前言：
今天看到這篇文章後下午就開始翻一直翻到剛剛在結束，
正準備上來PO文的時候才發現已經有另外一位板友開始著手進行了，
不過這篇真的很長，而且好不容易翻完，
首先要跟另一位已經著手翻譯本文的板友說聲抱歉，
也謝謝各位體諒我還是把譯文PO上來的任性。
原文網址：http://tinyurl.com/ydfyv5gu
By Daniel Brown of Bay Area News Group
Where have you gone, Tim Lincecum? In search of beloved Giants ace
尋人啟事：那為球迷們所熱愛的巨人王牌Tim Limcecum現在在哪裡？
SEATTLE — Tim Lincecum’s last known address is tucked behind a partial
fence, just off a sloped dead-end street near the shores of Lake Washington.
Tim Lincecum最後為人所知的住址是座落在華盛頓湖邊一條位於斜坡上的死巷內，
而處在那個地址的居所則隱身在一片殘破的圍籬之後。
Getting to the front door of the barn-red building requires crossing a short
bridge. It feels like walking the plank.
在抵達這座房子的正門以前需要先走過一座短橋，
走在這座橋上的感覺像是走在木板上一樣。
This is where I rang the doorbell over the course of a few days last week. It
’s been said that nearly a third of Bigfoot sightings come from the Pacific
Northwest, so this was my best bet at finding the elusive, mythical, shaggy
creature known as The Freak.
在全美據傳見到大腳怪的事件裡有約三分之一的通報地點是來自於這個位於太平洋沿岸的
西北地區，而那就是我上週前去拜訪的地方。我想，來到這應該是最有機會找到當年那個
被人們稱做怪胎的神祕生物。
No such luck. Lincecum, the Giants’ two-time Cy Young Award winner, never
answered the door, and neither did anyone else. Whenever I pressed the
doorbell, the lone stirring came from annoyed dogs.
但那天好運並不站在我身邊，我想要找尋的兩屆賽揚獎巨人名投Tim Lincecum並沒有如願
出現，甚至沒有任何人來應門。無論我何時按電鈴，回應我的永遠只有那被打擾的狗狗所
發出來的低沉嘶吼。
My editor dispatched me to Seattle because people miss the living daylights
out of Timothy LeRoy Lincecum. This has been the first Major League season
without him since 2007, when the tiny kid with the big fastball first set
AT&T Park ablaze.
灣區人民們無一不盼望能夠再度生活在那有著Timothy LeRoy Licecum的陽光下，於是我
的編輯便將這找尋他的重責大任交付予我。本季是從2007年起首度沒有Tim Lincecum的一
個球季，人們無法看到這個球速與身材不成正比的小夥子在AT&T Park發光發熱。
“It was a little guy taking on the world,” recalled broadcaster Duane
Kuiper. “Everybody likes that.”
播報員Duane Kuiper說：
「當初就是一個小傢伙征服全世界。大家都喜歡這樣的故事。」
Over the course of nine Giants seasons and three World Series victories, The
Freak entranced, enthralled, delighted and sometimes maddened.
綜觀Tim Lincecum為巨人效力的九個球季，他為他們得到了三個世界大賽冠軍。
他那種時而專注冷靜，時而瘋狂的形態讓人感到如癡如醉。
Lincecum was the best pitcher in the league for a stretch and then, almost
inexplicably, one of the worst. Either way, he put on a show that made him
one of the most popular and fascinating players in San Francisco history.
當年的Lincecum絕對是聯盟內的最佳投手之一，但後來，卻是江河日下。但無論如何，他
絕對是巨人隊史上，最讓人為之瘋狂的其中一位。
His absence feels particularly acute this season, with a team devoid of both
wins and personality.
他的實力及那獨特的個人風格都讓今年一勝難求的巨人隊分外想念。
Where have you gone, Tim Lincecum?
The Giants turn their last-place eyes to you.
巨人隊在分區谷底裡眼巴巴的找尋著當年的那個Tim Lincecum，
不停的問著：「你到底去了哪裡？」
“The vibe around the Giants was different because of Timmy,” pitching coach
Dave Righetti told me shortly before my trip. “You’re talking about every
walk of life — kids, women, little girls, little boys, grown men. They just
wanted to watch this guy.”
