球，但是那並沒多大用處。
In a St. Petersburg hotel suite this February, Yankees officials sat face-to-face with Wang, his wife and his agents at an arbitration hearing. For 41/2 hours the team executives explained to three arbitrators why Wang deserved the $4.0 million they were offering but not the $4.6 million he was asking for. They said that Wang owed a great deal of his success to the New York lineup, which had given him the second-highest run support of any starter in the big leagues over the last two years. They pointed to Wang's playoff meltdown.
在今年二月，聖彼得堡飯店的一間套房裡，洋基官員與小王、他妻子、他的經紀人面對面舉行仲裁聽證。球隊經理用長達四又二分之一小時的時間向三位仲裁員說明為什麼小王應該拿到球團給的4百萬美元合約，而非他要求的460萬美元。他們說小王的成功表現很大部份是來自於洋基先發打線＿這個打線在過去二年裡給了他全聯盟第二高分的打點，高過任何一位先發投手。他們又指出小王還搞砸了季後賽。
Wang lost the hearing. He knew it was business, of course, but the words stung him almost as much as what happened in October. When he arrived at spring training, he vowed to work with new pitching coach Dave Eiland on fully incorporating a changeup and slider into his repertoire. "He's going to be more than a one-pitch pitcher," Eiland declared.
小王輸了仲裁。他知道這只是生意，但是這些話重擊他的程度並不亞於去年十月發生的事。當他抵達春訓時，他向新投手教練Dave Eiland發誓要把變速球和滑球全部加入他的投球內球裡。"他要當一個不只一種球路的投手" Eiland這麼說明。
Until this season Wang had relied on his sinker roughly 90% of the time. During some outings, catcher Jorge Posada would go an entire game without calling for anything but the sinker. Through his first three starts this season, however, Wang had expanded his arsenal to include sliders 15% of the time and changeups 8%. "After [what happened in] the playoffs, I know I still have a lot to prove; I'm still working," he said, after allowing two runs and striking out two batters in seven innings against the Blue Jays in the season opener. "I know I need to change a little to reach the next level."
一直到今年球季以前，小王都很依賴他的伸卡球，出現的頻率大約90%。在一些出局數中，捕手Posada會一整場球都只用伸卡球，不用其它球種。然而，在他本季先發的三場比賽裡，小王把他的武器擴展成滑球15%而變速球佔了8%。"在季後賽發生的事情之後，我知道我還有很多要改進的；我還在努力, " 在開幕戰與藍鳥對戰投完七局只丟2分，三振2名打者後，天使般的小王這麼說。"我知道我要做些改善來達到更高一層的水準。"
More than the fans, major league clubs believe what they've seen from Wang. Over the last two years they have signed 15 players from Taiwan, and nearly half the teams have full-time scouts on the island. Kao sees the talent coming up through the high schools and colleges, and it gives him hope. "The quality level here is getting better," he says. "Coaches are learning, coaching smarter."
比起球迷，大聯盟的球隊深信他們眼中看到的小王。在過去二年裡，他們簽下15位台灣球員，而一半以上的球團都有全職觀察員在這個小島上。高英傑看著高中到大學的球員素質漸高，給了他希望。他說，"球員的素質更好了，教練們也在學習，學習更聰明的指導方式。"
Will there be another Chien-Ming Wang? Kao laughs, sounding as if he thinks the question is absurd. "No, I don't think so, not while I'm still living," he says. "He is a precious gem. Our precious gem."
還會有下一個王建民嗎？高英傑笑了，聽起來像是他覺得這個問題很荒謬。"不，我想在我活著的時候都不會有了！"他說，"他是一顆寶石。我們珍貴的寶石！"~~~the end~~~
全站熱搜
留言列表
