Yanks' Latest Victory Is Another Inside Job

Yankees 9, Tigers 3

The Yankees always study other teams, hunting for players who can help, but their most important scouting last month was within their organization.

General Manager Brian Cashman and his advisers watched from the stands in Trenton and Scranton, trying to see if the future could help the present. They liked what they saw.

“That led us to stand down on some trade opportunities,” Cashman said. “I had some evaluators, who I trust as my right- and left-hand men, tell me, ‘Our bullpen right now is in Triple-A, and we should try it and see what happens.’ ”

It was a gamble to rely on rookies while trailing in a pennant race, but Cashman listened and trusted his instincts. The result was a game like yesterday’s, when the Yankees thumped the Detroit Tigers, 9-3, with three perfect innings from two rookie relievers and four runs batted in from Wilson Betemit.

Betemit was acquired in a trade with the Los Angeles Dodgers for Scott Proctor, a reliever Cashman deemed expendable because he believed Joba Chamberlain and Edwar Ramírez could thrive in the majors.

thrive v. 茁壯成長

Cashman is right so far, and the subtler moves have helped keep the Yankees in contention. They won the last three games against the Tigers this weekend, after a three-game losing streak, and they trail Boston by four in the American League East.

subtle a. 精湛的，精巧的

“I give Cash a lot of credit, because during this whole thing leading up to the end of July, you still have to evaluate,” Manager Joe Torre said. “It's not easy, especially in this town, to give the appearance of not doing anything and still helping yourself. Of course, Ramírez came out of nowhere. He had been released by the same organization twice.”

That organization is the Angels, a team the Yankees face for three games in Anaheim starting tonight. After Chamberlain retired the side on nine pitches — all strikes — in the seventh, Ramírez struck out the side in the eighth, getting each hitter on a changeup and slapping his glove with his hand in excitement.

After Betemit smashed a three-run double to center field in the eighth inning, extending the Yankees’ lead from three runs to six, Mariano Rivera took a seat in the bullpen. Ramírez went back out for the ninth and retired the last three hitters in order.

The sight of Ramírez and Chamberlain blanking a powerful lineup, a day after Kyle Farnsworth, Luis Vizcaíno and Rivera did likewise, is a change from the first half of the season, when Farnsworth, Proctor and Brian Bruney — all right-handers who rely on fastballs — were the setup men.

“They had ability, no question, but it was similar,” Torre said. “Now, we have different things we can do — sliders, changeups. I think it helps not to give the same look.”

Chien-Ming Wang (14-6) was not sharp, allowing three runs and nine hits in six innings. Wang acknowledged he was rattled by the Tigers' aggressive base running in the fifth, when he balked a runner to third, walked a hitter and allowed a double steal.

rattle v. 使...驚慌失惜

But Johnny Damon's upper-deck home run in the sixth against Jeremy Bonderman (10-6) broke a 3-3 tie and gave Chamberlain a chance to protect another lead. He has pitched in five games, all victories, allowing 2 hits and striking out 11 in 7 scoreless innings.

Yesterday, he faced three of the same hitters he saw Friday, altering his patterns to Gary Sheffield and Carlos Guillén and retiring both of them.

“It was great,” Chamberlain said. “They knew what was coming at them, and we tried to have a different plan.”

A few lockers away, Ramírez was also smiling. His first Yankees stint had ended in tears, when he broke down in a postgame interview July 20 after allowing a grand slam and four walks while retiring no hitters.

Ramírez pitched that game with two weeks of rest. With Proctor gone and one fewer pitcher on the staff, he should not get stale anymore. His confidence seems to be back, too.

stale a. 無精打采的

“When I got to Triple-A, I didn't think something negative,” Ramírez said. “I went down there to work hard every day to come back. I’m going to stay here now.”

The presence of Betemit, who essentially replaced Miguel Cairo on the roster, allows Torre to rest players he would otherwise use every day. Betemit started four of the seven games on this homestand, resting Derek Jeter, Robinson Canó and Andy Phillips. He has also played third to spell Alex Rodriguez.

spell v. 輪替

Torre has also used Shelley Duncan, a power bat off the bench, and the new backup catcher José Molina, who started all three games in Cleveland this month and helped the Yankees sweep the series.

“We knew early on that we weren't playing up to our potential, but we knew the nine guys we were throwing out on the field were pretty good,” Damon said. “You'd look around the league, and you'd pretty much take everyone. Now, we have 13 guys you would take. It's fun.”

The person having the most fun may be Cashman, whose alterations have made a difference.

“The first half was a nightmare, a horror story, and in the second half, we're trying to change the ending,” Cashman said. “Our team is playing well right now, and we've got a lot more strengths than weaknesses.”

Clemens Returns as His Old Self

Yankees 5, Tigers 2

Roger Clemens, who turned 45 this month, must have been conscious of every wrinkle on his face during the top of the fifth inning yesterday at Yankee Stadium. Staring back at him from home plate was Cameron Maybin, the highly acclaimed 20-year-old who made his major league debut Friday for the Detroit Tigers.

In a battle of the ages, if not for the ages, youth prevailed. Maybin hit his first career home run to give Detroit a lead.

prevail v. 戰勝

But Clemens never style="background: Wheat"buckled. He routinely pitched out of jams, relying on years of experience to keep the score close.

buckle v. 垮掉，讓步

The Yankees' offense took it from there, erupting for four runs in the sixth inning to secure a 5-2 victory over the Tigers.

erupt v. 噴出

“I expect him to give us a chance to win,” Manager Joe Torre said of Clemens, who tied a season high with eight strikeouts over six innings. “He did more than that today.”

The Yankees (69-54) have apparently fully rebounded from their three-game losing streak this week, beating the Tigers on consecutive days in convincing fashion.

Like a fine wine — or a 40-something pitcher, for that matter — yesterday’s victory needed some time to reach its peak. When Clemens walked off the field for his final time of the afternoon, after pitching the top of the sixth inning, the Yankees trailed, 2-1. But Bobby Abreu's two-run homer in the bottom half of the inning put them ahead for good and put Clemens (5-5) in line for the victory.

“Talk to our hitters; they're getting the job done for us,” Clemens said. “They did it again today.”

So did Clemens, who pitched well for the second consecutive time. His last outing was Aug. 7, when he hit Alex Rios in the middle of the back in a 9-2 victory in Toronto. He was ejected for throwing at Rios and suspended for five games.

But there were few signs of rust on this sunny afternoon. Clemens allowed 2 runs, 10 hits and no walks. His stuff was not overpowering, but he struck out two batters in each of the first three innings. Clemens was replaced after throwing 108 pitches, the last of which induced Curtis Granderson to pop out to shortstop with the bases loaded.

The Yankees took a lead in the second inning, when Jorge Posada hit a solo home run against the right-handed starter Chad Durbin (7-6). But Clemens gave away the lead on Ryan Raburn's sacrifice fly with the bases loaded in the fourth.

The score was still tied at 1-1 in the fifth when Maybin faced Clemens, who won the second of his seven Cy Young awards the year Maybin was born. The leadoff homer by Maybin barely sailed over the wall in center field, and it bounced backward, landing on the outfield grass.

“I'm facing a lot of guys that are younger than me these days,” Clemens said when asked about Maybin, who collected his first major league hit, a single, in the third inning.

Clemens’s fifth strikeout, against Granderson in the third inning, was his 1,000th as a Yankee. No. 1,001, also in the third, was much more impressive. With runners at first and third, Marcus Thames went down swinging for the second out. Maybin, who was on first base, attempted to steal on the play.

As Posada threw toward second, Brandon Inge, who had been on third, headed for home.

The ball, however, never reached second base. Clemens intercepted it, then chased down Inge, tagging him between third and home plate for a double play. Was it by design? It depends on who one asks.

Clemens said he and Posada worked on the play a few years ago in spring training, but that this time he just reacted spontaneously. Posada indicated that there was more planning involved.

spontaneous a. 無意識的，不由自主的

Either way, the play kept a run from scoring. But with Durbin holding the Yankees in check between Posada's homer and Abreu's, retiring 10 of 14 batters, the Yankees were unable to capitalize.

That changed in the sixth, when Derek Jeter led off with a single. The next batter, Abreu, turned Yankee Stadium into a giant pinball machine, launching a two-run homer that caromed off the left-field foul pole and landed in foul territory. The hit gave the Yankees a 3-2 lead.

carom v. 碰擊而反跳

“It was great,” Torre said of Abreu's at-bat, which included four pitches from Durbin that were fouled off.

The Yankees added two runs after Durbin left in the sixth. Robinson Canó and Andy Phillips hit run-scoring singles, putting the Yankees ahead by three runs.

The bullpen did not miss a beat after Clemens departed.

Kyle Farnsworth pitched a perfect seventh inning; he even struck out Gary Sheffield, much to the delight of the crowd of 54,802.

Sheffield, whom the Yankees traded to the Tigers in the off-season, finished 3 for 5. He was booed before and after each at-bat.

“Just an out to me,” Farnsworth said when asked about his encounter with Sheffield, who attracted headlines recently for saying that during his three seasons with the Yankees, Torre favored white players over black players.

Luis Vizcaíno allowed one hit in the eighth, and Mariano Rivera pitched the ninth for his 20th save, distancing himself from a handful of poor outings last week.

“I don't have to prove or show anything,” Rivera said. “I know what I'm capable of doing.”

Rivera is 37, which may seem young to Clemens. Like Clemens, he is much closer to the end of his career than the beginning. But they each pitched as if they were in their youth, holding yesterday's victory in place like bookends.

Like Old Times: Pettitte Rights Yanks

Yankees 6, Tigers 1

For most of the 54,290 fans in the stands at misty Yankee Stadium last night, this was the Andy Pettitte of their dreams. This was the Pettitte they remembered from the glory years, the one who took the ball in big games and delivered.

It did not always work that way, of course. Pettitte had his share of losses in his first stint with the Yankees. But his role in building a dynasty has made him a leader now. When the Yankees needed someone to snuff a burgeoning losing streak, Pettitte was their man.

burgeoning a. 增長迅速的

Pettitte worked eight innings, allowing a run and five hits in the Yankees’ 6-1 victory over the Detroit Tigers. The victory was the Yankees’ first in four games.

“We hit a little stumbling block, and he's been that guy his whole career, especially for the Yankees,” said Jason Giambi, who homered twice. “He hasn't missed a beat. He's the guy to go to.”

stumble v. 絆倒；蹣跚而行

The victory was the Yankees' first in four games, and the 2,041st of Joe Torre's managerial career, moving him past Walter Alston into seventh place on the career list. It was fitting that Pettitte was the winner, considering his history with Torre.

“When the game is important, or a need for us, he just responds so well,” Torre said. “He may not win, but he's always kept things together, and he just pitches tough.”

The rookie Joba Chamberlain recorded the last three outs to continue the electric start to his career. The crowd chanted Chamberlain's first name before he even threw a pitch, taking quickly to a pitcher who has had only four career outings.

“There were a lot of people here going crazy,” Chamberlain said. “It makes you feel good. You use that energy to the best. Sometimes you let it the most of you and you try to do too much, but I've done a good job of slowing the game down and getting used to the role.”

Chamberlain threw 10 pitches — 7 for strikes — and hit 99 miles an hour on the radar gun three times. His second pitch hummed it at 100.

Gary Sheffield, who is 0 for 7 in this series, flied to left to lead off the ninth. After a single by Magglio Ordóñez, Chamberlain induced a pop out from Carlos Guillén, then fanned Iván Rodríguez on a slider to end the game. In six scoreless innings, Chamberlain has allowed two hits and struck out nine.

Pettitte has a long history of success in the second half. He came into the game with a .708 career winning percentage after the All-Star Game break, second only to Johan Santana among active A.L. pitchers with at least 60 decisions.

This year has been no exception. Before last night, Pettitte was 5-1 with a 3.15 earned run average in seven starts since the break. The Tigers scored four runs in the top of the first against Mike Mussina on Thursday, but against Pettitte last night, they went down in order.

“I wanted to be aggressive,” said Pettitte, who worked on his mechanics last weekend to keep from opening his lead shoulder too soon. “Maybe that's something I made a conscious effort to do — come out and be aggressive with the team struggling.”

The second hitter, the top prospect Cameron Maybin, was making his major league debut. Pettitte, who said the scouting report on Maybin was that “he likes the heater,” whiffed him with his trademark biting slider. He did so again in the third.

whiff v. 【棒】三振(打者)

That had been an odd inning, starting with a single by Ryan Rayburn that Alex Rodriguez let roll down the third-base line. It hit the bag to stay fair.

That had been an odd inning, starting with a single by Ryan Rayburn that Alex Rodriguez let roll down the third-base line. It hit the bag to stay fair.

Phillips threw there, but Inge scrambled back to second base, where no fielders were waiting. Second baseman Robinson Canó had been backing up Jeter, and right fielder Bobby Abreu did not cover the bag for him.

After a walk and Maybin’s second strikeout, up came Sheffield, a favorite target of the fans. Sheffield bounced to Jeter for an inning-ending forceout.

The Tigers were leading, 1-0, but the Yankees came right back. Canó and Phillips singled to start the Yankees’ half of the third, and after two outs, Bobby Abreu bounced a bad-hop single over the glove of shortstop Guillén.