我在出發前跟巨人隊投手教練Dave Righetti談了一會兒，
他說：
「Timmy讓整個圍繞在巨人隊旁的一切人事物有著截然不同的變化。
無論他們來自何方，身處何處，每個人都想要看到他。」
It wasn’t just that Lincecum threw in the upper-90s or that that he led the
National League in strikeouts three consecutive times. It was that he did so
with a bat boy’s physique and a skateboarder’s cool.
這一切並不全然來自於他那96英哩以上快速球或是他那領先聯盟的三振數，
而是他那近乎球童般的身形搭配上他類似酷酷滑板少年的氣質。
Lincecum’s starts were holidays. He could turn a Tuesday night in August
into a happening. People wished each other a happy Timmy Day.
只要是Lincecum登板先發那天就是假日，他就是有辦法將八月裡某一個平凡無奇的週二晚
上變成一個專屬於他的節日，在那一天，人們會互相對彼此說著Timmy節快樂藉此慶祝。
“It was a happy fit because he was San Francisco. He is San Francisco.
Quirky. Eccentric. Marches to his own beat,” Giants CEO Larry Baer said. “
When it was Timmy Day, it wasn’t just that he was good. It was like a lot of
the fans felt their son was pitching. ‘Here’s our kid going out there.’ He
was embraced in that way — your son’s Little League game. You really felt
invested, emotionally, in his performance.”
巨人隊CEO Larry Baer說：
「對舊金山來說，Tim Lincecum就是一個代表著他們的存在。
古怪中帶有一點驕縱，不顧旁人眼光，按照著自己的風格行事。當年他所造成的旋風不單
單是因為他的實力，許多時候更像是球迷們覺得看著他就像是看著自己的兒子在球場上打
拚。每個人都會說：你看，我們的兒子上場了。球迷是以這種方式去愛戴著他，就像是你
去看你孩子的少棒賽，你全心投入，也因他的表現而產生情緒起伏。」
Now, the pitcher you couldn’t take your eyes off is nowhere to be seen.
Lincecum last appeared in a game on Aug 5, 2016, for the Los Angeles Angels.
Pitching in his hometown of Seattle that day, Lincecum’s fading fastball got
knocked around for six runs in 3.1 innings, sending his final ERA to 9.16. He
hasn’t retired yet, but when he does Baer is poised to bring him to San
Francisco in some kind of official capacity. “There’s definitely a place in
the Giants world for Linecum,” he said. “I mean, that goes without saying.”
而現在那個你捨不得將目光從他身上移開的投手已經消失無蹤。Lincecum前一次出賽已經
要追溯到2016年8月5號，而當天的他身披天使隊制服，站在打擊區上的對手則是來自於他
家鄉的水手隊。球速早已大不如前的Lincecum當天僅投3又3分之1局，掉6分，也讓他的
ERA飆漲到9.16。儘管他還沒有正式退休，但Baer已經決定如果Lincecum要退休時，他一
定會把Lincecum重新帶回舊金山，為他舉行一場正式儀式。Baer說：「不須多言，巨人隊
的世界裡絕對有屬於Lincecum的位子。」
Until then? Lincecum is believed to be back here inhabiting the shores of
Lake Washington, although no one with the Giants could say for sure. Someone
thought maybe he was in Arizona. When the team tried to invite him to throw
out the first pitch before a playoff game against the Chicago Cubs last year,
Lincecum was in Hawaii.
那在那一刻來臨前呢？儘管巨人隊內沒有人可以確定，但人們相信Lincecum依舊隱居在華
盛頓湖畔，還有某些人覺得他正在亞利桑納。去年季後賽，巨人球團原本希望能夠邀請
Tim Lincecum為他們與小熊隊的比賽進行開球，但他當時人卻在夏威夷。
Wherever he is now, he’s keeping a low profile. The Freak is now The Ghost.
無論現在他身處何方，他保持得十分低調。當年的怪胎現在已經成為一抹幽魂。
Lincecum’s agent, Rick Thurman, told the Bay Area News Group in August that
Lincecum is keeping in shape and hopes to pitch again. But Thurman did not
respond to voicemails, texts or e-mails in search of additional details for
this story. Lincecum’s father, Chris, who was once a frequent and chatty
radio guest, did not respond to texts.
