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Accidental villain
無心的罪人
By Jeff Passan, Yahoo! Sports
August 17, 2007
Back in Morning Sun, Iowa, they didn't teach baseball pitchers to aim for
the corners of home plate. If you were born with the kind of arm that could
put a dent in the barn, the kind that God loved to bestow on country boys,
the ethos was simple.
來到愛荷華州路易西安那郡的初陽市，有件事您該知道，在這裡打棒球
，人們不會要投手「對著本壘板邊邊投」。如果，你得天獨厚，擁有強
健的臂膀，只要知道一件事就好。
"I just went out and threw hard," Jack Hamilton says. "That's all I knew
enough to do."
「我就是使盡吃奶的力氣投，我想這樣就夠了」，這是 Jack Hamilton 說的。
Imagine Hamilton's amazement when, in 1967, he started to control his pitches.
As a rookie with Philadelphia five years earlier, Hamilton led the National
League in walks and wild pitches, a 95-mph fastball his wild horse. Of all
the things to help Hamilton tame himself, learning the spitball – an illegal
pitch in which he lubed up the horsehide with a sheen of phlegm, sending it
tumbling like a dive bomber – somehow did the job.
試著在腦海裡描繪 Hamilton 一九六七年的神氣模樣，那時，他剛剛開始
學會控制自己的天賦。五年前（一九六二年）剛剛加入費城天使隊的他
，在聯盟「保送」與「暴投」榜上獨占鰲頭，威名遠播的是時速九十五
英哩、有如脫韁野馬般的快速球。在所有 Hamilton 嘗試過的方法中，有
一項最能幫助他掌握手中球兒的去向－被認為是違規的 Spitball（口水球
），他會把些許口水抹在球上，然後，狠狠的把球扔出去，看著球像俯
衝轟炸機一樣衝向本壘。
"I was throwing excellent," Hamilton says. "I was finally starting to get
the ball over the plate."
他說：「那時候我投得相當出色，我終於開始找到控球的訣竅，球也終
於開始往本壘板跑了。」
Hamilton sits in his office in Branson, Mo., kitsch capital of the United
States. A vacation in 1986 convinced him to pack up all his stuff in
Burlington, Iowa, and retire there with his wife to open a restaurant.
Little did he know Branson would turn into a Midwest tourist trap and
encourage visitors from so many places. New York, he says, and Los Angeles,
and Dallas, and, yes, Boston.
此刻的他坐在地處密蘇里州布蘭森市的辦公室內。一九八六年，他在度假
期間發現了此地，這裡的好氣氛讓他把家當打包，與太太一起從愛荷華州
伯靈頓搬過來，開了餐廳。當時，他還不知道日後此地會變成美國中部的
觀光勝地，吸引來自紐約、洛杉磯、達拉斯、波士頓的遊客。
When tour buses from the Northeast roll into Branson, Hamilton readies
himself.The baseball memorabilia on the walls of the restaurant invites
the first round of questions, and after a few, Hamilton's name comes up,
and when it does, he hears what he has heard now for 40 years.
當遊覽車列隊準備開進布蘭森市時， Hamliton 總會做好準備。牆上各式關
於棒球的擺飾物會引來第一波的問題，幾個回合後，Hamilton 的名字開始
被提起，接著，他會聽到一個已經有四十年歷史的老問題。。
"Are you the Jack Hamilton?"
你是「那個」 Jack Hamilton 嗎？
The Jack Hamilton who hit Tony Conigliaro, they mean, though they wouldn't
dare take Tony C's name in vain like that. He was a deity in Boston, where
they will never forget the day, 40 years ago Saturday, when Hamilton felled
him with a fastball flush on the left side of his face. As Conigliaro writhed
on the ground, blood spilling from his nose and mouth and ears, Hamilton
walked toward the plate before his catcher, Buck Rodgers, shooed him away
to spare him from the carnage.
問題其實是「你是那個砸傷 Tony Conigliaro 的 Jack Hamilton 嗎？」當然，
Tony C.的大名絕對不是刻意被遺漏。他可是波士頓的「神」，人們永遠
不會忘記，四十年前的那個週六，Hamilton 把球直接投到他的臉上。當
Conigliaro 扭曲著身體在地上打滾時，血從他的鼻子、嘴巴還有耳朵中流
出。Hamilton 走向本壘板，卻被自己的隊友、捕手 Buck Rodgers 給叉開，
讓他逃過被圍毆的命運。
So standing in the middle of the field at Fenway Park, a fallen star before
him, a stunned crowd around him, Hamilton turned introspective, the only safe
place he knew. He had hit just one batter that season. He wouldn't hit
another after Conigliaro. And it all made him wonder the same thing that has
haunted him for four decades.