The break scored Cano to tie the game, and Rodriguez gave the Yankees a 2-1 lead with a ground-rule double to left. Giambi bashed Nate Robertson’s first pitch of the bottom of the fourth into the seats in right center, and he homered again off Aquilino Lopez in the eighth.

Giambi has four home runs in his last 18 at-bats, and he is batting .348 (8-for-23) since coming off the disabled list on Aug. 7.

“I'm fresh right now, so I've got good bat speed,” Giambi said. “I'm just seeing the ball and hitting it well.”

Inside Man

今天在HBO上看到了一部當初還滿想去看的片子，結果當時因為這部片在ptt上的評價不佳我就放棄了，真是誤信讒言。當初的動機是由於卡司很強，列出來的三名演員都是硬底子演技派，以這三人的實力理應不會接太差的片子來演。而如果我早一點去研究一下這個導演，Spike Lee，我應該會有更大的動力去觀賞這部電影

老套的劇情，要怎麼拍才會創造新意，Spike Lee在這點上面做了很成功的演譯。很可惜的是台灣片商不僅把片名翻成"臥底"，還狂打這部片是為驚悚懸疑，這也難怪很多人看完就丈二金剛摸不著頭腦，自然評價也不會太高了。

片頭開始，克里夫歐文旁白說出自己設計了一場完美的犯罪，然而這個完全的犯罪怎麼看到是漏洞百出的，那麼何來完美之說呢？仔細回想劇情，犯罪的過程從頭，帶口罩戴墨鏡的人怎麼能進到銀行？而帶著假槍搶銀行，如果其中有一兩個不服恫嚇的警衛或民眾起而反抗，那又該如何面對呢？反竊聽行為為什麼不會被識破呢？過程中其實破綻不少，但又何來完美之說？完全在於他如何算計這個龐大的社會體系，以及算計人類心理的黑暗面，完美就建立在這些破綻上。

所以Spike Lee就大喇喇地把他過去所擅長探討的議題放在這個老套的搶劫公式上。這個騙局是建築在警方系統在面對案件處理上的輕忽，這輕忽有時也不是在於不夠聰明，而是自以為是，這是立場的問題，所以在電影中他們會忽略了為什麼搶罪傳口信不寫在紙上而是寫在行李箱上；在竊聽到對方用非美語在說話時，也誇張地透過廣播系統去問路人是否有人懂這是什麼語言，這不就擺明著讓歹徒知道他們在竊聽嗎？這是人的自大所造成的破綻。

再者，利用警方在面對證據不足時所採取的態度來逃避拘捕，這是官僚系統的缺失；然後利用別人的污點，透過一些壓力，便可讓對方進退兩難，例如銀行家不欲人知的過往，丹佐私底下疑似貪污的案件，而以錄音筆反制茱蒂佛斯特的手段，以至於面對上司的無心探底和高層以升官為餌反制的丹佐華盛頓，也欣然地接受這一切的結果。天底下沒有人是都沒有見不了光的，都會有一個不在檔案上的392保險箱。

所以為什麼電影看起來像是沒有結局，即便市長知道了一些銀行家的事，也不會將他揭發，這世界就是大魚吃小魚的世界，這就是社會。Inside Man就是說每個人都有一些不欲人知的事，也因為大家都妥協了，也才這麼完美。這就是個完美的騙局。

我滿喜歡這部片的風格，用一種滿輕鬆的步調在探討一些議題，電影中也幽了一些種族議題的默，雖然不是挺重要的，但就是會莞爾一笑。導演在節奏的處理上滿好的，有緊張的時候，但面對問題讓觀眾很舒服地看這一切怎麼發生，讓觀眾去看別人的故事，進而發現那就是發生在我們身邊的故事。老套的劇情卻展現出新的想法，導演跟編劇滿有創意的。

可惜的是，劇情本身格局本來就不夠大，說要討論什麼很深入的話題，發展空間有限。再者很可惜的是演員發揮的空間都很平均，也沒有很明顯地誰是主角，誰是配角，所以大家都算是中規中矩，導演引導的軌跡比較明顯。不過既然導演是在說故事，好好看故事也是滿享受的一件事。

A Matchup the Yanks Can't Seem to Win

Tigers 8, Yankees 5

The matchup was the same last Oct. 5, when the Detroit Tigers last played in New York. Mike Mussina faced Justin Verlander and the Yankees grabbed an early lead. Then the shadows took over and the lights went out.

The Tigers did not lose again until the World Series. Yankees Manager Joe Torre nearly lost his job. Now, after the Tigers’ 8-5 victory at Yankee Stadium last night, the teams have the same record. But it was the Yankees who fell out of the lead for a playoff spot with their third loss in a row.

“We were going really well there for a long time, and in the last three days, we've kind of made that disappear in a hurry,” starter Mike Mussina said. “We've got to get it straightened back out again or all the work we just accomplished the last month or so will wind up being a waste.”

or so adv. approximately
wind up 結果

The Yankees (67-54) fell to a half-game behind the idle Seattle Mariners in the American League wild-card standings. Verlander lasted only five and a third innings, but that was one out longer than Mussina, who gave up six earned runs and nine hits.

In their last three games, the Yankees have scored only eight runs. They struck out 11 times last night, and their status as the hottest team in the majors has gone away.

“We went through a streak where everything we did went well for us,” Manager Joe Torre said. “And you have to understand, it works the other way, too.”

The Yankees had won 30 of 42 games before last night, but there was a common theme in some of their losses: the opposing starter was among the elite. Johan Santana, John Lackey, Scott Kazmir, Roy Halladay and Érik Bédard all helped their teams beat the Yankees.

For all of their bruising offense, then, the Yankees still needed to prove they could handle better pitchers. They were frustrated last night despite their sound approach to Verlander.

bruising a. 十分激烈的，殊死的

In Verlander's first time through the order, every hitter took the first pitch. He needed 30 pitches to wade through the first inning, and his pitch count soared to 119.

wade through v. 費力地做完
soar v. 猛增，暴漲

“We had him on the ropes a couple of times, but we couldn't get that big hit,” Derek Jeter said. “We had a lot of hits sprinkled in here and there, but that’s pretty much all we could get going. That's what the good pitchers do — they bear down when they get in trouble and avoid the big innings.”

sprinkle v. 灑，撒

Mussina could not do that. He had won his last four starts and allowed three earned runs or fewer in 11 of his past 12. But this game turned ugly early, and when it did, Mussina could not restore order.

With one out and one on in the first, the former Yankee Gary Sheffield — who was booed each time up — bounced a ball to the left of third baseman Alex Rodriguez. Fielded cleanly, it might have been an inning-ending double play.

“I think so,” Rodriguez said. “Bang-bang, Sheff runs well, but that’s a play I need to make. You feel bad for Moose. If I make that play, maybe he goes out and pitches a gem.”

Mussina did not blame Rodriguez, though, and he did not question a borderline call on an outside pitch to Carlos Guillén with a 1-2 count and the bases loaded. Guillén followed with a foul ball and then a grand slam off a high changeup.

Mussina called his performance unacceptable and said his pitches were a ball-width or two away from where he wanted them to be.

“I pitched poorly from the beginning, and we never really had a chance to get back in the game,” Mussina said. “You can't win doing that. My job is to pitch better than that, and I just didn't do it.”

The Yankees got a run back in the first, but singles by Brandon Inge and Magglio Ordóñez made the score 6-1 in the second.

Bobby Abreu's two-run homer in the third — clubbed over the wall in straightaway center — did not shift the momentum. Torre's decision to pinch hit Shelley Duncan for Johnny Damon in the sixth inning for the second time this week did not work, either.

The Yankees were trailing by four with two out, and Torre said he envisioned another three-run home run like Duncan hit on Wednesday. But Duncan struck out on a 95-mile-an-hour fastball from Zach Miner.

Miner struck out the side in the seventh, and after Fernando Rodney did the same in the eighth, the last eight Yankees outs had been on strikeouts.

Though they rallied for two in the ninth, the Yankees' hitters had looked feeble against the Tigers.

feeble a. 虛弱的

In 10 months, it seemed, nothing had changed.

Mood Swings as Rivera Negates Yankees' Rally

Orioles 6, Yankees 3

The decibel level at Yankee Stadium soared like a firecracker during the top of the 10th inning yesterday. The 53,363 fans were ecstatic for two justifiable reasons. Shelley Duncan had tied the score against the Baltimore Orioles with a three-run homer in the ninth inning. And Mariano Rivera, a model of consistency this season, had just taken the mound.

ecstatic a. 狂喜的，著迷的
justifiable a. 有道理的

But it got quiet in a hurry. Rivera suffered a meltdown, allowing three runs, as the Orioles handed the Yankees a deflating 6-3 defeat.

meltdown n. 溶解

After the game, Rivera stood by his locker and made a statement that earlier in his stellar 13-year career seemed almost unfathomable.

stellar a. 主要的，顯著的
unfathomable a. 不可理解的

“I'm a human being,” Rivera said. “I'm allowed to make mistakes.”

Rivera had been having a sensational season until this week. On Monday, he blew a save for the first time in 20 opportunities. The Yankees came back to win that game, 7-6. But he was not as fortunate yesterday afternoon as the Orioles hit him hard.

sensational a. 引起轟動的

With the score tied, 3-3, Rivera allowed a leadoff double to Nick Markakis, who scored the go-ahead run when the next batter, Miguel Tejada, doubled. After recording an out, Rivera gave up a two-run home run to Aubrey Huff, erasing Duncan’s heroics.

The Yankees (67-53) remained five games behind the Boston Red Sox in the American League East. Boston lost to the Tampa Bay Devil Rays, 6-5, yesterday. But the Yankees have lost two consecutive games after winning 9 of 10, a troubling trend with the Detroit Tigers in town today to start a four-game series.

And they have lost four consecutive series to the Orioles for the first time since 1982, according to the Elias Sports Bureau. Several Yankees came to Rivera’s defense yesterday, saying he was so good that his mistakes were forgivable.

“He just didn't look like he hit his spots,” Manager Joe Torre said. “It looked like he made too many pitches that were fatter in the zone than he's used to doing. It's one of those things that you know it's going to happen from time to time.”

from time to time adv. occasionally, once in a while

Torre, Rivera and General Manager Brian Cashman said that Rivera, who will turn 38 in November, was not experiencing any physical problems. Around this time last season, he began having difficulties with his right forearm.

Rivera (3-4) was able to laugh off his outing Monday. But he spoke somberly yesterday.

somber a. 昏暗的；鬱悶的

“It hurts because your teammates are giving you the opportunity to pitch, the opportunity to be able to hold them and come back and score and win the game,” Rivera said. “I wasn't able to do that. It's bad.”

The Yankees went scoreless over the first eight innings. But with one swing, Duncan tied the score, 3-3. With the Yankees down to their last out, Duncan stepped to the plate with runners on second and third. He swung at an 0-1 pitch from the left-handed reliever Jamie Walker, knocking the ball over the left-field wall.

Duncan, who has six homers in 16 games since making his major league debut July 20, delighted the fans with a curtain call. He said he envisioned the homer after Alex Rodriguez and Hideki Matsui led off the inning with singles.

“I always prepare myself in innings like that,” Duncan said. “I count down the outs and play all the what is in my head. I tell myself, What’s the situation going to be like if I get a chance to come up?”

The comeback nullified a poor start by the offense, which struggled against the Orioles’ sensational starter Érik Bédard, who had won 8 of his previous 10 starts. Bédard scattered four singles in seven innings. He struck out eight to improve his season total to 207, which leads the major leagues.

nullify v. 抵消

The Yankees, who used eight right-handed batters to start the game, went hitless until Alex Rodriguez led off the fourth inning with a single up the middle. Rodriguez finished with a game-high four hits.

“He's pretty much been doing that to the whole league,” Derek Jeter said, referring to Bédard.

With Bédard pitching so well, there was little room for error by the rookie Phil Hughes, who was making his fifth start and the third since coming off the disabled list.

Hughes allowed six hits over five innings, but his pitch count soared. In the fourth inning, when the Orioles scored two runs, he made a mistake that proved costly.

With runners at second and third, Tike Redman hit a hard grounder that first baseman Andy Phillips fielded cleanly. Phillips tossed the ball to Hughes, who waited a beat before running to cover first base. The ball popped out of Hughes’s glove for an error, allowing two runs to score.

“You can live with physical stuff, leaving a couple balls up,” Hughes said. “But mental errors like that are just inexcusable, especially going against a guy like Bédard.”

Sean Henn and Edwar Ramírez, who were recalled yesterday, held the Orioles scoreless for four innings. But everything changed once Rivera got the ball.

Before ending an interview with reporters, Rivera indicated he had moved on from yesterday's debacle.

debacle n. 崩潰

“It's behind already,” Rivera said. “It's the past. What can I do?”

On Night Full of Memories, a Yankees Loss to Forget

Orioles 12, Yankees 0

If Phil Rizzuto would have been broadcasting last night's game at Yankee Stadium, his scorecard would have been covered with notations of W.W., his shorthand for wasn't watching.

notation n. 標記
shorthand n. 速記

On a night the Yankees paid tribute to Rizzuto, the Hall of Fame shortstop who died on Monday night at 89, they played a game to challenge the attention span. In another era, it would have made for hours of nonbaseball chatter by Rizzuto.

tribute n. 敬意
attention span n. The length of time during which a person can concentrate
on a subject or idea.