Lincecum的經紀人Rick Thurman在今年八月接受Bay Area News Group訪問時表示
Lincecum依舊維持訓練並希望有一天能重返大聯盟。但在此之後，Thurman並沒有回覆任
何想要更深入探究此件事的任何相關訊息。而Lincecum那位曾經在各大廣播節目及脫口秀
都十分活躍的父親Chris一樣沒有回覆訊息。
Lincecum is not on social media. The last missive from his confirmed (but
never verified) Twitter account came in 2012, when the four-time All-Star
tweeted about a “food coma” after a trip to Benihana’s.
Lincecum並不是一個在社群媒體上活躍的人。最後一條來自被證實是屬於他(但並沒有經
過審核)的推特帳號的訊息已經要追溯到2012年，訊息內容是Lincecum說他去一間日式餐
廳吃到撐的事情。
A handful of Giants employees who specialize in media relations or alumni
events say Lincecum is the rare ex-player they can’t keep tabs on. A current
Giants player said he sent The Freak a text on his 33rd birthday on June 15.
Weeks later, he still hadn’t heard back.
一群專門負責媒體公關及退役球員聯繫的巨人球團職員說Lincecum是少數幾個他們幾乎無
法掌握行蹤的人。一個現役巨人球員說他曾在Lincecum滿33歲生日的6月15號當天發了個
簡訊給他，至今仍舊音訊全無。
Even Lincecum’s last public sighting came with an air of myth. Fans spotted
him among the San Francisco crowd protesting for women’s rights in the wake
of Donald Trump’s inauguration in January — and they posted photos on
social media to back it up. But Lincecum did not return a text message
seeking confirmation and Thurman, his agent, said he wasn’t sure it was
actually him.
Lincecum最後一次在公開場合出現的狀況則是像謎一般。今年一月Donald Trump就職後，
有球迷在一場位於舊金山街頭為爭取女權的抗議活動的人群裡面認出他來，而且還拍下照
片。但Lincecum沒有回覆任何試圖確認的訊息，而他的經紀人Thurman則說他根本不確定
照片裡的人是Lincecum。
# # #
That Lincecum has gone Greta Garbo (or is it Bernie Carbo?) offends nobody
who knows him well. Several Giants players were unfazed about the long lapses
in communication. No one interprets it as a snub. Even at his peak, Lincecum
preferred to lay low.
任何與Lincecum熟識的人都不會被他這種忽然消失的行事方式給冒犯到。許多巨人隊球員
並沒有因為Lincecum這樣長期失聯而對他有不同的看法，沒有人覺得自己受到Lincecum的
冷落。即便在Lincecum的巔峰期間，他一樣是個低調的人。
At the University of Washington, where Lincecum was a two-time Pac-10 pitcher
of the year, there are posters and banners commemorating the fire-balling
star who struck out more batters than anyone in conference history — more
than Tom Seaver, more than Randy Johnson.
在華盛頓大學求學期間，Lincecum曾經兩度榮獲太平洋十二校聯盟最佳投手的頭銜，
你可以在校園內看到許多慶賀他突破太平洋十二校聯盟最多三振紀錄的海報及旗幟，
被他超越的前輩裡可是有著像Tom Seaver及Randy Johnson這樣的巨投。
But the real Lincecum stays away
但Lincecum與這一切保持距離，好像與他無關一般。
“He doesn’t really have much of a relationship at all with the Husky
baseball program. It’s not a rift and they’re not at odds. It just falls in
line with the way he approached things,” Steve Sandmeyer, the Huskies
play-by-play broadcaster, said in a phone interview.
哈士奇隊(華盛頓大學棒球隊)的現場播報員Steve Sandmeyer在一次的電話訪談中提到：
「Lincecum與他的隊友們的關係一般，不是因為他們合不來，
而是因為Lincecum就是這樣的一個人。」
“He’s a big believer in moving on. I think he moved on very quickly from
Washington. Whenever we had a rare opportunity to talk to him … he really
didn’t want to live in the past.
「Lincecum是個放眼前方的人。我認為他很快就把華盛頓大學的一切放在腦後。無論什麼
時候我們好不容易找到機會跟他說上兩句話，我們卻可以從他的言談中感覺到他不想再談
以前的事情。」
“And I suspect the same thing is happening now. I think for people who want
to take a trip down memory lane with him, it would be difficult to get him to
talk about that.”