那一刻，他站在芬威球場中央，眼前是一個倒地不起的明星球員，周圍是
被嚇呆了的觀眾。此後，Hamilton 躲到自己的世界，躲到一個他確定很安
全的地方。那一季，他只有投出一次觸身球。他當然也不會對著 Conigliaro
投出第二次。而過了四十年，這一切還是讓他摸不著頭緒。
How did it happen?
到底是怎麼回事？
"No one," Hamilton says, "lets me forget it."
Hamilton 說：「沒有一個人願意放我一馬，讓我有機會忘記這件事。」
***
Every kid who grows up in Boston learns the story of Tony C, and for many
it's their first taste of sadness and broken dreams. At first, it sounds
like a fairy tale: the local boy, a product of St. Mary's High in Lynn,
starts his first game withthe Red Sox as a 19-year-old and hits the first
pitch he sees for a home run. He leads the American League in home runs the
next season, smacks 100 homers quicker than anyone in history, slays girls
with his brown eyes the size of drink coasters, dates sexpot Mamie Van Doren,
cruises the city in a Corvette, records a few songs and is well on his way
to becoming one of the greatest baseball players anyone saw.
每個在波士頓長大的孩子都聽過 Tony C. 的故事，而對於許多人來說，這
是他們生命中第一個關於悲傷與夢碎的故事。一開始，像是個童話故事，
一個在當地長大的孩子，讀的是大家都知道的聖瑪莉高中，十九歲加入紅
襪隊，第一場比賽他就把投手投過來的第一顆球打成全壘打。隔年，他在
美國聯盟全壘打榜上奪冠，比歷史上所有選手都還先擊出第１００發全壘
打，用他清澈的大眼迷倒無數女孩，與艷星 Mamie Van Doren 傳緋聞，開
著雪佛蘭轎車，還灌錄過唱片。他完全是個未來巨星的雛形。
And then Jack Hamilton shows up.
然後，Jack Hamilton 走進了故事中。
In the retelling, Hamilton was the Big Bad Wolf. By the fourth inning, the
California Angels right-hander had allowed just one hit, a single in
Conigliaro's first at-bat. Hamilton lorded over the mound, ominous wisps
of smoke curling in the outfield, remnants of the smoke bomb a fan lobbed
onto the field two batters earlier. Conigliaro stepped in and leaned over
the plate, the alpha dog marking his territory. Hamilton had a reputation
for coming inside with his pitches. Tony C spat on reputations.
在人們口中，Hamilton 就是大野狼。比賽當時進行到第四局，加州天使隊
的投手 Hamilton 只被擊出過一支安打，正是 Conigliaro 在第一個打席所擊
出的。Hamilton 基本上是完全壓制了對手，外野颳起了怪風，似乎象徵的
什麼，觀眾丟進場的紙屑在場上漫無目的的飄著。Conigliaro 踏進打擊區
，往投手丘望過去，這個地盤是他的。Hamilton 靠著敢投內側出名。
Tony C. 最不吃誰靠什麼出名這套。
The first pitch was a fastball, the pre-'67 kind. Hamilton lost it high and
tight. Tony C hesitated. A 95-mph fastball arrives at the plate in around
four-tenths of a second. When Tony C moved, his helmet, without an earflap,
rustled loose. The ball smashed into Conigliaro and thudded to the ground,
its impact absorbed by his face.
第一球是快速球，一九六七年代的那種快速球。Hamilton 失手，球飛得過
高又太靠打者，Tony C. 愣了一下，這顆九十五英哩的快速球只花了十分
之四秒就已經貼近他的臉。當 Tony C. 做出本能反應時，他那沒有耳罩的
頭盔離了位。球直接砸中 Conigliaro 的臉，碰一聲的落到地上，所有的衝
擊都集中在臉上。
"He didn't stagger at all," Hamilton says. "He went straight down."
Hamilton 說：「他直接倒地，哼都沒哼一聲。」
The beaning fractured Conigliaro's cheekbone, dislocated his jaw and caused
a cyst to form behind his left eye, which some teammates were afraid had
fallen out of the socket. Conigliaro said he thought he was going to die.
He was rushed to the hospital. The Red Sox seethed in their dugout, big
George Scott pointing his bat at Hamilton, poised to avenge his friend.