The Baltimore Orioles punished the Yankees, 12-0, taking advantage of four walks in three innings by the fill-in starter Jeff Karstens. It was only the second loss in 11 games for the Yankees, who face the Orioles' ace, Erik Bedard, today. They fell five games behind first-place Boston in the American League East.

“It's easy to turn the page when you have something ugly to look at,” Yankees Manager Joe Torre said.

Karstens, a long reliever, was starting in place of Roger Clemens, who is serving a suspension for hitting Toronto's Alex Rios with a pitch last Tuesday after the Blue Jays had hit Alex Rodriguez. The Blue Jays were angry with Rodriguez for yelling to distract a fielder May 30.

Rodriguez had an infield single for one of the Yankees' two hits last night. Despite drawing nine walks, the Yankees were shut out by their widest margin in nearly two years.

They had scored at least seven runs in 10 straight home games. According to the Elias Sports Bureau, it was their longest streak since 1938, three years before Rizzuto's major league debut. But hot hitting can work for other teams, too.

straight a. 連續的

“Since I've been here, the hitting has been contagious,” reliever Jim Brower said of opposing batters he has faced. “You get into that, and how do you get out of it? That's the trick.”

contagious a. 接觸傳染性的

Brower could not find a way after the Orioles scored five runs against Karstens. He gave up six runs (four earned) in two innings, putting the game out of reach.

out of reach a. unattainable, 達不到的

Karstens was making his first Yankees start since April 28, when a line drive by Boston's Julio Lugo broke his leg. Karstens made five more pitches that day, but he was soon added to the disabled list. He pitched well in his rehabilitation starts.

As prospects go, Karstens is not in the class of Phil Hughes, who starts today, or Ian Kennedy, who has a 1.96 earned run average at Class AAA Scranton/Wilkes-Barre. But Kennedy is not on the 40-man roster and has never pitched in the majors.

Torre said he expected Karstens to throw only 70 pitches, but he probably never guessed they would have come in just three innings. Karstens allowed five hits, including Aubrey Huff's third-inning grand slam into the upper deck, right inside the right field foul pole.

Karstens ended up throwing 74 pitches, and Torre said the Yankees could recall a fresh reliever for today's game. Brower will also need rest after throwing 50 pitches. Edwar Ramírez continues to excel at Scranton, and Karstens and Brower have minor league options.

excel at v. 勝過他人，突出

Daniel Cabrera (9-12) walked six in six and two-thirds innings, but the Yankees again could not solve him.

The last time Cabrera pitched at Yankee Stadium, last Sept. 28, he had a no-hitter until Robinson Canó singled with one out in the ninth. Rather than breaking into stardom, though, Cabrera was leading the league in walks and earned runs coming into last night's game.

But with a 96-mile-an-hour fastball and a height of 6 feet 9 inches, according to the Orioles' media guide, he was plenty imposing to the Yankees last night.

imposing a. Impressive, as by virtue of size, bearing, or power

“He's tough because he throws hard, and every time he's throwing, he seems like he's right next to you,” Canó said. “When he throws strikes, he's a good pitcher.”

Karstens is a finesse pitcher, relying on control of his average assortment of pitches. When his control is off, he is in trouble.

finesse n. 技巧
assortment n. 各色各樣的搭配

“Anytime you put base runners on without them having to hit it, I don't know the percentages, but usually, they end up scoring,” Karstens said.

Karstens overcame a walk in the first inning, but walking the first two hitters in the second led to the Orioles' first run. In the third, a double, a walk and a single loaded the bases for Huff.

After striking out against reliever Joba Chamberlain in his last at-bat Monday, Huff fared much better against a different rookie pitcher in Karstens. He lined an 0-1 pitch toward the foul pole, leaning his body to watch it stay fair for his ninth home run.

fare v. 遭遇

The Orioles kept piling up runs, which made a sign on the loge level, above third base, seem prophetic. “A Tough Yankee Loss #10,” it read — a tribute to Rizzuto that was true in more ways than one.

prophetic a. 預言的

For Hot Yanks, Blown Save Is No Problem

Yankees 7, Orioles 6

For months, the Yankees’ bench might have been the most anemic in the major leagues. Now, on many nights, it includes Jason Giambi, a slugger earning more than $20 million who is fine with pinch-hitting for the hottest team in baseball.

anemic a. 貧血的

“It's not a big deal,” Giambi said. “Just work your way in, and when you get your licks, take advantage of them.”

big deal n. 影響重大的事
lick n. 嘗試

Giambi did that last night with pivotal pinch-hit single in the Yankees' winning rally in the bottom of the ninth inning. Giambi's bouncer moved Melky Cabrera from first to third, and Derek Jeter followed with chopper off the pitcher’s glove that drove in the winning run in the Yankees' 7-6 victory over the Baltimore Orioles.

That erased the sting of Mariano Rivera’s first blown save since April 20 and lifted the Yankees to their ninth victory in 10 games. Rivera had converted 19 consecutive save opportunities, the longest streak in the majors.

sting n. 刺痛
convert v. 【運動】成功地完成

Chien-Ming Wang had stood to win, despite allowing five runs and eight hits in six innings, throwing his sinkers too hard and leaving some changeups too high. But home runs by Bobby Abreu and Wilson Betemit helped give the Yankees the lead until the Orioles peppered three singles off Rivera in the ninth.

pepper v. 嚴懲

“You're always surprised when somebody gets a hit off Mo, but like usual, I don't think many of them were hit hard,” Jeter said. “Those things happen. It feels good to pick him up once in a while.”

pick up 改善

After the Orioles' Chad Bradford retired Andy Phillips on a groundout to start the ninth, Cabrera was hit in the back with an off-speed pitch.

Shelley Duncan was due up next, in the designated hitter's slot, having batted for Johnny Damon in the sixth inning. Torre said he made that move partly because he knew he could always substitute Giambi for Duncan later.

The chance came in the ninth, with a right-hander pitching and the Orioles having already used two left-handed relievers.

“Early in the year, I couldn’t do that,” Torre said. “We really didn't have anybody on the bench to go to.”

Giambi, who had homered twice in a weekend sweep of Cleveland, yanked a sinker from Bradford off the end of the bat, bouncing it through the hole on the right side of the infield as Cabrera charged to third.

charge v. 向前衝

The Orioles brought the infield in, and Jeter tapped a fielder's choice off Bradford’s glove. Second baseman Brian Roberts made an off-balance throw to the plate, much too late to catch Cabrera, who raced in to score the winning run standing up.

The game featured the home debut of the heralded reliever Joba Chamberlain, 21, who struck out two of three hitters and reached 99 miles an hour with his fastball. He faced the 4-5-6 batters but did not know who they would be.

herald v. 預告

“To be honest, I didn't know who I was facing,” Chamberlain said. “I knew I had right-right-left. Sometimes, I like it better that way.”

Chamberlain fell behind Miguel Tejada with three balls after a first-pitch strike. But Tejada fouled off the 3-1 pitch, then swung helplessly at a slider.

After Kevin Millar grounded out on an 0-2 curveball — perhaps the first curveball Chamberlain has thrown in three outings — Aubrey Huff struck out on a slider that hit 91 m.p.h., harder than many pitchers' fastball.

The crowd chanted Chamberlain's first name, and although the Yankees still project him as a starter, he is quickly taking to the bullpen role.

“It's an adrenaline rush that you don't get too many times,” he said. “As it goes, it tends to grow on me a little bit.”

adrenaline n. 一陣興奮

Rivera followed Chamberlain to start the ninth. After Rivera needed 30 pitches to secure a four-out save Sunday, Torre was not sure he would use him. But Rivera wanted to pitch.

“He was ready to go today,” Torre said in his clubhouse office after the game. “He was up here for two innings stretching. We looked up in the ninth inning and he was standing on top of the mound, and we hadn’t even called down yet. He really hasn't been working a lot.”

Rivera surely wanted a quick ending, but Melvin Mora led off with a single and went to second when catcher Jorge Posada had no play there after fielding a chopper by Ramón Hernández.

Posada threw to first for the out, and when Tike Redman singled to shallow center, the Orioles' third-base coach, Juan Samuel, sent Mora to the plate. Cabrera has a strong arm and Posada corralled his throw, tagging out Mora in plenty of time as Redman scurried to second.

corral v. 【美】補捉
scurry v. 急跑

“He takes a lot of hits away and he keeps guys from taking the extra base,” Posada said of Cabrera. “It's really a big difference.”

Down to their last out, the Orioles came back with a single to right by Roberts. Samuel sent the runner again, and this time, Redman beat a high throw from Abreu to tie the score. Rivera recovered to get a flyout, ending the inning, and soon, he would be the winning pitcher.

beat v. 搶在...之前

With Their Confidence Showing, the Yankees Complete a Sweep

Yankees 5, Indians 3

CLEVELAND, Aug. 12 — When Andy Pettitte walked off the mound at Yankee Stadium on July 1, in the midst of a seven-run second inning, the Yankees were on their way to a loss that pushed them four games below .500.

Six weeks later, they are the hottest team in the majors, with 29 victories in their past 39 games after a weekend sweep of the Cleveland Indians, who tumbled out of first place in the American League Central. The Yankees are believers, and all the evidence is with them.

“I feel like we're the team, you know?” Pettitte said Sunday. “It doesn't surprise me. I'd be extremely disappointed if this team didn't get to the playoffs. That's just kind of the way I feel.”

An hour or so after Mariano Rivera snuffed an Indians rally in the bottom of the ninth to finish a 5-3 victory, the Baltimore Orioles came back to beat the Boston Red Sox. That cut the Yankees' deficit to four games in the A.L. East, the closest they have been since April 24.

snuff v. 【俚】扼殺，謀殺

It is no wonder that so many players watched the Red Sox game in the clubhouse late Sunday afternoon. The Orioles are coming to the Bronx on Monday, but it is Boston the Yankees are chasing. The Yankees are in a virtual tie with Seattle for the wild-card lead.

Cleveland was supposed to be a test for the Yankees, who had played weaker teams since mid-July. But the Indians are in a free fall, losing 13 of their past 20 games. Their aggressive hitting approach backfired during the weekend series.

The Yankees' pitchers went 23 innings without issuing a walk during the series, and they held the Indians to six runs over all. Three came in the last three innings Sunday, after the Yankees had built a 4-0 lead.

The Indians squandered their chance for more runs. They loaded the bases with no outs in the seventh, and with first baseman Andy Phillips playing behind the bag, Jhonny Peralta took a big lead. Pettitte and Phillips sensed an opportunity.

squander v. 浪費，揮霍

“It's something Andy and I have talked about in the past, to have a heads-up for that play,” Phillips said. “He's got such a tremendous move even when I'm holding the runner.”

For the first time this season, Pettitte threw to first without a fielder stationed at the bag. Phillips sneaked behind Peralta to snag the throw, and then chased him up the line for the out. The Indians scored on a sacrifice fly, but they were deflated.

deflated a. 洩氣的

“That was a big letdown for them, and certainly a big pick-me-up for us,” Manager Joe Torre said.

letdown n. 鬆弛，失望

The Yankees' pitching coach, Ron Guidry, was ejected after the inning for arguing balls and strikes. So when Rivera got in trouble in the ninth, it was Torre, not Guidry, who visited him on the mound.

Cleveland had scored once in the eighth, an inning Rivera had finished after Luis Vizcaíno allowed a run-scoring single. Two singles opened the ninth, and when Franklin Gutiérrez doubled to drive in a run, Torre trotted to the mound. His concern, Torre said delicately, was that “guys that you felt he should have better luck against” were getting hits. His real fear was that Rivera was hurt.

trot v. 慢跑，急行
delicately adv. 微妙地

This was the ninth time Torre had asked Rivera to get a save of more than one inning, something he had vowed not to do in spring training. “You O.K.?” Torre said he asked Rivera, who replied that he felt fine.

Rivera then proved it. He struck out Asdrubal Cabrera and Grady Sizemore before getting Casey Blake to fly to right to end the game. It was the 19th save in a row for Rivera, who seemed unfazed by the extra workload.

“I've been doing that for a long time,” he said. “You train for that and you have to be ready for that situation. I know Joe doesn't want to use me in that situation, but when we have to go for it, I am that person.”

Pettitte said he was so nervous in the ninth, he could not bear to watch the game on the clubhouse television. Jason Giambi, the designated hitter, said he was not as worried watching Rivera.

“You get spoiled,” said Giambi, who bashed a two-run homer in the fourth inning. “You don't panic. You know he might give up a few hits, but you don't think the other team is ever on top of it.”

Since his return from the disabled list last week, Giambi has eased into a part-time role without complaining. How could he? Melky Cabrera, who also homered Sunday, has established himself as an everyday starter on a team that is winning nearly every day.

“You don't want to come in and disrupt the ball club,” Giambi said. “You just want to be a part of it. Everything's great.”

Mussina Sticks It Out to Win 100 for Yanks

Yankees 11, Indians 2

CLEVELAND, Aug. 11 — Mike Mussina stared up at a television set in the visitors clubhouse last week in Toronto. The highlights of a Mets loss were showing.