「而我猜現在的這一切跟當年並沒有什麼不同。
即便人們試著想要與他一聊聊往事，但他們卻只能不得其門而入。」
I took a drive over to Liberty High School in Renton, Washington, where
Lincecum first established his legend as a 4-foot-11, 85-pound freshman. (By
his senior year, he’d ballooned to 5-9, 135).
我接著開往位於華盛頓州Renton市的Liberty高中，當年那身高僅近150公分，體重僅近39
公斤的Tim Lincecum便是在這裡開啟了屬於他的傳奇篇章。(Lincecum在高三時已經長高
到約175公分，體重也增加到約61公斤。)
I dropped in unannounced and asked for permission to take photos of the
Lincecum mementos on display. The answer came in the form of a cringe. “We
don’t have anything,” the school official said, wistfully.
我並沒有事先詢問，而是直接前往希望可以讓我拍一些與Lincecum有關東西的照片。
然後校方的回應卻是說他們並沒有相關的東西可提供。
They haven’t heard from Lincecum since the day he graduated in 2003 — “not
a peep” — despite multiple overtures. At Liberty, as with UW, there is no
indication of acrimony. The school official said they remain proud of his
accomplishments and wish him the best.
他們在2003年Lincecum畢業後就沒有收到任何關於他的消息。不過就如同Washington大學
一般，在Liberty高中也沒有聽到任何有關Lincecum的埋怨。但校方依舊表示仍相當
以他的成就為傲，也祝他一切順利。
Most likely, Lincecum is simply avoiding being fussed over. Elliott Cribby, a
former Huskies teammate, said he dines with Lincecum about once a year and it
’s always a covert operation.
而最可能的是Lincecum只是單純不想被當成引人注目的焦點。他的哈士奇隊時期前隊友
Elliott Cribby說他大約每年都會固定跟Lincecum碰面吃個飯，每次碰面都像是在執行一
個祕密行動一樣。
“When we go out, he’s got a hoodie on top of his head,” said Cribby, now
the associate head coach at Seattle University. “He doesn’t want to create
a buzz about himself. People recognize him, but at the same time people don’
t recognize him because he looks like a normal guy on the streets.
Cribby說：
「每當我們出去時，Lincecum一定會穿上帽T並把帽子拉起來。他並不想因為自己的現身引
起任何騷動。儘管人們認識他，但他們並不能真正認出他，因為他的打扮就跟你在街上看
到的路人沒什麼兩樣。」
“He’s extremely humble. He comes from that middle-class background where
work ethic was instilled in his life. And when he’s off the field, he wants
to just relax and keep a low profile.”
「他是個十分謙遜的人。他來自一個中產階級家庭，篤信腳踏實地的理念。
而當他不在球場上比賽時，他就想要能低調地過著輕鬆愜意的生活。」
And if Lincecum actually does get recognized on the town? Buckle up.
那如果Lincecum真的在城裡面被認出來的時候怎麼辦呢？
Michael Burgher, a former Huskies outfielder, recalled heading out with his
pal not long after the Giants won the World Series in 2010. They went to one
of their old hangouts near campus. But it was clear they were no longer
simply two college buddies grabbing a bite.
前哈士奇隊外野手Michael Burgher回憶起某次在2010年巨人隊奪冠後跟Lincecum一起出
去的狀況。那天他們去的餐廳位於校區附近，一間他們學生時代常去的地方。但很顯然地
，這次已經不再是兩個大學麻吉一起吃個飯那麼簡單了。
“We were in this bar and there was nobody there. But people started figuring
out who he was and the phone calls started coming in,” Burgher said by
phone. “All of a sudden the bar is full. The table we’re sitting at is full
of shots. And everyone is still sending him drinks.”
Burgher透過電話說：
「當我們進去時，除了我們之外基本上沒其他客人。但當人們開始發現坐在那的是大名鼎
鼎的Tim Lincecum，你會發現電話聲開始此起彼落，轉眼間，整個BAR已經人山人海，而且
我們桌上早已擺滿了shots，但人們仍不斷地想要請他喝酒。」
As the untouched shot glasses kept piling up like a mounting pitch count,
Lincecum grew uncomfortable. He’d only been famous for a short time and the
attention unnerved him. Burgher remembered Lincecum turning to him in the bar
and saying: “Just don’t leave me. Let’s get out of here. This sucks.'”
