無關緊要的新聞 10/18

Just Manny Being Manny

Manny Ramirez在第四戰的全壘打是那一局紅襪隊連續第三個打席的全壘打，相當稀少的紀錄，這在季後賽史上還是第二次的連三打席全壘打（巧合的是第一次苦主也是印地安人隊），也是聯盟冠軍系列賽的第一次。Manny不改他的本色，揮出去之後高舉雙手目送那顆球飛出牆外，然後緩步踱向一壘。這個舉動，不少印地安人隊球迷認為是帶有挑釁意味的，不過回頭想想，很多球員在有精彩表現的時候也都會有一些比較激動的肢體語言出現，例如關鍵時刻的一個三振，結束比賽的全壘打等等，所以Manny會有那樣的行為我認為其實也很正常。只不過我很想知道，Manny到底是在想什麼？

先看看其他人怎麼說。Jensen Lewis是Manny這支全壘打的苦主，他說：

"If he is going to celebrate one run like that, it's up to him."

當時擔任一壘手的Victor Martinez似乎跟Manny說了什麼，不過他說：

"No, I didn't say anything to him, I just wish I could hit a ball like that. We have too much to worry about to think about stuff like that. Whatever somebody wants to do, I don't really care. I guess Manny was having fun. I'm having fun, too."

另外，他也說：

"In a game like this, I don't really care what players do, We just focus and play our game. We don't watch the other team. Whatever they want to do, they do it. We just earn respect the way we play."

三壘手Casey Blake則是帶點諷刺的說：

"He got 'em within four. Good job, People say, 'Manny being Manny,' but I don't know. That's so opposite of the way I play that it's hard for me to deal with."

有人說，這可以振奮紅襪隊的士氣，我們來看看他的隊友怎麼說的。紅襪隊的下一棒，三壘手Mike Lowell表示：

''I don't really understand that one, but that's him''

波士頓的媒體上有這麼一段話：

Ramírez also had to stand and watch at the plate, arms aloft, as if the blow had more relevance. You don't do this, unless, of course, you are Manny, and that's an essential part of your Mannyness. "Manny," you wanted to say, "you're down, 7-3. Show some class."

喔，又是一個"Manny being Manny"，總之，那支全壘打過後，他的球隊依然落後四分，而且依然面臨落入三比一的命運，這有什麼好慶祝的嗎？或許我永遠不會瞭解吧。


Byrd有個人專屬一壘手

不知道從什麼時候開始，Kelly Shoppach就變成Paul Byrd先發時的專用捕手。不過這並不是說Byrd跟Martinez有仇，一開始或許只是因為Martinez需要休息，畢竟一個捕手不太可能蹲滿162場，而因為Byrd的投球動作比較大，讓狙殺能力比較好的Shoppach當捕手可能是比較好的選擇，久了之後就變成慣例了。在休息室裡面，Byrd的置物櫃就在Martinez的旁邊，而Martinez在沒有蹲捕的日子裡，通常都會站一壘手，所以Byrd也說：

"I call Victor my personal first baseman," said Byrd, referring to Martinez switching to first for the night. "There was never at any time any sort of rough edges between us. It's all been very, very good."

大家都知道，Byrd的球速並不快，大約在85mph左右在跑，不過在第四戰第一局，三振David Ortiz的球球速顯示90mph，他回到休息區之後，還開心的問隊友有沒有看到。他在賽後接受訪問的時候說：

''I didn't expect to strike guys out, but I had a good fastball. I hit 90 on the gun. That happens a few times a year.''

Wedge二三事

Eric Wedge得到Sporting News頒發的今年美聯最佳教練獎項，不久之後他收到來自Bobby Knight的恭喜，對美國籃球稍有瞭解的人應該都知道這位NCAA的傳奇教練，他執教生涯戰績顯赫，但是火爆的個性同樣引起過許多爭議。他從1971年起到2000年止都在印第安那大學擔任總教練，而Eric Wedge則是生長於印第安那州，許多人都知道Wedge相當尊崇Bobby Knight，在他的辦公室還可以看到許多關於Knight的剪報。

相較於Knight，Chris Stavreti這個名字可能沒有人聽過。Stavreti是Wedge的高中棒球教練，不過他是一位老印地安人隊球迷，早在Wedge出生之前，他就見證過1948年那一次的世界大賽冠軍，從1995年開始，印地安人隊的每一場季後賽他都沒有錯過，不過他說他從來沒想過Wedge有一天會成為大聯盟教練。

大家都知道，Wedge是波士頓紅襪隊出身的球員，守備位置是捕手，而在90年代中期，他曾經在紅襪的3A球隊接過Tim Wakefield的蝴蝶球，他說，接蝴蝶球一點也不好玩。


It's All Right TO Hit A Butterfly

蝴蝶球不好接，當然也不好打。Victor Martinez跟Asdrubal Cabrera兩個左右開弓的打者，面對Wakefield的蝴蝶球時，都是站在右邊的打擊區。據說是因為有人告訴Martinez，站在右邊打擊區會看的比較清楚。Martinez說，他第一次這樣做的時候覺得很怪，但是後來就習慣了。現在回想起來，當年Omar似乎也是這樣打的。


就丟好球啊

Rafael Betancourt在這個系列賽，面對紅襪隊的門神David Ortiz跟Manny Ramirez，總共12個打數，沒有被擊出任何安打，當記者向他提起這件事的時候，他說：

''Yes, I know,'' Betancourt answered politely.

''But how do you do it?'' a reporter asked.

''Throw strikes,'' Betancourt deadpanned.

''That's it?'' the reporter said.

''Yeah,'' Betancourt said. ''That's what it comes down to when I pitch: throw strikes. If they hit the ball, I have a good defense behind me. I don't go in there trying to strike everyone out. But they know I'll pitch around the strike zone, and they become aggressive.''

他在這個系列賽投了7.1局，只被打出兩支安打，總共投了7次三振，還沒有丟掉任何分數。

不過印地安人隊牛棚中真正的狠角色還是終結者Joe Borowski，這裡引述一句Borowski的話作為結尾：

''Hey, I'd love to never have anybody on base,'' Borowski said. ''But I'm not afraid to pitch with guys on.''