“What's their record?” Mussina asked a bystander, who told him. Mussina paused. “And what's our record?” Given the answer, Mussina smiled, nodded his head and walked away.

bystander n. 旁觀者

The Yankees' rivalry with the Mets is always a background issue in New York, and Mussina has played there long enough to know that. He has also been with the Yankees long enough to collect 100 victories, which he reached in the Yankees' 11-2 victory against the Cleveland Indians on Saturday at Jacobs Field.

rivalry n. 競爭，對抗

At 65-51, the Yankees' record is one game better than the Mets'. In the standings that matter, the Yankees remained in a virtual tie with the Seattle Mariners for the lead in the American League wild-card standings. They also stayed five games behind Boston in the A.L. East.

“It's a good feeling, but it's a controlled feeling,” said Alex Rodriguez, who homered twice and drove in four runs. “We realize we have a lot of work ahead and we haven't accomplished anything yet.”

Mussina, however, accomplished something notable. He became the ninth pitcher to earn at least 100 victories for two teams, a list that includes five Hall of Famers; two other active pitchers, Randy Johnson and Greg Maddux; and Dennis Martínez.

Only Lefty Grove and Mussina have won 100 with two A.L. teams, and Mussina became the 16th pitcher with at least 100 victories as a Yankee.

“It's exciting,” said Mussina, who won his fourth start in a row. “I'm glad I've had a chance to come here and pitch well enough and pitch long enough to accomplish it. It's pretty cool, I guess. I probably won't make it to 200, so I'd better savor 100. But I hope I win a few more here before I decide to stop.”

Mussina won 147 games for the Baltimore Orioles from 1991 through 2000. He is in the first season of his second contract with the Yankees, with a record of 100-60. He is tied with Jack Quinn for 45th on the career victories list, with 247.

Mussina (8-7) matched a season high Saturday, pitching seven and two-thirds innings. He allowed two earned runs and eight hits with no walks and six strikeouts. He has not walked a hitter in his last 22 innings.

“I think he feels better about his stuff,” Manager Joe Torre said. “He's a little freer throwing in the strike zone, and he's using both sides of the plate better. He wasn't really coming in, so he probably wasn't feeling good about his stuff. But one sort of leads to the other.”

Mussina, 38, said he learned from watching the 21-year-old Phil Hughes face the Indians on Friday. Hughes throws much harder than Mussina does, but both throw curveballs and changeups. The Indians are a fastball-hitting team, Mussina said, and watching Hughes dominate them with off-speed pitches encouraged him to do the same.

Mussina allowed three earned runs or fewer in 11 of his last 12 starts. He said he had more options now when deciding which pitch to throw.

“It's hard to pitch when you don't have access to certain parts of the plate or certain pitches,” Mussina said. “The last couple of weeks, I felt like I've had command and most of my pitches going.”

After giving up a run in the first inning, Mussina pitched with a lead the rest of the way. The Yankees scored seven runs in the second inning to overwhelm Paul Byrd, who had thrown a shutout in his previous start.

The Yankees were ahead, 3-1, with two outs before Bobby Abreu stroked an 0-2 pitch to left for a two-run single. That brought up Rodriguez, who hit the first of his two-run homers and made the score 7-1. Rodriguez leads the majors with 39 homers and 114 runs batted in, and he is relaxed again after hitting his 500th home run a week ago.

“It's good to get that 500 number out of the way and just get back to playing real baseball,” he said.

Rodriguez had company in the offensive parade. José Molina set a career high with four hits, and Derek Jeter had three hits for the second game in a row.

The Yankees are batting .329 since the All-Star Game break and averaging 7.7 runs a game. They have won 10 of their last 11 series and are the hottest team in baseball.

“We knew coming into this stretch that we had to play well,” Mussina said. “The pitching staff has been the lucky recipients of our offense putting up a lot of runs, so we don't feel like every pitch is the game. Even against the better pitchers, we’re putting good at-bats on people and making it tough on them.”

recipient n. 接受者

Yanks of Future Offer Help in Present

Yankees 6, Indians 1

CLEVELAND, Aug. 10 — Joba Chamberlain has a ritual before his first pitch of a game. He stands behind the mound, his back to the catcher, his glove on the grass, his hat in his hand and his head bowed. Then he points to the sky, climbs up the dirt slope and starts to terrorize opposing hitters.

ritual n. 儀式；習慣
terrorize v. 恐嚇，脅迫


Chamberlain faced six Cleveland Indians on Friday and retired them all, four on strikeouts with his slider. He entered the game after six impressive innings by starter Phil Hughes, who held the Indians to one run and four hits, with six strikeouts.

The Yankees won for the ninth time in 11 games, pushing aside the Indians, 6-1, at Jacobs Field. Hughes and Chamberlain offered a delicious glimpse of the future for the Yankees, who are conceding nothing about the present.

“How good can they be?” Andy Pettitte said of Hughes and Chamberlain. “Stay healthy, don't get too much in your head, and their stuff is incredible. It's exciting to see them come up here, throwing strikes and being very aggressive. You don't only like their stuff, you like their makeup, too. And we’re going to need them.”

On a night when the Boston Red Sox' new setup man, Eric Gagné, blew a four-run lead in a loss in Baltimore, Chamberlain helped the Yankees move within five games of first place in the American League East. They are in a virtual tie with Seattle atop the wild-card standings.

The Yankees added no help for their bullpen at the trading deadline, but by promoting Chamberlain, they might have found the power arm they had sought to set up closer Mariano Rivera. Pettitte said that Chamberlain had him thinking of 1996, when Rivera would throw two innings to set up John Wetteland.

Hughes was making his fourth career start, and Chamberlain his second career relief appearance. They are two of the four youngest pitchers in the majors, each 21 years old but seemingly unfazed by a pennant race.

unfazed a. 【美】【口】不膽怯的

“I think age is just a number,” Chamberlain said. “You have to keep that mind frame. Being 21 years old is part of it. They're having confidence to give us the ball, and that’s all we can ask. We have to go out and prove ourselves every time.”

Hughes and Chamberlain are injecting the Yankees with youthful vigor, but that would be meaningless without winning results. Teammates are comparing their influence to that of Robinson Canó and Melky Cabrera.

vigor n. 精力，活力

“Hopefully, they are the pitching, American version of Melky and Robby,” Alex Rodriguez said. “Those are guys you can build on for the present and the future.”

Chamberlain threw at recorded speeds up to 99 miles an hour, but the slider was his finisher. He has six strikeouts in four shutout innings this week. Hughes worked efficiently through the Indians’ order, walking one to win for the first time since his abbreviated no-hit bid in Texas on May 1, when he strained his hamstring.

“I'm not sitting here talking about any kind of injury,” Hughes said. “It's definitely a good feeling. It's a big series for us.”

It also was a big series for the Indians and their fans. Cleveland (65-50) ranks near the bottom of the A.L. in attendance, but every seat was taken Friday — including one by the Cavaliers star LeBron James — and the team shop sold commemorative pins for the series.

commemorative v. 紀念的

The Yankees did not give fans much to cheer. Only one Cleveland hitter advanced past second base, when Josh Barfield homered in the fifth, and the Yankees led after the second inning.

The lead helped Hughes pitch aggressively, and he threw 66 strikes in 95 pitches. He allowed six runs in four and two-thirds innings in his previous start, but he moved to the center of the rubber this time to command both sides of the plate.

His curveball and changeup were sharp, and he kept the Indians guessing. When Kenny Lofton batted in the third, he was fooled badly by an off-speed pitch, lunging early to chop a foul ball off the dugout fence behind him. He would strike out, looking, on a 94-m.p.h. fastball.

lunge v. 衝，撞

“He really pitched tonight,” said the bench coach Don Mattingly, who was the manager while Joe Torre served a one-game suspension. “He kept changing speeds and kept them off balance.”

The Yankees went ahead in the second on a leadoff home run by Rodriguez, who ripped Fausto Carmona’s 94-m.p.h. fastball to center field. Derek Jeter later added three hits, contributing to three scoring rallies.

Seventeen of Rodriguez's previous 18 homers have come in Yankees victories, and this one was the 501st of his career. Rodriguez has still not pried his 500th home run ball from the fan who caught it last Saturday.

“I finally got it,” he joked, holding Friday's home run ball aloft. “Five-oh-one.”

aloft adv. 在高處

When the Yankees Need His Best, Wang Delivers His Worst

Blue Jays 15, Yankees 4

TORONTO, Aug. 8 — To beat Roy Halladay on Wednesday, the Yankees' Chien-Ming Wang needed to be exceptional. There may be no pitcher who is tougher on the Yankees than Halladay.

“When you have Halladay on the mound, you know you have to control it,” Yankees Manager Joe Torre said. “You know you have to keep them down. When we couldn’t do that, you realized it was a tall order.”

Wang suffered through the worst performance of his career, lasting just two and two-thirds innings in a 15-4 rout by the Toronto Blue Jays. It was the shortest of Wang's 71 career starts, and he allowed a career-high eight runs.

Halladay worked seven innings and struck out eight, improving to 10-4 in his career against the Yankees.

For the Yankees, who had won five in a row, it was a dreary way to start a challenging chunk of their schedule. Starting Friday in Cleveland, the Yankees play 17 of 20 games against four of the best teams in the American League.

chunk n. 相當大的部分(或數量)

After a three-game series with the Indians, the Yankees play host to the fourth-place Baltimore Orioles for three games and then the Detroit Tigers for four. They follow that with a seven-game trip to Anaheim and Detroit before playing three games at home against Boston.

“Right now, we're probably as good a team as we've been all year,” Torre said. “We'll see how good that is when we test ourselves against the better teams.”

Despite the blowout, the Yankees left town with another series victory. They were 21-8 in a stretch against games teams that were under .500 at the All-Star Game break.

“We played well, we have some momentum and we have some guys swinging very hot bats right now,” Johnny Damon said. “I think we're feeling pretty good about our chances.”

momentum n. 氣勢

The Yankees stand only a half-game behind the Seattle Mariners for the lead in the A.L. wild-card race, an encouraging place to be. But on a small scale, it was startling to see Wang struggle so badly. He had worked at least six innings in each of his previous 12 starts, and was 10-1 in his last 13.

startling a. 令人吃驚的

The effectiveness of Wang's sinker is muted, to some degree, by playing on artificial turf, where ground balls get through the infield quicker. In 10 career starts on turf, Wang has a 5.17 earned run average; his E.R.A. on grass is 3.64.

turf n. 草皮

But this game was less about the playing surface than Wang’s location. He was consistently up in the strike zone with his sinker, and when he went to a slider, as he did against Vernon Wells in the third, he often hung it.

Wells slammed that pitch to left for a double, one of five hits off Wang in a five-run inning. That followed a three-run first in which Matt Stairs and Alex Rios doubled. Wang allowed no home runs, but the Blue Jays collected five doubles off him, among their nine hits.

“Everything was down the middle,” Wang said, adding later, “The low ball was too low, in the dirt.”

Wang said he was not bothered by his troublesome fingernail, which has split because of the pressure he applies on his sinker. He said his arm angle was too low, and he could not remember a start so bad since a game for Class AA Trenton in 2004.

Wang left after 59 pitches, his career-low for a start, throwing 31 balls. The doubles kept coming against Jeff Karstens and Ron Villone, and when Frank Thomas smacked one off the top of the wall in left-center field in the seventh inning, it tied a Toronto club record for doubles in a game: nine.

By then, some of the Yankees were gone. Alex Rodriguez took a day to rest his sore left calf; Derek Jeter and Jorge Posada were removed in the seventh; and Bobby Abreu was ejected for arguing a called third strike in the fourth.

Torre said the plate umpire, Derryl Cousins, had a “short fuse” in ejecting Abreu, since Abreu did not swear at him. Abreu, who slammed his bat in the dugout, told a different story.

swear at 詛咒

“It was a bad word,” he said, smiling sheepishly. “It was in English.”

Rodriguez Is Hit, but Clemens Delivers Final Blow

Yankees 9, Blue Jays 2

TORONTO, Aug. 7 — Retaliating for a teammate is part of the persona of Roger Clemens, the consummate gunslinger in double-knits. But he does not seem to relish the task, and he put it off on Tuesday until the seventh inning, with his 90th pitch.

consummate a. 完美的；熟練的
gunslinger n. 帶槍的人
relish v. 享受，喜愛


When retaliation came, though, it was unmistakable. It hummed in at 92 miles an hour and thumped into the back of the Toronto Blue Jays' Alex Rios, earning an immediate ejection for Clemens and Manager Joe Torre, who saw the end of a 9-2 Yankees victory from the clubhouse at Rogers Center.

thump v. 重擊(+into)

“I've been in those situations before,” Clemens said, “and they're never good.”

Clemens was answering the Blue Jays' actions toward Alex Rodriguez, who was hit in the calf by a fastball from Josh Towers in the third inning, causing the benches and bullpens to clear twice before Towers's next pitch.

The Yankees had a seven-run lead when Clemens hit Rios, and they went on to win, getting two doubles and a triple from Melky Cabrera and four runs batted in from Bobby Abreu.

It was the Yankees' eighth victory in nine games, and Joba Chamberlain finished it with two scoreless innings, striking out two and hitting 100 m.p.h. on the television radar gun. It was a wild night to make a major league debut.