正當那些連碰都沒被碰的酒杯持續疊得像山一樣高的同時，Lincecum感到越來越不自在，
當時他的成名未久，而人們的注意力使他焦慮。Burgher記得Lincecum轉頭跟他說：「拜
託不要丟下我一個人面對他們。我們趕快閃吧。這實在有夠鳥。」
They relocated to a pizza place, but the scene was just as unsettling.
接著他們換到了一間披薩店，但事情並沒有什麼太大的改變。
“Frat guys were climbing up the light posts yelling down,'Tim Lincecum!'”
Burgher recalled. “Guys were buying pizza and trying to get him to eat
them. ‘Tim, eat my pizza!’
Burgher接著說道：
「一些大學兄弟會的成員爬到路燈上面並對著在下面的我們大喊：Tim Lincecum！
然後大夥就開始一直買披薩並且然後對Lincecum說：嘿，Tim，吃我的披薩啦！」
“It was just weird, you know?”
「你知道嗎？那聽起來超詭異的。」
# # #
Lincecum created a stir from the day he arrived at AT&T Park. Baer remembers
going down to the clubhouse in 2007 to introduce himself to the Giants’ hot
shot rookie.
從第一天踏進AT&T 球場以來，Lincecum就刮起了屬於他的旋風。
Baer到現在還記得在2007年第一次見到這位當時炙手可熱的新秀時所發生的事情。
“I walked right by him. I thought he was one of the bat boys,” Baer said
with a laugh. “Where’s Lincecum? Oh, that’s him? It wasn’t just the size.
It was the whole look: I think that was part of his endearing quality. He was
just so kid-like.”
Baer笑著說：
「我當時就從他身旁走過，我覺得那傢伙就只是其中一位球童。我還得要問
說Lincecum在哪。那不單單是因為他的身材，而是他整個人散發出來那種惹人疼愛的氣質
就讓他看起來像個小夥子一樣。」
The 10th overall pick in the 2006 draft appeared just 13 times in the minors
before the Giants called him up to face the Philadelphia Phillies on May 7,
2007.
在2007年5月7號巨人隊正式把他從小聯盟拉上來面對費城人前，
這名2006年第十順位中選的球員僅在小聯盟出賽過13場比賽。
Righetti took Lincecum out to the bullpen to warm up, but it was barely worth
the trouble. Most starting pitchers throw between 40 and 60 pitches to get
loose. “Timmy got to 13, flipped me the ball and was gone,” Righetti said.
“He was ready to go.”
當時投手教練Righetti正在牛棚協助Lincecum熱身，
因為一般來說，先發投手大多會在牛棚先練投40~60顆球讓全身伸展開來。
但沒多久後，他就發現似乎沒什麼好準備的。
Righetti說：
「Timmy投了13個球之後就把球扔回給我，接著就閃了。他就這樣熱身完畢了。」
Former Giants catcher Bengie Molina, who would later work behind the plate
for some of Lincecum’s best games, barely knew a thing about him before
catching him the first time.
前巨人隊捕手Bengie Molina曾經是Lincecum生涯幾場代表作的幕後功臣，儘管如此，
Molina在還沒接補Lincecum的球以前對他可說是一無所知。
“They told me, ‘Be ready. He’s electric,”’ Molina said by phone from
Puerto Rico.
Molina在波多黎各透過電話訪問時表示：
「他們叫我要準備好。說這傢伙可是勁力十足。」
It was love at first flight, even if Lincecum’s first stat line was less
than dazzling. He gave up five runs in 4.1 innings and Molina still blames
himself for calling for a curveball to Shane Victorino, the second batter of
the game. Molina was sure Victorino wouldn’t even swing; he belted it for a
two-run homer.
而事實上，Molina對Lincecum可說是一見傾心。儘管他的首場先發表現不盡人意，不過
Molina把這個結果歸咎到自己不應該面對Shane Victorino的時候配了一顆曲球。他原本
肯定Victorino根本不會出棒。結果Victorino卻把這顆球轟出場外變成一發兩分全壘打。
But in that first inning of his major league career, Lincecum also showed a
glimpse of what was to come. He struck out Chase Utley, Ryan Howard, Aaron
Rowand — all swinging.