Conigliaro 的頰骨碎掉，下顎脫臼，左眼後方併發囊腫，許多隊友都以為他
的左眼掉出來了。Conigliaro 說他以為自己要死了。他立刻被送到醫院。紅
襪隊球員在休息區中，情緒難以按耐，「大個兒」 George Scott 把球棒指著
Hamilton，要替隊友報仇。
Conigliaro lived. He sported a shiner that looked like an abstract painting,
blacks and purples mingling sickeningly. Conigliaro missed the rest of the
season and all of 1968 with blurred vision. He entertained the idea of
pitching before his eyesight improved and allowed him to return April 8,
1969, the Red Sox's first game of the season.
Conigliaro 活了下來。臉上帶著像是印象派畫家筆下人物的眼框，黑色、紫
色交錯。Conigliaro 該季及隔年沒有再回到球場上，因為他視野模糊。他考
慮過要轉為投手，之後，他的視力好轉，一九六九年四月八號，他參加了
紅襪隊該季的第一戰。
In the 10th inning, Conigliaro hit a two-run home run, and he scored the
winning run in the 12th. The next season, he hit a career-high 36 home runs,
finished second in the AL with 116 RBIs and looked well on his way to a
baseball resurrection.
第十局，Conigliaro 擊出兩分全壘打，在第十二局跑回致勝分。隔年，他擊
出生涯新高的三十六發全壘打，以一百一十六分打點拿下美國聯盟第二，
看來完全就是要重新出發。
His eyes wouldn't cooperate. The Red Sox traded Conigliaro to the Angels
after the 1970 season. He flamed out and left baseball. A 1975 comeback
with Boston was aborted after 57 at-bats. By 30, Tony C was retired.
但是，他的視力不肯配合。一九七零年球季後，紅襪隊把他交易到天使隊
。他無法接受這個事實，離開了棒壇。一九七五年，他又回到紅襪隊，在
五十七個打席後，再次被球隊請走。Tony C. 在三十歲時退休。
Time chewed and Conigliaro passed it working as a sports broadcaster.
Following an interview for a TV job calling Red Sox games Jan. 9, 1982,
he suffered a massive heart attack on the way to the airport in his brother
Billy's car. Conigliaro's heart stopped for more than five minutes. He lay
comatose for seven weeks. When he awoke, his family tried everything to
salvage his life. They brought shamans, holistic healers, acupuncturists.
Nothing worked. Still struggling, Conigliaro died in 1990 of pneumonia and
kidney failure. He was 45.
時光匆匆，Conigliaro 轉行當起播報員。一九八二年一月九號，在結束一場
紅襪隊的轉播後，他在與弟弟 Billy 前往機場的路上心臟病發。Conigliaro 的
心臟停止長達五分鐘。他陷入昏迷達七周。當他醒來，家人試盡一切方法
要挽回他的健康。巫醫、信心療法、針療，通通沒有用。掙扎著活著的
Conigliaro 在一九九零年因為腎臟衰竭與肺炎辭世。得年四十五歲。
Major League Baseball honors a player every season with the Tony Conigliaro
Award for overcoming adversity. The Red Sox will mark the 40th anniversary
of the beaning Saturday with a ceremony that includes Conigliaro's family.
大聯盟每季都頒發 Tony Conigliaro 獎，表揚克服橫逆的球員。這個週六
，紅襪隊將頒發該獎項，並且將邀請 Congliaro 的家人。
Boston's opponent: The Los Angeles Angels.
紅襪隊的對手。。正巧是洛杉磯天使隊。
By now, Hamilton understands that for the rest of his life, he will be a
villain to countless people he has never met. Billy Conigliaro still believes
Hamilton played headhunter with his brother.
現在，Hamilton 了解到，終此一生，他永遠會是別人眼中的罪人，許多這
樣認為的人甚至沒見過他本人。Billy Conigliaro 依然相信 Hamilton 故意對
著他哥哥投出頭部觸身球。
"I couldn't take a baseball and throw it at somebody's head on purpose,"
Hamilton says. "I don't have the guts.
Hamilton 說：「我不可能拿著球往別人的頭上砸。我沒那個膽子。」
"I really don't care what the public thinks about me. Accidents happen. If I
thought about it all the time, it would bother me. I know in my heart, I
didn't mean to throw it."
他說：「我真的不在乎別人怎麼想。意外總是會發生。如果我老想著這件
事，這會造成我的困擾。我自己清楚，我絕對不是故意的。」
Sometimes, Hamilton wishes he could have said that to Conigliaro's face. The
two never spoke. They faced each other April 11, 1969, Conigliaro's third
game back, as well as April 20. He went 1 for 4 with a sacrifice bunt.