“Yeah, you can say that,” said Chamberlain, who counted 27 missed calls and 41 text messages on his cellphone after the game. “But you only get one first time, and I wouldn't trade it for anything in the world.”

Chamberlain threw his second warm-up pitch to the backstop and fell behind his first hitter, Ray Olmedo, two balls and no strikes. But he recovered to fan Olmedo on an 88-mile-an-hour slider, and after a groundout, a walk and a single, he broke Vernon Wells’s bat with a fastball on a lazy fly out to left.

In the ninth, Chamberlain struck out Curtis Thigpen with a slider and walked Hector Luna on four pitches. When Aaron Hill grounded to second to start a game-ending double play, Chamberlain punched the air and pointed to the sky.

“He's electric,” Torre said. “It just looked like his slider was mean, really.”

electric a. 令人震驚的
mean a. 【美】【俚】出色的，很棒的


There were two out in the top of the third when Bobby Abreu tripled home Johnny Damon to give the Yankees a 1-0 lead. Rodriguez came up next, and Towers's first pitch drilled him in the calf. It eventually caused Rodriguez to leave the game, Torre said.

drill v. 鑽孔

“He got me pretty good,” Rodriguez said. “We'll see how I wake up in the morning.”

The Blue Jays did not throw near Rodriguez when they faced the Yankees last month in New York, a possible sign that they held no grudge over the incident on May 30 when Rodriguez distracted Toronto’s Howie Clark from catching a pop-up by yelling as he rounded the bases. (Clark was sent to the minors on Tuesday.)

grudge n. 怨恨，嫌隙

Jesse Litsch threw behind Rodriguez with his first pitch to him on Monday, and though Rodriguez did not react, he took a hard slide later in the game. This time, it seemed, he had had enough.

Rodriguez took a few steps toward the mound, holding his bat below his waist but pointing it at Towers. Rodriguez jawed at Towers, who yelled something back, prompting an expletive from Rodriguez.

jaw v. 【口】嘮叨
expletive n. 咒罵詞


Ángel Hernández, the plate umpire, got between Rodriguez and catcher Gregg Zaun. The dugouts and bullpens emptied, and players and coaches quickly swarmed around Rodriguez, Zaun and Towers.

swarm v. 群集

“They got fired up,” Rodriguez said. “We looked like a football team out there.”

There was a lot of heated talk, but no punches, little shoving and no ejections. Everyone returned to their seats and Rodriguez took first base. Yet before Towers’s next pitch, with Rodriguez standing at first, the dugouts and bullpens cleared again.

shove v. 推擠

This skirmish was between Towers and Tony Peña, the first-base coach. Peña said later he was simply mad that Rodriguez had been hit. Referring to Towers, he cursed and said, “Tell him to get some people out.”

skirmish n. 小衝突
curse v. 咒罵，詛咒


That seemed like a reaction to comments Towers had just made to Toronto reporters, referring to Peña's abbreviated stint as the manager of the Kansas City Royals.

“It was Tony Peña running his mouth,” Towers said. “I was like: What is this guy running his mouth for? This dude is a quitter. He managed a team and quit in the middle of the season because he couldn't hack it. He's going to run his mouth to me?”

dude n. 【美】【俚】男人，男孩
quitter n. 輕易放棄工作的人
hack v. 【美】【口】對付，處理


There were still no ejections, but the umpires spoke with Towers, who promptly gave up a two-run double to Jorge Posada. Melky Cabrera tripled and scored in the fourth, making it 4-0, and the way Clemens was pitching, it was essentially a rout.

rout n. 潰敗

Clemens allowed two hits and one run, striking out six with a lively fastball and a plunging splitter. But now he may face a suspension for protecting Rodriguez.

plunging a. 突進的

“I don't have any control over that,” Clemens said. “Obviously, I hope not. It is what it is.”

Die Hard 4.0

英雄總有老的時候，而John McClane也是

隨著時間不斷地消逝，我們人總是不斷地在某方面成長而在某方面逐漸衰老，在進電影院之前沒多久，我才剛看完Lawrence Block的Matthew Scudder這系列的犯罪偵探小說。突然發覺，對於一個老態龍鍾而不再呼風喚雨的老英雄，能比永遠不老且不死的英雄，更能得到我的尊敬而感動。對於一個老英雄，竭盡生命地去捍衛人生當中的摰愛，大部分都已逐漸消失，你又怎能不為之鼻酸而肅然起敬呢？

還好，John McClane也一如預期地老去。

其實我本來就不希望Die Hard 4.0會像第一集中那個城市大廈中，浴血奮戰只為了救妻子一命的紐約警察；或是第二集中那個在冰天雪地中拿著火矩指引飛機降落的John McClane；更不可能像第三集中跟Samuel Jachson妙語如珠，打到快斷手斷腳的酗酒無賴。不然我會大失所望。

有不少人說編劇很鳥蛋，壞人看起來不怎麼壞，手法也很多餘，恐怖份子也不怎麼厲害，blah blah ...。關於壞人我們換個角度來想，如果像塔利班等恐怖份子，你再怎麼威猛是有什麼用？911對於美國人看世界的想法改變了很多，尤其是紐約人，他們開始發覺美國其實不是那麼無所不能，當恐怖份子要攻擊你的時候，其實你根本防不勝防。那你又怎麼能企望John McClane能像之前那樣去打擊恐怖份子呢？因為連美國人自己都不相信真能阻止所謂的恐怖攻擊。

再者如果你要強調John McClane的老態，最強烈的呼應就是所謂的e世代，駭客就成為一個滿合理的設定。而我常常在想一個問題，在這個時代的戰爭，除了武力之外，所謂的資訊作戰其實是相當重要的。在這個年代的所有一切幾乎都是由電腦在控制，當然本部片裡的駭客是有點強大的太誇張，但如果真有這麼一天，一個國家發動全部駭客大舉攻擊另個國家時，面對癱瘓的一切，我們又該怎麼去面對呢？

不少人在批評說，目的不過是要錢而已，幹麼搞這麼一大套？跟前三集比起來簡直是難看的太多。我只想問：前三集的目的不也是要錢而已？那第三集幹麼玩什麼賽門說呢？搞到後來還讓John McClane找到你的巢穴簡直是蠢斃了。眾多好萊塢電影不都是這樣？歹徒先試圖製造一大堆混亂，在混亂之中他們就能爭取時間去做一些他們要做的事情。我是不大了解有沒有其他電影用過類似的手法，然而集結駭客來搗亂，確實是能達到一些效果，更不用想諸如交通癱瘓或是全面性的停電這種會造成大規模恐慌的恐怖攻擊。就像之前提到的，美國人在911之後，改變了對世界以及對自己的看法，他們不再對自己那麼有自信，就像電影中導演讓專家再三保證的那些安全系統，亦可以一一遭到入侵；就像電影中，當紐約人看到白宮爆炸的畫面時，全部都目瞪口呆的樣子，這電影是帶著一層灰色的色彩的。

Die Hard一系列走來，都會有意無意地去諷刺官僚體系的無能，都是在John McClane搞定了一切之後官僚體系才來善後。然而在這部片裡面也會發覺John McClane也有束手無策的時候，例如在面對到網路的問題時，或是在面對那些傭兵的打鬥時，步調總是慢了一點，不若以往的緊湊，他有點遲滯，有點力不從心。甚至從John McClane的口中自己說出一句很大美國的話：因為沒人要去當英雄，所以我去。但談話過程中卻充滿無奈感慨，行動中也充滿老態遲頓，扣除掉片中的那些大動作畫面，可以發覺這片子的步調不如前三集的緊湊。John McClane老了，而雙子星大廈也垮了，別忘了他是個N.Y.P.D.，面對這麼多人生的變卦，他怎麼能不服老呢？

不過可以看得出導演很刻意去安排一些前三集的梗擺在電影中，一開始的槍戰就像第一集的槍戰，McClane赤腳踩在玻璃上的那一幕；開卡車開直昇機就是第三集的梗；跟MaggieQ打的那一段也是第一集的梗等等，這算是導演滿細心的地方，當然你也可以說他偷懶就是了。大動作的場面我覺得安排得還滿恰當的，節奏算不錯，不會多到讓你頭暈目眩，也不會少到讓你一直打瞌睡。我個人覺得比較誇張的是飛車撞直昇機跟開卡車打戰鬥機，從那麼高的地方跳下來McClane還可以小跑步，未免也太誇張。不過這部跟前三集比較起來個人色彩比較不鮮明，所以才會有人提到走味的部分，畢竟前三部大部分都是在賣Bruce Willis，會有比較多專為主角設計的台詞，以及跟搭擋之間的鬥嘴，還有跟對手之間的互譙。雖然名為Die Hard 4.0，但並沒有完全承襲Die Hard的風格，畢竟是不同導演的作品。擺入不少相同的元素，主角也相同，卻可以看到風格迥異的部分。話說回來，McClane跟自己的女兒有這麼大的代溝，那怎麼能要求他跟一個年輕阿宅能有多少互動呢？況且老布的魅力也不比年輕的時候啊。

這部片除了動作的部分之外，也隱含一些值得玩味的小品，例如Matt這個駭客在網路世界中神通廣大，也可以訓示McClane說新聞媒體是如何地被操弄等等，然而回到真實世界中卻是個沒有老頭帶路就不知道該怎麼解決問題的弱者。像McClane的狂笑也是十分有意思的，那種笑是透露著無奈又無力的笑，跟以前那種自信而輕蔑的笑是有差別的。最後的設定我也十分喜歡，McClane必須要對著自己開槍才能幹掉對方，面對自己的無能為力而且又得要保護摰愛的情況下，不得不為的犧牲。當然McClane還是沒死，畢竟他是"Die Hard"。

總結來說，是部不錯的電影，比起到現在還可以無敵的McClane，這個McClane給了我們更多的人性在裡面。

Yankees’ Two Young Catalysts Cook Up Another Victory

Yankees 5, Blue Jays 4

catalyst n. 催化劑，刺激
cook up 編造


TORONTO, Aug. 6 — Robinson Canó had already doubled in the tying and go-ahead runs in the sixth inning Monday. As he crossed the plate on a single by Melky Cabrera, he clapped his hands in delight. Sure enough, at first base a moment later, Cabrera clapped, too.

“They're always together,” Derek Jeter said. “You don't see one of them without the other.”

It was just another installment of Me and My Shadow, playing almost every day to the amusement of the veterans on the Yankees. Canó and Cabrera charged the surging Yankees again in a 5-4 victory over the Toronto Blue Jays at Rogers Center, lifting the team to the brink of the lead in the American League wild-card race.

amusement n. 娛樂
brink n. 邊緣


“We're battling, we're fighting,” said closer Mariano Rivera, who struck out Alex Rios, Vernon Wells and Frank Thomas in the ninth inning. “We're giving everything that we have to win the game. We did today.”

The Yankees have won seven of their past eight games, improving their record to 62-50, a half-game behind the Detroit Tigers, who defeated Tampa Bay by 6-4 last night. The Seattle Mariners (60-49) are idle.

After striking out in his first two at-bats, Canó doubled to left-center on a curveball from the left-handed reliever Scott Downs. The Yankees had been trailing by a run, but Canó ’s hit gave them a 4-3 lead. When Cabrera singled him home, it was his third hit of the game.

Jason Giambi is about to rejoin the Yankees, which could nudge an outfielder like Johnny Damon or Hideki Matsui out of the designated hitter role. But Cabrera is not losing his starting job in center. He has a 12-game hitting streak, with a .412 average in those games.

nudge v. 推進，刺激

“I'm not saying we won't give him a day off here and there,” Manager Joe Torre said, “but it would really be tough to replace what he does for us.”

Part of what makes Cabrera tough to replace is that he gives the Yankees a switch-hitter with pop at the bottom of the order and a strong arm on defense that runners rarely challenge. Another part is intangible, but possibly as important.

intangible a. 無形的；模糊的

“You'll see guys sort of dragging, and they see them bouncing around and say, ‘Shoot, I can do that, too,’ ” said the third-base coach Larry Bowa, referring to Canó and Cabrera.

“There's no question it helps. They're still going to make some mistakes, but what they bring to the table outnumbers what they do wrong.”

outnumber v. 數目上超過

Canó said he and Cabrera only talked baseball after losses, so they can find ways to improve. After a game in Chicago in June, when the Yankees were well under .500, Canó and Cabrera resolved to get on base more often. Canó said they decided to be realistic about what the team needed.

“We're not here to hit home runs,” Canó said. “We're not going to prove that we're Babe Ruth or anything. Just go out there, get on base for A-Rod and Posada and Matsui, let them hit the home runs. Just swing at pitches we can drive, not like we were at the beginning, when we were swinging at everything and trying to hit the ball out of the park.”

Canó is batting .456 (41 for 90) in his last 23 games, coming on strong in the second half the way he did last season. He and Cabrera are playing with the boundless energy of teenagers, Alex Rodriguez said, as they compete against each other and the opposition.

“You see them doing their handshakes and jumping up and down,” Andy Pettitte said. “There's no doubt that they feed off each other. To watch them play, I don’t think either one of them wants to be outdone each day. It’s almost a competition like a staff — when guys are dealing, you want to pitch good also.”

Pettitte (8-7) pitched well enough to win Monday, working five and two-thirds innings, allowing three runs and six hits, and striking out seven. He has lost the groove he had early this season, but has won four of his past six starts.