但Lincecum在他生涯第一局的表現也讓人預見到一個傳奇生涯的開始，
他讓Chase Utley、Ryan Howard以及Aaron Rowand全部揮空遭到三振。
“I loved catching Timmy. He could just cruise through a lineup,” Molina
said. “There’s a reason they called him The Freak. His windup was tricky,
the way he hid the ball.
Molina說：
「我熱愛接補Timmy的球。他可以輕易的面對打線內的每一位打者。
人們叫他怪胎是其來有自的。他的揮臂方式及藏球技巧讓人難以捉摸。」
“His ball moved everywhere. That’s what people didn’t understand. He threw
a natural cutter. Can you imagine having a good changeup to go with 99 mph?”
「他的球可以投向任何位置，而這也是讓打者無法理解的地方。他的快速球帶有天然的
Cutter尾勁。然後他還有一顆很棒的變速球去搭配他那可以投到99英哩的快速球。」
Over the course of the next five seasons, Lincecum delivered the most
dominant pitching stretch in these parts since Juan Marichal was kicking the
clouds in the 1960s. Lincecum became the first player in major league history
to win Cy Young Awards in each of his first two full seasons.
而接下來五個球季Lincecum的表現可說是既60年代Juan Marichal的最具宰制力的表現。
Lincecum也是MLB歷史上唯一一位可以在生涯頭兩個球季皆獲得賽揚獎肯定的選手。
He set a San Francisco record with 265 strikeouts in 2008, then nearly
matched it with 261 more in 2009.
在2008年時，他以265次三振刷新了巨人隊史紀錄，而2009年則投出了接近的261次三振。
More than that, he was mesmerizing.
而Lincecum甚至是可以讓大家產生一種盲目的信心。
“What I remember most is that when he started a game, you definitely thought
the Giants were going to win that day no matter what,” Kuiper recalled. “
There are other pitchers that you feel like that about. But in my mind it was
an automatic: Unless something really weird happened, we were going to win.
If the Giants didn’t win in his start, it was almost like they lost a
doubleheader.”
Kuiper說：
「我記得在當時只要是Lincecum先發的時候，大家都覺得那場巨人隊肯定能贏球。
儘管有某些投手也能讓你有這樣的信心，但在我心中對於Lincecum先發來講更像是：
除非發生什麼無法解釋的怪事，不然沒有什麼可以阻止Lincecum幫我們贏下這場比賽。
但如果最後巨人隊輸球了，大家表現出來的就像是單日雙重賽兩盤盡墨一樣的感覺。」
He was must-see Timmy. For sheer fervor, his starts rivaled the atmosphere
generated by bygone theatrical hurlers like Mark Fidrych or Fernando
Valenzuela.
Lincecum先發的比賽就是一場絕不容錯過的精采好戲，
就如同當年的Mark Fidrych跟Fernando Valenzuela一樣。
“Because he was so different than everybody else,” said Omar Vizquel, the
former Giants shortstop and now a coach with the Detroit Tigers. “Everything
he did, everything that he said, the way he acted and the way he pitched was
so different than anybody else. You couldn’t teach the stuff that he was
doing.”
前巨人隊游擊手Omar Vizquel說：
「因為Lincecum實在太與眾不同。
無論他所做的一切、他講的每一句話、
他處事的方法以及他投球的形態都沒有人可以拿來相比。
他所做的一切是多麼的渾然天成，那是教不出來的。」
# # #
Of all things, the hippest player in sports may have been undone by a bad hip.
但這位幾乎可以說是所有職業運動裡面最嬉皮的球員卻被他那受傷的臀部給擊倒。
In that regard, there was an early red flag. A memorable Sports Illustrated
cover story — “The Freak,” from July 7, 2008 — mostly detailed Lincecum’
s wondrous rise as “the most fascinating ace of his generation” But writer
Tom Verducci also raised an air of caution about the pitcher’s mechanics. He
noted that the normal stride length for a pitcher is 77 percent to 87 percent
of his height. Lincecum’s stride at that time was 129 percent or roughly 7½
feet.
