有声英文阅读-引“郎”入室，一棒定江山

Ichiro: Shining out of Japan

 Baseball may be known as America's favorite pastime, but the truth is Americans do not have a monopoly on the game. The popularity of baseball has spread with the American empire and is now played in ballparks from Toronto to Taipei, from Seattle to Seoul. And ever since the major leagues allowed non-whites to play, some of the best players in the game have come from outside the United States.

 So why all the fuss about one Japanese player Ichiro Suzuki (just plain "Ichiro" to his fans) joining the American League and playing outfield for the Seattle Mariners 1. Maybe part of it is the inherent human dislike of change. Every major innovation in baseball has brought howls of derision and protest from fans, players, and critics; having an all-star player from Japan play in the major leagues represents change.

 However, there is also the inherent nationalistic pride that Americans feel about their game, their players, and their league. Japan was supposed to be the place where American professional players went when they could not make it in the big leagues; Japan was never supposed to be the place where major league all-star players came from.

 So one should not be surprised at the reaction generated by "Ichiro the Hero" when he signed a contract to play for "America's Baseball Team, the Seattle Mariners. In one fell swoop,it seemed, he changed everything Americans believed about baseball.  

 Ichiro Suzuki was born in Aichi Prefecture, Japan, on October 22, 1973. By the time he got to high school, he was already playing in Japan's national baseball championship. After high school, he was drafted by the Orix Blue Waves of the Pacific League and played with them for the next nine years.

 While with the Blue Waves, Ichiro set individual records left and right and won seven batting titles in a row. The three-time Most Valuable Player also helped his team win the league championship title in 1998. For the kid from the sticks, this was the big time. Still, he dreamed of playing in the majors.

 Then, last year, the Seattle Mariners did a US$28 million deal with the Blue Waves to get Ichiro. Despite the protests from fans and sports writers that Japanese players could not cut it in America, Seattle obviously thought the deal made sense. They needed a player who could score on the field and score with the fans. In Ichiro, it seemed, they would get what they needed.

 So how has the diminutive 2 Ichiro fared in the big American show? His .350-plus batting average and multi-game hitting streaks 3 have made him an all star and silenced most of his critics, his fielding has made him a regular feature on TV sports highlight shows; and his fan appeal has made the Mariners' owners very, very happy.

 Not bad for a small Japanese import.

引“郎”入室，一棒定江山

 人们可能知道棒球是美国人最喜爱的休闲活动。但事实上，美国人并没有垄断棒球运动。随着美利坚帝国的发展，棒球也在广泛流行，从多伦多到台北，从西雅图到汉城，各地的球场上现在都有棒球赛在举行。自从大联盟允许非白人球员参赛后，一些最优秀的运动员就从美国以外的国家而来。

 因此，日本名将铃木一郎（球迷称他“一郎”)加入美国联盟，并在西雅图水手队打外野又有什么值得大惊小怪的？他受到众多的非议也许部份是由于人类厌恶改变的天性。棒球赛每逢重大变革，总会引起球迷、球员和评论员的起哄和抗议；大联盟引进日本超级巨星一郎就代表了一种变化。

 何况，美国人对于他们的球赛、球员及联盟，存有与生俱来的民族主义的自傲感。日本是那些进不了大联盟的职业球员才会去的地方，而不应该是产生大联盟明星球员的地方。
因此，“一郎英雄”与“美国棒球队”西雅图水手队签约而引发的公众反应，也就不足为奇了。看来，他改变了美国人对棒球的所有观念。  

 铃木一郎于1973年10月22日出生在日本爱知县。到他升入高中时就已经在日本国家棒球锦标赛中打球了。中学毕业后，他被太平洋联盟欧力士蓝色波浪队选中，在该队一打就是九年。

 身披欧力士蓝色战袍时，一郎创下大大小小的个人纪录，并一连七年荣获优秀击球手称号。三度赢得“最有价值球员奖”的一郎还帮助欧力士队拿下98年的日本联队冠军称号。作为一个偏远农村的孩子，这太了不起了。然而，他的梦想依旧是参加大联盟比赛。

 去年，为了得到一郎，西雅图水手队和欧力士蓝浪队达成两千八百万美元的一笔交易。尽管球迷们及诸多体育运动专栏作家提出抗议，认为日本球员在美国不可能成功，西雅图显然仍认为这笔交易是值得的。他们需要一个既能在球场上取得成绩，又能使球迷称快的选手。看起来，在一郎身上他们可以得到他们所需要的一切。

 那么，瘦小的一郎在偌大美利坚舞台上的演出又如何呢？他超过35％的打击率及连续多场比赛击出安打的表现，已使他跻身明星球员之列，并使所有的评论员都哑口无言。他的防守让他成为体育节目精彩镜头中的常客，他对球迷的魅力让水手队的老板喜出望外。

 这一小宗日本进口货还真不赖。