“You realize it's going to be a battle, and I'm not going to give in and give these games up,” Pettitte said. “I don't care how many pitches I have to throw, I'll throw 'em.”

Pettitte needed 114 to get as far as he did, leaving two on with two out for the newcomer Jim Brower, who got a lineout from Reed Johnson to end the sixth inning. After Rios singled to lead off the seventh, Luis Vizcaíno came in to work two crucial innings before Rivera’s overpowering ninth.

“It's amazing he still throws that hard, and the ball's back to cutting, with command,” Pettitte said of Rivera. “That's why he's the best there is.”

Mussina and Offense Combine to Finish Sweep

Yankees 8, Royals 5

When Mike Mussina climbed the mound and fired his first pitch yesterday, more than 54,000 fans at Yankee Stadium cheered. But in some ways, Mussina appeared much less relevant than usual.

relevant a. 有關的，切題的；關係重大的

The Yankees have been scoring runs seemingly at will these days. So what did it matter if Mussina's fastball was a little sluggish or his slider did not slide?

sluggish a. 懶散的；遲鈍的；蕭條的

As it turned out, Mussina had a fine outing, as did the offense. The Yankees scored early and often, completing a three-game sweep of the Kansas City Royals with an 8-5 victory.

turn out 結果是；證明是

“The way our offense is going, if the starter can put up a couple zeros, we're going to go out there and put some pressure on the other side, whether we get one run, two runs, five runs, six runs,” Mussina said.

put up 建造

The Yankees (61-50) have scored 74 runs in their last seven games. They have won six of those games. In their only loss during that stretch, against the Chicago White Sox on Thursday, they scored nine runs. The offensive outburst has put the Yankees a season-high 11 games above .500 and into the thick of the playoff race, a half game out of the wild-card race.

thick n. 最激烈的時候

On a sun-splashed afternoon, the Yankees rattled starter Gil Meche in the second, scoring four runs with two outs. Melky Cabrera made the first dent with a run-scoring single. The next batter, Derek Jeter, walked with the bases loaded. Bobby Abreu then singled home two runs.

rattle v. 【口】使...驚惶失惜；使...發出咯咯聲
dent n. 凹痕


Given an early lead, Mussina kept his pitch count down, holding the Royals (48-62) scoreless for the first five innings.

The lead only grew in the third as Hideki Matsui led off with a towering home run that landed in the seats immediately behind the right-field wall. It was his 100th major league homer. The fans cheered Matsui, who joined the Yankees in 2003 after 10 seasons in Japan, until he reciprocated with a curtain call.

towering a. 高大的；傑出的
reciprocate v. 報答，交換


“I'm just happy to be able to reach that,” Matsui said through an interpreter.

It was the second consecutive day the fans at Yankee Stadium witnessed a milestone, after Alex Rodriguez hit his 500th home run in Saturday's 16-8 victory. Rodriguez was the designated hitter yesterday; Wilson Betemit played third and Johnny Damon had the day off. Rodriguez was 0 for 4 with two strikeouts.

Rodriguez's sacrifice fly in the fourth inning gave the Yankees a 6-0 lead. The Royals finally scored in the sixth inning as Ross Gload belted a two-run homer against Mussina. The Yankees responded with two runs in the bottom of the inning to take an 8-2 lead.

Mussina (7-7) was replaced after allowing a single to start the seventh inning. He surrendered nine hits and two runs, struck out three and walked none.

After an inconsistent start to the season, Mussina seems to be in a solid place. He has won his last three starts, giving him 246 for his career. Yesterday he became the pitcher with the most victories in major league history without a 20-victory season.

Brian Bruney relieved Mussina and gave up one run. Mike Myers allowed two runs, one earned, in the eighth. So Torre went to Mariano Rivera for a four-out save. But it was the Yankees' bats that saved the day.

“Not to say that there's not going to be a starter out there who's going to shut us down,” Torre said. “That goes for any team. You get a quality start and certainly they dominate the game, so to speak. But our offense right now is just about where we want it to be.”

Rodriguez’s 500th Homer Proves Worth the Wait

Yankees 16, Royals 8

Alex Rodriguez said he was starting to become embarrassed by the anticipation: the fans standing as he strode to every at-bat, the flashbulbs piercing the sky during night games, the good wishes being showered on him as he tried game after game to hit his 500th home run.

stride v. 邁大步地；跨
pierce v. (亮光)照進，穿透；刺穿


Yesterday afternoon at Yankee Stadium, the pattern did not change. The theme song from “The Natural” flooded through the speakers as Rodriguez walked to the plate in the first inning of the Yankees' game against the Kansas City Royals. Fans who flocked here on a broiling summer afternoon stood and cheered.

flock v. 聚集

This time, Rodriguez fulfilled the expectations, unfurling a big swing at the first pitch he saw and driving the ball deep to left field. He stood at home plate and watched it stay to the right of the foul pole, then threw his arms in the air as “The Natural” music started again and the fans' roar serenaded him around the bases.

unfurl v. 展開，展露
roar n. 吼，喧鬧聲；大笑聲
serenade v. 對...唱(或奏)小夜曲


“It was pretty awesome,” Rodriguez said after the game. “I felt a little embarrassed that every time I came up, 56,000 people stand up. But it was awesome. You kind of get a high school reception when you hit a home run and all the guys are out of the dugout. Pretty cool.”

Rodriguez's home run gave the Yankees a 3-0 lead in a game they would win, 16-8. He hit it against Royals starter Kyle Davies, becoming the youngest player to hit 500 homers, at the age of 32 years 8 days. Rodriguez is the 22nd player to hit 500, he is the fifth active player to do so, and he joins Babe Ruth and Mickey Mantle as the third player to hit it as a Yankee.

Rodriguez did it in dramatic fashion.

“It was great,” Yankees Manager Joe Torre said. “He stood there and watched it. We all did. You just felt it was coming.”

George Steinbrenner, the Yankees principal owner, congratulated Rodriguez in a telephone call after game. His spokesman, Howard Rubenstein, said Steinbrenner told Rodriguez, “I'm very proud and happy that you did it at Yankee Stadium in front of our hometown fans.”

Rodriguez and the Yankees had been waiting since July 25 for him to move from 499 to 500, a stretch of 29 at-bats during which Rodriguez said he went through a range of emotions. He was alternately tight and flustered and determined. The past few days, Rodriguez said, he started to concentrate on his mechanics and forget about it.

flustere v. 使...慌亂，做...緊張不安

That is not easy to do when a stadium full of fans stands and howls every time you leave the dugout.

howl v. 嗥叫，怒吼，號啕大哭，大笑

“Well, I've conceded the fact that you can't will yourself to hit a home run,” he said. “I tried hard for about four or five days.”

He did acknowledge that he wanted badly to do it at home, in front of the fans who have become a source of support only one season after tormenting him with boos. The transformation has been astounding and complete.

badly adv. 【口】很，非常

“You wish you can go out there and shake every fan's hand and thank them,” he said. “But the only way to thank them is to hit the home run at home and do it in a winning situation.”

The Yankees did win, and win big. They pounded 21 hits, and six players had three hits or more, including Rodriguez, Derek Jeter and Robinson Canó, who had four.

The Yankees improved their recor to 18-7 since the All-Star Game break, using victories over some of the league’s weakest teams to get closer to the first-place Boston Red Sox. They were six and a half games behind them in the American League East before the Red Sox played at Seattle late Saturday.

But all of the other dramas paled in comparison to Rodriguez's blast. The fans had clearly come to witness his milestone. They started chanting his nickname during warm-ups.

pale v. 相形見絀

With Jeter and Bobby Abreu on base in front of him, Rodriguez did not hesitate on the first pitch. After hitting the ball, he circled the bases in triumph, hugged Jeter and Abreu at the plate, then turned to blow a kiss to the crowd. He thought he was aiming it at his wife, Cynthia, and his daughter, but he realized they were not yet in their seats.

hesitate v. 猶豫

Cynthia Rodriguez said sheepishly after the game that she arrived late. “I was running into the stadium when he hit it,” she said. “I saw him running the bases. I did see him cross home plate.”

sheepish a. 羞怯的

Rodriguez received plenty of love from his adoptive Yankees family. This season, as he has piled up his major league-leading 36 homers and 108 runs batted in, he has reveled in their support.

The season has not passed without controversy, from the drama of Rodriguez not saying whether he will opt out of his contract after this season, to pictures of him and a mystery woman being published in New York newspapers, to his wife being photographed at Yankee Stadium wearing a T-shirt with a vulgar phrase on it.

This year, the difference has been that he has not let it affect his play or, seemingly, his emotions.

“New York's a special place,” Rodriguez said. “I've had my trials and tribulations here in New York. I've learned from them. I've had some great times and I've had some good times and I've had some tough times. Today kind of brings it full circle. Maybe there's a happy ending for me somewhere.”

He left that answer open-ended about his future. For now, a celebration of the present was enough.

台灣男籃亞錦賽心得

寫下這篇文章，算是給自己看完一系列台灣男籃的比賽，做一個詳細的整理跟思考；此外，因為我很不爽裘必勝講的一句話：讓那些只能躲在陰暗角落自娛娛人的戰術大師們，可以換來一點點的自尊與快感。站在檯面上發文酸人然後自己一點戰術涵養都沒有的球評，因為你能寫文章賣錢所以很了不起嗎？面對人家的批評絲毫不知道該檢討自己哪裡有所不足，戰術對於籃球來說是門多精美的藝術，這世上有多少教練致力於研究一套稱得上精密的系統戰術，又有多少球迷醉心於這些迷人的變化，自娛娛人的戰術大師嗎？看來你絲毫不懂太陽為何能在看上去的身材劣勢下，擁有如此優秀的戰績；而小牛如何創造出最佳戰績來，看來你也不甚了解。因為你不過就是個自欺欺人的嘴炮大師，以管窺天的井底之蛙。

討論籃球有很多個面向，逐場討論，球員個別討論，場上的進攻跟防守，教練的作戰思維及用人哲學等等，我認為當你完整討論出這些東西之後，你才能夠去對一個球員、一個教練、或是一隻隊伍做出正確的評價。我常說當你要去評論別人的時候，應該要讓人家得到他應有的評價，而不要欲加之罪何患無詞，而裘必勝做的評論是在一個很封閉的思想跟圈子內所思考出來的，因此才會被稱為籃協的化粧師 - 怎麼看都是想要粉飾太平，當然他也有可能講話不經大腦就是了。

逐場討論我現在可能辦不到了，畢竟連續看了一個禮拜下來，有些比賽印象也不是很清楚。扣除掉大勝的兩場比賽，可以把比賽分成跟東亞球隊打跟西亞球隊打兩種。東亞球隊的身材跟我們較為接近，所以你可以看到我們的球員發揮的比較平均，尤其是控球後衛在場上的功用較為明顯。而進攻方面亦顯得較為靈活，高低中鋒的配合，高位擋人的三分出手，鋒線球員的切入分球，傳導後所造成的外線空檔，以及後門戰術等等。

但在面對到西亞球隊的時候，我們的控球後衛幾乎是發揮不了任何功用，得分也以個人單打為主，同時對方可以造成我們較多的失誤。這代表了我們的球員受制於西亞球隊的防守，這個結果是合理的，仔細去觀察西亞球隊的比賽，他們的比賽建築在強硬的防守之上，大半的時間會利用半場人盯人來壓迫對方造成失誤或是不流暢的進攻節奏。充沛的體力，壯碩的身材，加上侵略性的防守，身體素質在他們的籃球是相當重要的一環，而這也是世界籃球的潮流。

而西亞球隊的進攻也漸漸地在學習所謂的motion，不是台灣這套假的，是真的，真motion！他們會針對我們防守上的弱點變化陣型加以進攻，所以他們一定要具備一個具有籃下威力的中鋒，或者是一個能夠在籃底下強力單打的鋒線球員，配上一、兩個有外線投射能力的球員。當你守二三區域聯防，他會以控衛或鋒線切入破壞配合底線中鋒單擋，有人繞底另外的站在三分線外等球，這樣就會有空檔。或者是他會用中鋒在禁區要球單打吸引包夾，你不包他會自己打，你一包就會露空檔。當你守盯人，不用說擋拆或是利用身材優勢單打。

面對這種球隊的進攻，防守的觀念一定要夠好，底線交代要清楚，千萬不能漏掉任何一個走底線的人，這一點我們做的很差。另外防守要具備足夠的侵略性，不能讓任何人在有利的位置輕易地拿到球，這也是為什麼我一直罵曾文鼎的原因。中鋒拿球的位置尤其重要，他們的中鋒都有足夠的單打能力，太容易讓他們拿到球，很難守，像伊朗的Ehadadi以及黎巴嫩的J.Vogel，他們在那個位置拿球幾乎就是兩分。

我們的補防真的不及其他人好，連河昇鎮都守得比我們好的多。我們的球員有個很不好的習慣，就是喜歡看，看自己的隊友被單打，就算外線會因為你補防而漏空檔，但籃下的命中率總比外線高很多吧。區域聯防就是得要保護我們最不想讓人打到的缺點，但當禁區被單打補防卻不來的時候，那就失去守二三區域的意義了。