有時候，Hamilton 希望他能當面向 Conigliaro 說出這句話。這兩人從未交談
過。他們曾在一九六九年四月十一號再度碰頭，那是 Conigliaro 復出的第三
場比賽，還有四月二十號。他在四個打席中只擊出一支犧牲觸擊。
A little more than a year later, Conigliaro's autobiography "Seeing It
Through"was published.
一年之後，Conigliaro 的自傳「堅持到底」出版。
"I know it was an accident," Conigliaro wrote, "but I honestly don't know if
I have ever really forgiven him for it."
Conigliaro 寫到：「我知道那是場意外。但是，我真的不知道我能否原諒他。」
***
Ever since Boxcar Willie died, Hamilton hasn't been to a baseball game.
Hamilton befriended the country singer, one of the first to build his own
theater in Branson, and the two would make the four-hour drive to St. Louis
and take in a few Cardinals games a year.
從 Boxcar Willie 死後，Hamilton 就再也沒有參與過棒球比賽。Hamilton 與這
位鄉村歌手是好友，他是最先在布蘭森市開設戲院的先鋒，一年當中，這
兩人會花上四個小時開車到聖路易市，看幾次紅雀隊的比賽。
"Just watching baseball is my hobby," Hamilton says. "Now I've got the Extra
Innings package. I'll stay up for the West Coast games. I'll sit at home and
watch until 12:30."
Hamilton 說：「看看球是我的嗜好。現在，我有延長賽優惠，我會晚點睡
，看西岸的比賽。我會在家看球到晚上十二點半。」
Hamilton's career ended two years after the pitch to Conigliaro. He blames
it on injuries. Some say he was scared to pitch inside. Maybe it was both.
Maybe it was neither.
Hamilton 自己的棒球生命在那顆觸身球兩年後劃下句點。他自己的理由是
傷勢。有些人說他自此不敢往內側投球。也許兩者都對，也許兩者都不對。
Occasionally he'll go into his back yard and play catch with his son.
Hamilton is 68 now. His wife, Janyce, runs the books at their restaurant.
His son is a cook, his daughter a waiter. Hamilton schmoozes, chats baseball
with interested customers and tells them to order prime rib, the house
specialty.
有時候，他會在後院與兒子玩玩傳接球。今年 Hamilton 已經六十八歲。他
的太太 Janyce 是餐廳的掌櫃，兒子是廚師、女兒是服務員。他會與有興趣
的客人談談棒球，然後，推薦店裡的肋排，這可是招牌菜。
At the front of the restaurant, Hamilton hands out baseball cards of himself
that highlight his career. Each talks about the grand slam he hit off Al
Jackson in 1967, or the one-hit shutout he threw against the Cardinals the
year before, the only blemish a bunt single by pitcher Ray Sadecki. Nowhere
does it mention Conigliaro.
在店前面，Hamilton 會分發自己球員生涯的球員卡，當中記錄了不少精采
時刻。他在一九六七年對 Al Jackson 擊出滿貫全壘打。一九六六年對紅雀
隊投出完投，只被點出一支安打。而這些球員卡都沒有提到 Conigliaro 。
Most people don't know any better. They're just glad to be in Branson, at
Jack's Plaza View Restaurant, talking baseball with a former major leaguer.
Hamilton has owned a few restaurants over the years in Branson. He called
one Pzazz, a name he stole from another establishment in Burlington because
he found it so unique.
許多人對這一切一無所知。他們只是很高興能在布蘭森市的「傑克的廣場
景觀餐廳」遇到一位前大聯盟投手。Hamilton 現在已經開了幾家餐廳。當
中有家名叫「Pzazz」，這是抄襲老家愛荷華州伯靈頓一家餐廳的名字，因
為這太獨特了。
"I'll tell you something," Hamilton says. "When people see something they
haven't seen before, they don't forget the name."
Hamilton 說：「讓我告訴你吧。當人們看到從來沒看過的事情時，他們不
會忘記那個名字。」
Jeff Passan is a national baseball writer for Yahoo! Sports.
Jeff Passan 是 Yahoo Sprots 的特約記者
Send Jeff a question or comment for potential use in a future column
or webcas.
請來信指教。
Updated on Friday, Aug 17, 2007 4:30 am, EDT
感想：颱風天看到帶點憂傷的故事。。分享一下。
還有，不小心發現，我跟 Tony C. 的艷星女友有一樣的生日。。