而這個傷勢其實早已有跡可循。雖說2008年7月運動畫刊的封面故事裡詳述了那屬於這位
棒球怪胎一切華麗的美好，甚至用上「同世代內最引人入勝的王牌」來形容這個球員，但
作者Tom Verducci同時也針對Lincecum的投球機制提出了他的隱憂。他說多數投手的跨步
長度約在他們身高的77%~87%，但Lincecum的跨步長度達將近215公分，也等於他身高的
129%。
Verducci wrote:
Verducci寫道：
A long stride carries two severe risks for pitchers: 1) It can compromise the
ability to rotate the hips; and 2) it can cause a pitcher to land on his heel
with a stiff front leg, the equivalent of slamming on the brakes in a car.
Jump and then land on your heels. The shock of the impact travels up your
legs to your hips. It hurts. Imagine doing it 100 times a game over many
games over many years. It’s no wonder that long-stride pitchers … break
down.
「太長的跨步會給投手帶來兩個嚴重的威脅：
1) 這會去擠壓到臀部旋轉的軌跡。
2) 這會讓前腳僵硬的情況下強行使腳跟著地，就像是你使盡全力踩下煞車一樣。如同
你往上跳之後卻是以腳跟著地。這個衝擊力道會經由你的腳一路傳到你的臀部，這個動作
會讓你受傷的。想像一下一個投手每場至少做這個動作達100次，然後年復一年的需要站
上投手丘多少次。也難怪那些跨步幅度過長的投手最後都會落得如此下場。」
There are many theories about the cause of death with Tim Lincecum’s
fastball, but hip problems remain the leading suspect. He sustained a labral
tear (in this case, the connective tissue between the upper leg and the hip
socket). The injury was announced in June of 2015, but there were signs of
wear and tear before then.
現在有太多關於Lincecum球速銳減的不同理論，但多數人都認同他臀部傷勢是一個最主要
的原因。儘管他是在2015年6月的時候被診斷出連結臀部以及大腿的一條肌肉撕裂傷，但
早在這之前就有一些損耗的現象產生。
Lincecum — whom skeptical scouts once deemed too small to be a starter —
posted four consecutive seasons with at least 200 innings. He also had six
consecutive seasons with at least 32 starts.
儘管某些球探因Lincecum的瘦小身材而對他是否能成為先發投手感到存疑，但他實際上是
貢獻出連續四季皆投至少超過200局的成績，而且他更是連續六季都至少先發32場或以上。
Cribby, the former college teammate turned pitching coach, had long marveled
over Lincecum’s ability to maximize his small frame. But he also watched the
power ebb over time.
而Lincecum的前隊友Cribby現在也成為了一名投手教練，從大學時期以來，Cribby一直都
對於Lincecum如何從他那瘦小的身材裡面去挖掘出如此巨大的動能感到著迷，但他也發現
這股能量卻日漸消散。
“I noticed that his stride length was shortening a little bit. And I think
that’s some of the reason he had some hip issues,” he said. “It’s because
he was really, really pushing that lower half in the extremities to go to
points that they’ve never been or points they weren’t supposed to go.”
他說：
「我有發現Lincecum的跨步幅度逐漸縮短，而我猜測這可能跟他臀部受傷脫不了關係。
因為他每次都是使勁全力地把他下半身延展到極限，甚至可能已經突破那本不該被超
越的極限。」
When Lincecum broke in during the 2007 season, his average fastball traveled
94.60 mph, according to comprehensive data available at BrooksBaseball.net.
It was at 94.65 mph for his first Cy Young in ’08 and 93.20 for his second
Cy Young in ’09.
在Lincecum首度登上大聯盟的2007年球季，他的快速球均速落在94.60英哩，而他首度獲
得賽揚獎的08年球季則是94.65英哩，第二次獲得賽揚獎的09年球季而是稍稍降到93.20英
哩。
By his last season with the Giants, in 2015, The Freak’s average fastball
was only 88.74.
而在Lincecum最後效力於巨人隊的2015年球季，他的快速球均速僅剩下88.74英哩。
Dave Groeschner, the Giants trainer, acknowledged Lincecum’s hip injury
ultimately affected the pitcher’s drive off the mound because “you have to
use your lower half to generate power and throw. When you have an injury like
that, it’s hard to do.”
巨人隊訓練員Dave Groeschner承認他認為Lincecum的臀部傷勢的確影響到他的投球，他
說一個投手需要靠他下半身的力量產生足夠的爆發力以便投球，但當這樣的傷勢在身時，
那幾乎是不可能辦到的。
But he is also loathe to pinpoint one specific cause for the rapid decline. I
asked Groeschner if the innings simply caught up with Lincecum.