談到區域聯防，就不得不提我們的球員在區域聯防上的觀念，二三區域聯防的目的在於固守禁區，以一種較為消極性的防守方式，去彌補我們的不足。所謂消極性是說，在區域聯防底下，一定會有某些球員在防守上是比較輕鬆的，我們不求主動去造成對方進攻的混亂，我們只求我們的弱點不要被強攻。所以在二三區域聯防的狀況底下，第一線球員不該讓對方擅於切入的球員切入破壞，這點我們做的並不好。第一線球員的失守會造成內線球員防守的壓力，容易發生犯規，也容易讓對方用較有效的方式得分。這點就又牽扯到防守觀念的問題，仔細看我們的球員比賽，當對方球員運球啟動之後，通常就放切了，不會硬跟上去給予干擾或者是嘗試做進攻犯規。這其實很不應該，在內線球員有限的狀況下，守外線的球員應該得要分擔他們的壓力，不論是在防守上或是犯規上。

總結來說，我們的球員防守技巧跟觀念都不夠好，這也是為什麼教練較少採取侵略性防守的原因，因為你連區域聯防該做的事都做不好了，還談什麼盯人呢？

進攻來說，在看完瓊斯盃的時候，那時候還覺得我們進攻的基調跟李雲光時期沒啥差別，還是以三分轟炸為主，只是set戰術的方式變了。然而打完亞錦之後，我得要改變我的看法，我看到了鄭光錫比李雲光高明的地方，很多球評會講說我們的進攻方式常流於單打獨鬥，應該要多設計外線blah blah，難道你不知道單打也是一種戰術嗎？如果還不是鄭光錫還是李雲光的話，你看不見今年這個狂切的陳信安，你看到的還是去年亞運那個亂噴三分的信安。如果還是李雲光，你看不見這個勇於在禁區單打對抗河昇鎮、Ehadadi以及J. Vogel的吳岱豪，只有那個一直在高位擋人分球的中鋒。如果還是李雲光，楊哲宜會不會是對敘利亞那場的英雄，我都很懷疑。為什麼我會說單打好？認真想想我們對手的防守強度你就會得到答案，面對西亞深具侵略性的防守建築在比我們優秀的身體素質上，你認為我們會有多少完全沒人干擾的外線出手空檔？是的，答案就在身體素質，如果你的球隊上有一個切入無人能擋的壯碩前鋒，你為什麼不set戰術給他打？如果你的球隊中有一個底線單打頗有把握性的中鋒，你為什麼不set戰術給他打？尤其是在對方的防守讓其他球員難以伸展拳腳的狀況下。如果單打是個不應該的戰術，那麼騎士隊是靠什麼打到東區冠軍的？在三分命中率偏低，而且快攻不易打出來的狀況底下，這是你唯一能端出來對抗對方的菜。而且這個菜讓球員們打出自信，得到更多的經驗。

綜合以上的一些想法，就可以發現籃球發展的趨勢，對於個人的要求回歸到最基本的東西，身體素質跟基本動作。身體素質包含體能，體格，只有足夠好的身體素質，才能給對手足夠的威脅性，我們的球員都太瘦弱而太不具衝撞性了。基本動作包括投籃穩定性，防守意識、防守觀念跟防守技巧，進攻意識、進攻觀念等等，看了這麼多場比賽下來，在防守籃板這方面卡位不夠確實，尤其是第一線球員幾乎是不卡位的；快攻回防人太少而且方式也不對，快攻回防一定要有人去壓迫控球者，因為他是發動者，能讓他慢下來就能夠阻斷快攻，而我們都是直接退回籃下。防守技巧要強調對未持球者的壓迫，這樣才有機會站前而抄到球；對於持球者的防守想的是阻擋對方進攻路線，而不是抄球，差別在於一個會移動腳步移動身體另一個則是用手撈。進攻方面，跑位太少是一個很大的缺點，當我們有球員切入時，其他球員應該要有跟進的動作，這件事只有吳岱豪會做；進攻籃板搶奪意識不好，你常可以看到西亞球隊球出手後，兩三個人擠在籃下想要抓籃板，而我們通常都只有一個或沒有；快攻進攻觀念不對，快攻跑去三分等球是很不應該的，那應該是快攻不成功的第二個動作，這個觀念楊哲宜最好，不論兩線快攻，三線快攻都應該先往籃下去，然後拖車再來才是set early offence。

對於戰術，motion進攻是一股全球的風潮，然而練motion不是三天兩天的事，複雜的戰術系統需要時間、觀念好的教練、以及能理解比賽的球員，台灣球員到這個水準了嗎？老實說我很懷疑。

所以裘大球評，看到了很多球員的優點，但有更多的缺點你沒有看到，為什麼伊朗、黎巴嫩甚至卡達會贏我們？對伊朗20個籃板的差距，對黎巴嫩我們讓對手的命中率是將近72%，這些不是一句「板凳以死」就可以把問題全都丟給教練，因為我們的球員真的沒有比人家好。

接著談到個人球員的部分，這個話題很有趣，因為可以把裘大球評自以為美好的世界整個粉碎。

以今年中華隊的成熟度與表現來，志傑的出色表現是明顯加分的，信安更勝田壘，岱豪也更勝前兩年的阿鼎，整體來看，今年中華隊的戰力只有上升，沒有下滑。

先從信安談起，06年亞運的田壘跟今年的信安，勝不勝我想數據一比就很清楚，印象中田壘那年的數據很漂亮，別忘了那年也有信安，雖然被幹到要死，可是他那年的三分命中率有一定的水準。今年的信安或許比得過當年的田壘，但比得過當年的田壘+信安嗎？歷經了這麼多的風波，信安回來了，在一個傷痛比較好而且他比較願意賣力的教練手底下打球。記不記得今年sbl裡信安那個鳥樣？這樣一比兩個教練高下又出來了。信安不僅令人驚艷，他一場一場地在進步，尤其是防守方面。從不防守，到扛內線，到扛對方的得分主力，信安的防守在無形中進步了不少，勇於做身體的碰撞而不是下手去撈，這是一個很正確的防守方式。他現在要再加強的是補防觀念、卡位還有阻擋對方的空手切，從苦工球員出發，這點信安愈做愈好了。進攻方面，總算讓我們看到亞洲一流的身手，近兩場他開始增加背框單打的次數，這個進步是令人開心的，看來鄭志龍有在教他進攻技巧，這是好事，練完這個接下來就是急停跳投了。不過他上籃的手感還不夠好，快攻積極度不夠，他是個在快攻時很有破壞力的球員，不應該慢慢跑回來參與快攻。他的進攻意識有在進步，開始會去跟進然後接著搶進攻籃板，切入腳步也開始多變化，為什麼李雲光養了這麼多年養不好？而鄭光錫養兩個月養出來了？

志傑的出色表現是明顯加分的？那也是李雲光冰林志傑啊，同時他也冰楊哲宜，戰力加分？誰讓他加分的？那怎麼不談林志傑讓球隊扣分的地方呢？五場比賽下來平均一場三次失誤，裘大球評你也真會睜眼說瞎話：像他們這種頂尖球員，還是可以調整的。調整去哪？林志傑幾乎每場都走步耶！這是林志傑基本動作不好的地方，這很久之前我就說過了，基本動作不紮實會是他在國際賽一個很大的問題。他在防守方面出的紕漏比信安還嚴重，雖然他可以摘人家芭樂，但這也代表他讓進攻球員卡住他了，他才必須要用摘芭樂的方式搶籃板。他在底線漏人的狀況也很嚴重，他通常會很輕易的讓對方從三分線空手切進籃下，絲毫沒有察覺。轉去守第一線的問題也不小，基本上他的防守能力並不算太好。他在進攻方面給予我們的助力比較大，可是走步反而綁住他，他怯於去進攻籃框，應該說他怯於切入，猶豫就這樣常常發生在他身上，但空檔總是稍縱即失。不過還好他的分球能力較信安好，信安是"塞"球而他是給球，所以他要勇於切入，何況他有中距離的能力，怕啥？而他的爆發力並不存在於first jump，面對較好的防守者會造成他切入的困擾，所以他要擅於利用他的中距離。這次比賽他三分又噴的比兩分多了，罰球命中率也不夠理想，我相信他的企圖心會讓他再進步，但這次比賽你說加分？我倒不覺得加了多少分，從今天對日本的比賽來看，他得的分數信安跟吳岱豪完全可以吃下來，換上一個防守能力比他好的才真的有加到分。

吳岱豪，他分球能力未必比李啟億差，我覺得裘大球評該給人家一個正確的評價。他在高中鋒位塞進禁區的球其實都很到位，在禁區內分球出來的能力並不差，吳岱豪7場下來的助攻也有10個，所以不要為反而反，更何況他常是戰術設定下finish the ball的角色。他的低位單打真的是很不錯，要去挑戰才會進步，這個觀念很好，跟某曾完全不一樣。很明顯地他是全部球員中觀念最好的，不過他防守有個大缺點，愛用手去搧，雖然會補位但這樣很容易造成犯規，偏偏他是我們一個十分倚重的中鋒，慢慢去學習如何站位，這是將來他在面對亞洲頂級中鋒很重要的環節。

楊哲宜拉上先發其實是沒有辦法中的辦法，他的能力不足以站先發的位置，雖然他很會跑快攻，但這也是他唯一最有把握的武器。外線不夠穩定是他很大的罩門，不過他是這些球員中少數願意積極跑位的球員，但在半場攻擊中他也鮮少進攻籃框，因為他的運球沒有好到讓他可以每次都進攻籃框。七場下來平均一場12分的得分，看起來好像還不錯，但不要忘了他在第一場灌進了30+，拉高平均4分以上。而且他這次跟李學林組成的前場防守真的漏洞不少，我還是堅持我06年的論點，他是個適合在需要打快節奏快速得分時期的球員，他不是個能力出眾的2號球員。

既然提到了楊哲宜，就把呂政儒跟林宜輝這兩名將來可能在2號或3號位置遞補的球員先引出來。我認為這兩人比較有能力打到先發的是林宜輝，如果有養好他的能力會超越楊哲宜，林宜輝有個我們球員普遍缺乏的武器 - 就是中距離急停跳投。看他出手的follow感覺是很不錯的，而且他敢於挑戰禁區，又有很好的搶奪進攻籃板的意識，也敢於跟對手碰撞，在將來他很有希望長成一個很不錯的2號球員。呂政儒前景就不甚看好，這種身材過於單薄，而且防守能力不夠好的純射手，在未來世界籃球的趨勢下，是不容易立足的。

再來聊聊李學林跟陳世念，這兩個人一整個妙，明明是比較普通的那個控衛，反而大家比較喜歡，而比較好的那個控衛被幹到翻。控衛這種東西是很講天份的，得分也是，李學林無法變成陳世念，相對地陳世念也無法變成李學林。如果有看過李至明時代的人，一定會對於李學林得分能力驚艷不已，我覺得有時候養球員不能因為他矮就硬是要他去當控球，這很浪費他的天份。當控衛他只是一個不會掉球的控衛，通常在場上組織的人不會是他，也因為這樣讓他這次的比賽表現的比陳世念好。不過其實李學林這樣遇到對方的控衛防守不錯的時候他會很麻煩，因為傳球視野、分球能力等等他都普通，而在身材劣勢的狀況下，他其實無法幫助球隊太多。裘大球評說：陳世念很差嗎？當然不會，他的外線OK、防守出色、拚勁十足，今天中卡之戰，他就打的非常出色，他當然會有大意的失誤，膽大的誤失，但做為教練，你得擅用他的優點，避免他的缺點，這才是中華隊最需要的調度、用人智慧。陳世念不差，他只是這次打得很差；他的外線ok，但這次都投不進；他的防守出色，在守到西亞球隊的後衛時，就一點都不出色；但裘大球評你都沒提到一個重點，球員在場上時教練要怎麼避免他黏球？陳世念是個不錯的控衛，但我懷疑他是不是有大頭症，滿腦子想的是漂亮助功，問題是國際賽哪來那麼多空檔讓你傳出漂亮助攻？所以他當然會黏球，因為空檔出不來。這是一個很嚴重的錯誤，根本不是什麼膽大的誤失，一個控衛組織進攻完全不去考慮對手的防守等級，慢慢磨到時間剩十秒才要發動進攻，這樣減輕了對手多少的防守壓力？

李啟億的視野、處理球和傳球，以及三分線上的牽制力，都是優點，他的傳球、視野，也是曾文鼎、吳岱豪所不及之處。因為，球在李啟億手中就是活的，第三節李啟億在低線接球，第一時間地板打到對角底線給陳信安空檔跳投，這種球，中華隊的中鋒，都做不到，也看不到。
李啟億有這麼好？我們來看數據。對韓國上場16分鐘，兩分球投三中0，三分球投二中0，個人犯規4，失誤3，抄截2，其他都是0；對卡達上場34分鐘，兩分球投六中1，三分球投四中3，籃板4，助攻2，五犯；對日本上場24分鐘，兩分球投二中一，三分球投二中一，籃板6，助攻1，四犯，失誤4，抄截1。好一個傳球、視野都是曾跟吳不及之處，看一下他的失誤多少，而且這三場上場比較多的時間，都至少四犯，這代表什麼？他在防守方是處於相當不利的一方，儘管他有不錯的防守意識跟防守腳步，問題是他的身體素質不夠，速度太慢，十分容易成為被單打的點，還好對伊朗跟黎巴嫩沒上，不然真的會讓他的紀錄更難看。雖然三分球命中率有到44.4%，問題是兩分球命中率十分悽慘，這樣的球員你說能有多少的牽制能力？籃板的表現只有在對日本的內線高度不夠的狀況下，抓下6個，面對韓國的雙塔沒有籃板，而對卡達上了34分鐘也只有4個籃板，可見他要不是卡位不確實，不然就是在卡位的狀況依舊下保護不了籃板。他是個很聰明的球員，他肯進底線要位，但通常是傳球，是能夠拉開一點空間，但多給幾球的話對方中鋒應該就會一打一，包夾不會過來，再會傳球也不好生存，這可以解釋為什麼他失誤會這麼多。他做的比較好的是站前防守，這點確實是其他球員該向他學習，他針對未持球者的球員防守壓迫性很大。像這種純粹遞補型的中鋒，你怎麼可能去針對這個球員設計戰術？更何況他們集訓才多久？他們能有多少時間練新戰術呢？

從球員個別分析完你就可以了解你手上有什麼牌可以用了。扣掉兩名傷兵曾文鼎跟許皓程，岳你幾乎不可能用他來玩，呂政儒不好用上場時間不可能太多。你剩八個人可以用，而事實上陳世念上的時間不少，不知道這有什麼好批評的。所以剩下的是李啟億跟林宜輝，這點他們確實少上了不少時間。換個角度想想如果你是教練你會怎麼做？我們只集訓了一個月，然後開始打比賽，集訓期間還常有人沒到，所以他們能花多少時間練球？這樣來解釋為什麼在預賽贏那麼多分的情況下主力還是放在場上，豈不合情合理？因為教練團還想贏，讓這比主力磨合更好。當然即便是這樣他人員調度還是太緊，這樣造成主力過於疲勞，甚至有受傷的可能，這都會影響到往後的比賽。鄭光錫用兵哲學是過於保守沒錯，但不要忘了他在作戰方面的思考可是超越了李雲光一截，在裕隆的體系中他們很強調所謂的系統戰，而忽視了球員個人的能力，由此也可以推出為什麼陳信安待得不開心，所以擺爛亂打。然後到了國際賽的李雲光除了噴三分這招之外，我不知道他還有什麼招？在曾文鼎吃不開的狀況下。用人保守，至少鄭教練用對人先發，想想06年亞運林志傑沒有重用，才真的是莫名其妙。防守方面更是有長足的進步，雖然有很多問題，但比起之前的國家隊，這一隊的防守已經升了一級，不要忘了人家才帶一個月。而且鄭教練應該是個滿強調防守強度的一個教練，從球員防守態度可以很清楚知道這件事，這同時也可以解釋為什麼李啟億不被重用，從防守的角度來看，你確實不會去選擇這樣的球員擺在國際賽場上太長的時間，在曾文鼎上不了場的時候，直接遞補吳岱豪。別忘了對韓國那戰，曾經這樣換人過，結果就是信安跟著賠上犯規，那這種狀況誰又該負責呢？這個教練只帶一個月，看到這些明顯的進步，我不懂怎麼會有球評可以看不見這些進步，然後把輸球的責任全丟給教練，把贏球功勞都歸在球員身上？這既不客觀也不合理，更是沒有身為球評的水準。

這支中華隊，比起前兩屆，只有更強，不會更差。

裘大球評的文章，從頭到尾只敢跟自己比，只會信口開河說這批球員多好又多好，為什麼不敢拿來跟亞洲其他國家的球員相比較呢？當你提到有機會贏伊朗、黎巴嫩跟卡達時，為什麼你始終忽略不提對方球員的素質跟能力，而在比較日本的球員才敢吭一句說：同樣是東亞的球隊，日本的天賦、天分和人才，都不如中華。面對現實吧，亞洲籃球列強現在根本不在東亞，只敢拿日本來比較，連菲律賓你都不敢比，更何況是韓國以及那些西亞國家。

這是我無法接受的事理與情理、邏輯。當你已經預先設定了「他們水準不齊、他們不行」時，這場仗，就很難打下去了。你所能靠的，就只是手氣和球運，並且讓球員自行發揮，看他們的臨場狀況，或者是：釘人守不住，就換個區域聯防。

好一個讓球員自行發揮啊，拉下臉來承認外國教練比我們的教練好有這麼難嗎？你連分析都不敢，為什麼教練不用這些人，只一味地說這些球員的好，那球員的缺點呢？球員都沒有缺點的啊？我們進得了八強靠得不只是手氣跟運氣，我們只輸韓國15分，只輸伊朗12分，我們差點贏了卡達，我們贏了日本，這些靠得都是手氣跟運氣？仔細想想李雲光時代的那隻球隊是怎麼打球的，再來想想我們可不可能只輸韓國15分，只輸伊朗12分。

日本教練說，「我輕敵了」，老實說，我很驚訝，日本對中華隊，他居然會說自己輕敵，我很難以置信，這不該是發生在日本隊身上的理由。日本教練對我們輕敵，很顯然，他們真的看衰我們，也低估了我們球員的真正功力與能力。

好樣的，日本教練說的我輕敵了，就完全不包含教練的份，全都只低估球員真正功力與能力。拜託，日本人也認識田壘曾文鼎好不好，重點是林志傑還禁賽，這比賽能贏球完全都沒有教練的功勞？你這種球評還真中肯客觀啊。

防守：嚴格來說，中日之戰，中華隊的防守能力與強度，可以更好，這也是中華隊最需要突破的重點，只有防守強度更好，才能使中華隊更上層樓。

你要不要想一下他們這批人二三守得最好的內線是誰？是陳信安、吳岱豪跟林志傑，你要一邊講曾文鼎受傷不在狀況內，又要一邊講防求能力與強度更好？到底是誰在斷章取義啊？我真的看不懂耶！你在對黎巴嫩的時候怎麼不敢講我們的球員防守跟屎沒啥兩樣？那你既然知道防守強度更好，我們才會更上層樓，怎麼看不出來鄭光錫帶這兩個月以來我們的防守進步多少？你看不懂吧。

只用六個人贏球，那就是能力與實力的展現，海公公打出出色的一戰，令人佩服。其實，大家也不用刻意來漏我的氣，這不是認知的問題，而是程度問題，當每個人總是以「我認為」、「無厘頭的引申」或「預設立場」、「斷章取義」去解讀我的文字與觀點時，衍生出來的當然是許許多多怪里怪氣的論點和帽子。

好你個程度問題，你有程度可言嗎？一邊講人家打出出色的一戰，一邊又要酸人家靠得是手氣跟球運？好有程度啊。人家沒講過的話，你硬要套上去，你連球員的優劣適不適合在這場比賽出場，都分析不出個鳥蛋來，就只會硬扣人家帽子說人家不用板凳，這豈不是你的「你認為」、「預設立場」跟「斷章取義」？

小光光去年亞運就帶領中華隊衝進八強，沒有說他戰績好，氣勢如虹，凝聚力佳。海公公帶中華隊進亞籃賽八強，就是戰績好，凝聚力佳。我不知道這個標準、邏輯何在，這對小光光並不公平。

終於露出走狗尾巴，原來是在替李雲光消毒。要不要去翻新聞看看李雲光去年一開始說F4到齊我們要打幾名？「搶八望六看第四」，不公平在哪？拿了滿手好牌不會打，人家鄭光錫從沒有抱怨過你們籃協給人家的牌，你出來批人家，你對他公平嗎？

鄭光錫並沒有不好，他只是執教能力很平凡而已，對日本一戰，就是一場真正的考驗。
這是鄭光錫證明他的確很棒，而裘爺真的很蠢的時刻。說句良心話，我真的希望「中日之戰」後，我是個蠢蛋，因為這確實可以為大家帶來更多樂趣，並且讓那些只能躲在陰暗角落自娛娛人的戰術大師們，可以換來一點點的自尊與快感。

敢做不敢當，前一天在那邊擺高姿態，隔一天又在那邊講說我早就說會贏十分。說話算話啦，這又不是你第一次蠢了，不然糗爺的名號怎麼會這麼響亮，被你看好的球隊都衰，被你看衰的球隊都變強，奇怪，你到底哪裡來的自信啊？還好你沒有賽前就說你看好我們，不然我們就輸到烙賽。連日本隊的底細都看不透，人家球員的能力跟天份哪裡輸我們？笑死人，看看人家噴三分的準度，看看人家防守的強度，算了啦，叫你看你也看不懂啦。大家都知道的啊，糗爺嘛，籃球球評啊。

尼釆說，「給無知的人，指引一條路」。我想我懂了。

希望你是真的懂，這句是寫給你自己看的 - 無知的人。

Younger Players Give Yanks a Spark

Yankees 7, Royals 1

Chien-Ming Wang and Robinson Canó will always be linked by their entry into the major leagues early in 2005. Their instant production helped save that sagging season and caused an epiphany for the Yankees’ management.

sag v. 下陷；(精神)萎靡；(物價)下降，蕭條
epiphany n. 引發頓悟的景色、經驗

“All of a sudden,” Manager Joe Torre said, “you realized that from within our organization, you knew you had impact players, as opposed to just using them as trade bait.”

bait n. 餌；誘餌

The Yankees had built a dynasty around a core of homegrown talent, and the sudden emergence of Wang and Canó was a revelation for a team that had won division titles but somehow lost its way. Yankee Stadium is still a haven for the old and overpaid, but the team is steadily getting younger and livelier.

revelation n. 被揭露的真相；出乎意料的事
haven n. 避風港


Wang and Canó led the Yankees to a 7-1 victory against the Kansas City Royals last night, and three other homegrown Yankees — Melky Cabrera, Shelley Duncan and Andy Phillips — had at least two hits apiece. The victory lifted the team to nine games above .500, at 59-50, with the rookie Phil Hughes scheduled to return to the mound today.

apiece adv. 每個，每人

“There are so many great players in this organization, players that no one has ever heard of,” Duncan said. “A lot of times people will get caught up in things scouts say and only hear two or three names. But there are a lot of players in this organization, and it's evident by every team’s record. Guys play hard, and it's always fun when you get to see your peers you played with through the system come up and have success.”

The Yankees would be thrilled to see Hughes repeat Wang’s performance. Wang is 10-1 in his last 13 starts, and his 31 victories since May 7, 2006, are the most of any pitcher in the majors in that span. In seven innings last night, he allowed one run and seven hits.

thrill v. 使...興奮；使...顫抖
span n. 一段時間


Canó homered, singled and scored twice, and Cabrera had two doubles, including one that bounced off the lower leg of pitcher Ryan Braun and landed behind the Yankees’ dugout, driving in two runs.

Alex Rodriguez went 1 for 3 with a double, a walk and a sacrifice fly, but he remains stuck on 499 home runs. He has not homered since July 25 in Kansas City, a span of 29 at-bats, including one in the completion of a suspended game on July 27.

The pursuit of his 500th home run is not quite an afterthought, but it is not the focus of the games anymore.

“It's going to come, because of the fact that he's playing the game of baseball, as opposed to just trying to hit a home run,” Torre said. “He's very comfortable and seems a lot more relaxed, personality-wise.”

The Yankees have two more games against Kansas City before three in Toronto. That will finish a stretch of 29 consecutive games (including the suspended game) against teams with records below .500.

So far, the Yankees have done what they hoped to do, going 17-7 in this stretch and becoming playoff contenders again. They are two and a half games behind Detroit for the lead in the American League wild-card race.

Wang is the most dependable starter on a decorated Yankees staff. He has worked at least six innings in 19 of 20 starts this season, and his earned run average, 3.49, is better than it was last season, when he was the runner-up to Minnesota’s Johan Santana for the A.L. Cy Young award.

Still, Wang was not pleased with his previous two outings, when he allowed more hits than he had innings pitched, and more walks than strikeouts. Last night’s game was an improvement.

“Today, I had better control, and speed was better,” Wang said. “I tried not to think too much and throw to the catcher's target.”

Wang thrives with his sinker, which tails away from a left-handed hitter. Recently, he has worked on throwing harder fastballs in on left-handers, to keep them from leaning in for a good look at the sinker.

thrive v. 成旺，興旺；茁壯成長

“It's tough for him to throw sinkers in to left-handers, because it always comes back out over the plate,” the pitching coach Ron Guidry said. “And we talked about, ‘Go in, but go in with your four-seamer, your best fastball, at 94-95-95.’ That gets them away from hanging out, because they can't do that anymore.”

After the Royals singled three times to score a run in the third, Wang held them to two hits over the next four innings, leaving after a leadoff double in the eighth.

The Yankees had a 6-1 lead by then, with Canó instrumental in all three rallies. He homered off Odalis Pérez in the second inning, singled and scored in the fourth and walked to lead off the three-run sixth.

instrumental a. 有幫助的

Two innings later, Canó ranged far across the second-base bag for a Billy Butler grounder, snagging it and whipping a sidearm throw to first for the out. Canó is hitting .462 since July 15, and his costly error Thursday is all but forgotten.

snag v. 加以阻撓
whip v. 猛然挪動(拔出、拿取)
sidearm a. 【棒】側投的


“He's a special player,” Torre said. “That's all I can say. He's a real special player.”