但同時他也很不喜歡人們把Lincecum的快速衰退全部歸咎到同一個原因上。
我向Groeschner詢問是不是有可能Lincecum過多的投球局數對他造成反噬。
“Yeah, probably. They do on every starting pitcher,” he said. “Ultimately,
I don’t know if anybody has the right answer about why he didn’t last
longer. … There are a whole bunch of things that nobody will ever have a
definitive word on. They’ll be able to say, ‘I think it was this. I think
it was that.’ But nobody really knows.”
他回答說：
「這是有可能的。但同樣的狀況一樣發生在所有先發投手身上。
說到最後，我還是不知道是否已經有人成功找到他就這樣衰退的原因。
有太多事情是沒有人可以百分之百肯定的。
你可以聽到很多人說他們覺得是這樣、是那樣，但沒有人真正曉得真相。」
Vizquel is in the camp that Lincecum’s small frame was never made for the
long haul.
Vizquel是跟那些認為Lincecum的身材導致他無法維持健康的人站在同一邊。
“I think it was because of the way his body was built. He couldn’t take all
of the load of the pitches and everything that you go through,” Vizquel said.
Vizquel說：
「我想這一切都跟他的身材有關，
他的身體無法完全去承擔那些投球機制所導致的傷害。」
“Maybe, also, his windup I think really hurt him, too. The way he delivered
the ball, it was a lot of effort. I could see him going back and twisting his
arm — it came all the way around. In the beginning, it looked effortless
because that’s the way he pitched. But I’m pretty sure that really wore his
body out. It’s too bad. It’s like you said: he faded. He started going down
and he never recovered.”
「另外我覺得他的揮臂方式同樣對他造成一定程度的損害。
他投球的方式實在太費力。
我曾經看到他在投完球回到休息室後在那邊旋轉他的手臂看似在試著舒緩不適。
儘管在生涯初期的時候一切看起來是那麼的輕鬆寫意，
但我非常確認這個機制是逐漸在侵蝕著他的身體。
就像你說的，他衰退了。當他開始走下坡後，他無法重新再站起來。」
Joe DiMaggio disliked the lyric in “Mrs. Robinson that asks, “Where have
you gone, Joe DiMaggio?” The Yankee Clipper was so upset that he considered
a lawsuit.
Joe DiMaggio起初對"Mrs. Robinson"這首歌裡面那句「Joe DiMaggio你跑到哪裡了？」
這句歌詞感到十分反感，他甚至考慮要針對這句歌詞提起法律訴訟。
Paul Simon knew this when, a few years after the song rose to No. 1 on the
pop chart, he approached DiMaggio in an Italian restaurant to elaborate.
而此首歌的作詞家Paul Simon在這首歌走紅並登上排行榜第一名的數年後得知了這件事，
他趁著在一間義大利餐廳遇到DiMaggio的機會向他提出說明。
“I said that I didn’t mean the lines literally, that I thought of him as an
American hero and that genuine heroes were in short supply,” Simon wrote
after DiMaggio died in 1999. “He accepted the explanation and thanked me. We
shook hands and said good night.”
Simon在DiMaggio於1999年過世後寫道：
「我跟他說我這句歌詞真正的涵義並不等同於它字面上的意思，
在我心中他是屬於美國人的英雄，而且現在世道真正的英雄越來越少，
因此我才會這樣有感而發。而他也接受了我的說明，並對我致上感謝之意。
接著我們握手互道晚安告別彼此。」
Lincecum's vanishing act, too, whether willful or accidental, represents the
symbolic end of a golden era. For San Francisco, he was the electricity
behind three World Series parades, the long-haired poster boy for the band of
misfits.
無論Lincecum的消失是來自他本身的意願或只是個意外的結果，但這件事仍代表了一個黃
金世代的結束。但對舊金山人來說，他依舊是那個三次世界大賽冠軍的重要一員，會始終
以一個看起來與周遭格格不入的長髮少年的形象存留在每一個人心中。
The Giants are ready to welcome back Timmy when the time is right. They just
need to find him first.
巨人隊已經準備好要在適當的時機重新把Lincecum帶回到大家的面前。
但他們還是需要先想辦法找到他。
Lincecum has left and gone away.
因為Lincecum已經離開，而且走遠了。