※ 引述《TimChiu (不要叫我洨狗狗)》之铭言： : 恩，美国时间明天晚上12点整(应该说是美国礼拜六凌晨0点整)就是 : NCAA法定可以开始练球的时间。 : 各位不要忘了去参加学校的Midnight Madness活动喔 XD http://0rz.tw/e11YM Texas A&M hoops finds place on football's back COLLEGE STATION, Texas -- At a school steeped in so much tradition, Texas A&M head coach Billy Gillispie knew there was a place for his fledgling basketball program. It didn't take Gillispie long to find that place: right on the back of the school's storied football program. Texas A&M(德州农工)男篮总教头Billy Gillispie知道这只新生球队能在这所拥有悠久 传统的学校找到立足之地。他并没有花太多功夫寻找，因为那就在学校充满许多故事的 美式足球场中 Late Friday night, after more than 28,000 Texas A&M students and fans packed the student side of Kyle Field for the traditional Midnight Yell Practice, the Aggies basketball team was front and center 星期五深夜，在超过两万八千名Texas A&M学生和球迷，为了传统的Midnight Yell Practice*聚集在Kyle Field的学生观众席後，男篮队员们却在这个时候出现在球场中央 *Midnight Yell Practice是Texas A&M的传统，星期五晚上学生和来自四面八方的球迷 在Kyle Field(Football球场)为星期六的Football比赛练习加油口号 Once the crowd sang the "Aggie War Hymn," in which entire rows "humped it" and swayed in opposite directions, and after the lights were turned out at 12:25 a.m. so Aggies could kiss their dates or "flick their Bics" to find an unoccupied set of lips, Gillispie's team began its season of rare expectations. 大家在球场中齐唱"Aggie War Hymn"，手搭上旁边的人的肩膀，并且以观众席的一排 为单位，排跟排以相反方向左右摇摆。凌晨12点55分在球场大灯关掉之後，在场的人 可以亲吻他(她)的约会对象，而落单的乡民可以点燃打火机寻找属於他(她)的双唇。 Gillispie的篮球队就在这罕见的期待中展开今年球季 "You could spend your time better, as far as getting better as a team, but to see your players experience this for the first time makes it special," Gillispie said. "It's something else." "以让这只球队更好为前提，你大可把时间花在更有用的地方。但看到你的子弟兵们第一 次经历这些却让这件事非常特别"Gillispie说道。"这是不一样的" Before his first season at Texas A&M in the fall of 2004, there wasn't much interest in basketball on a campus where football has always mattered most. The basketball team had endured 10 straight losing seasons and had just concluded an 0-16 Big 12 campaign. Predictably, the school hadn't spent much time organizing a Midnight Madness event. 在他2004年秋天进入Texas A&M之前，校园中对於篮球总是兴致缺缺，美式足球才是学 校的大事。在此之前，男子篮球队经历连续10季胜率未达五成，并且在前一年以零胜 16败结束Big 12的赛程。可以想见，这所学校不曾花太多时间安排Midnight Madness So, Gillispie came up with a unique way of finding his team exposure. One Friday night, just after the stroke of midnight, the Aggies practiced in a parking lot behind the Dixie Chicken, the students' favorite local watering hole that claims it serves more beer per square foot than any other bar in the U.S. 所以，Gillispie想到一个独一无二的方法替他的球队曝光。一个周五晚上，就在刚过 午夜时分，男篮队在Dixie Chicken(本地最受欢迎的酒吧，号称每平方英尺提供的啤酒 全美第一 XD)後的停车场练球。 There were no stands, just two goals in the parking lot. Still, students and fans enjoying themselves in the North Gate Entertainment District started to congregate, and eventually crowds 10-to-15 deep surrounded the court. When Gillispie then went on to lead his team to one of college basketball's best turnarounds, from 7-21 record to 21-10 overall, including two victories in the postseason NIT, fans started filling Reed Arena for games, too. 刚开始除了两个篮框外，并没有任何物体站在球场边。慢慢地，在North Gate这个欢乐 区域饮酒作乐的学生和美式足球迷开始聚集，最後总共挤了10到15圈的人在球场边。在 Gillispie带领他的球队由7胜21败进步到21胜10败－大学篮球史上最佳进步之一－并且 在季後的NIT邀请赛取得两场胜利後，球迷们也开始坐满Reed Arena(Texas A&M篮球比 赛场地，个人认为赢过台湾任何篮球场馆...) "When I first came here, I said if people won't come to Midnight Madness, let's take Midnight Madness to them," Gillispie said early Saturday morning. "People have been excited about it." "当我刚到这的时候，我说如果没人来Midnight Madness，那咱们就把Midnight Madness 带给他们"周六早晨Gillispie说到。"他们会感到兴奋的" Before last season, Midnight Madness fell on the Friday night before a home football game. So Gillispie asked athletics director Bill Byrne about including the basketball team's first practice in Midnight Yell Practice. Byrne and football coach Dennis Franchione didn't object, so Gillispie went to the five yell leaders who stage the event at Kyle Field on Friday nights before home football games and at out of town locations before road games. 在上个球季前，Midnight Madness是指美式足球主场比赛前的friday night。所以 Gillispie询问体育部门主管Bill Byrne是否能在Midnight Yell Practice加入篮球队 的首次练习。Byrne和美式足球教头Dennis Franchione并未表示反对，因此Gillispie 跑去找五位yell leader* *类似应援团团长，由ROTC学生(类似军校生)担任，带领观众喊加油口号，主场比赛前 的周五晚上在Kyle Field的指挥台带大家练习，客场比赛则在比赛当地带领球迷练习 是个充满美国魂的男子汉团体 "I was really worried about it because it's the yell leaders' show," Gillispie said. "I didn't want to step on anybody's toes or impose." "我还满担心的，因为Midnight Yell Practice都是看yell leader的表演"Gillispie说。 "我并不想抢任何人的锋头或冒犯别人" Last year's event, though, was a hit, and Friday night's was even bigger. Last season, the Aggies finished 22-9 and won eight consecutive games late to finish 10-6 in Big 12 play. Texas A&M received its first invitation to the NCAA tournament since 1987 -- the first at-large bid in school history -- and upset Syracuse in the first round in Jacksonville, Fla. The Aggies lost to Final Four-bound LSU in the second round on a last-second 3, but staked their claim as one of college basketball's up-and-coming programs. 尽管去年的做法非常成功，但本周五晚上却又更盛大。上个球季，Aggies*打出22胜9败 并以八连胜结束通算10胜6败的Big 12赛程。之後Texas A&M收到自1987年以来第一次的 NCAA tournament邀请－校史上第一次at-large bid(不会翻...)－并且在第一轮爆冷门 击败雪城大学。Aggies在第二轮比赛的最後三秒输给最後进入四强的LSU，不过却也宣告 他们是当今大学篮坛的新兴势力 *Aggies原指农校学生，带有贬意，Texas A&M则用来自称 "People have said for a long time that it's a sleeping giant," Gillispie said. "We've just been sleeping too much." "人们长久以来都说我们是沉睡的巨人" Gillispie说。"不过睡太久就是了" Friday night, when most people were already sleeping, dozens of Texas A&M students were assembled outside Kyle Field, waiting for the gates to open to claim their place in the stands. The event wasn't scheduled to begin for nearly two hours. 周五晚上，当大部分人已经入梦时，成千上万的Texas A&M学生聚集在Kyle Field外， 等着闸门打开进入观众席找个自己的位置。这项盛会原本不打算持续将近两个钟头 It's amazing," said Texas A&M junior center Joseph Jones. "It's one of the most amazing things you'll ever see." "真是太神奇了" Texas A&M大三中锋Joseph Jones说到。"这是你看过最神奇的事之一" Midnight Yell Practice is a Texas A&M tradition that started in 1932, when two freshmen asked the senior yell leaders to hold a midnight practice to motivate students for the upcoming football game. The yell leaders said they weren't authorized to organize such an event, but they might show up anyhow at the YMCA building around midnight. The school's corps of cadets and marching band showed up, too, and railroad flares were used to light the event. One of college athletics' best traditions was born. Midnight Yell Practice是Texas A&M自1932年以来的传统。当时两位新生要求大四的yell leader们在午夜举办加油练习，用来激励学生替即将到来的比赛备战。yell leader说他 们没有举办这种活动的权利，但他们无论如何还是会於午夜在YMCA中心出现。当晚学校的 军校生和军乐队也出现了，而铁路的路灯则被当作活动的照明。大学运动史上最赞的传统 之一就此诞生 Friday night, the Aggie marching band led a parade from the Quadrangle near the corps' dorms and marched to the stadium, with the five yell leaders leading the way with torches. Thousands of students and alumni lined the route, and fell into line once the procession passed. 周五夜晚，Aggie的军乐队带领游行队伍由军校生宿舍旁的四角广场往球场出发，五位 yell leader举着火炬走在队伍最前方。数千名学生和校友站在行径路线两边，并在队 伍经过後加入游行行列 Around 11:30 p.m., the school's women's basketball team, which also is ranked in the top 10 nationally in some preseason polls, took the practice court. The court of interlocking rubber tiles had been placed on the sideline near the student seating section -- far away from the football field as to not harm the grass. Coach Gary Blair addressed the crowd and each of the women's players was introduced. 大约晚上十一点半，学校的女篮(在某些季前排名位列全国前10)占据了练习场地。这个 场地以互相锁住的塑胶磁砖在学生观众席附近拼起来－为了不伤害草皮而离美式足球场 有段距离。女篮教练Gary Blair引导观众入场并一一介绍女篮成员 Yell practice started about 20 minutes later and five male students, wearing overalls and t-shirts, assembled at midfield. Two junior yell leaders did 107 pushups while three senior yell leaders watched. Reveille, the school's American collie mascot, was escorted on the field. The dog, considered the first lady of Aggie land, is the highest-ranking member of the corps of cadets and is a five-star general. 约20分钟後yell practice正式开始，五位穿着连身吊带裤和T恤的男性学生在球场中央 集合。两位大三yell leader在三位大四yell leader的注视下做完107个伏地挺身。 身为学校吉祥物的美国牧羊犬(灵犬莱西那种)Reveille则在此时被护送进场。这只被称 作Aggie land第一夫人的狗，是所有军校生中阶级最高的，而且还是五星上将 Company E-2 is charged with caring for the dog; if Reveille sleeps on a cadet's bed, then the cadet sleeps on the floor. The dog also attends class with its handler. In the past, if the dog barked during class, the professor was to immediately dismiss the students, but the tradition stopped when the dog mysteriously started barking before too many tests. E-2连是负责照顾Reveille的单位；如果Reveille睡在某军校生的床上，这个军校生就 睡地板。Reveille也和带她的学生一起上课。以前如果她在上课时吠叫，教授必须立刻 解散学生，但在某代Reveille离奇地在太多考试吠叫後就取消了 XD With Reveille watching, the yell leaders made their way to the stands and started leading the cheers. Everything is done with hand signals. At one point, each person in the crowd of more than 25,000 started "humpin' it," leaning forward to maximize their voices. 在Reveille的注视下，yell leader走向观众席并且开始带动唱。所有指示都是手势下 达。在某一刻，超过两万五千名观众开始"humpin' it"，膝盖微弯，双手放在膝盖上 并微向前倾以喊出最大的音量 "It's the only place where you'll see five guys controlling 40,000 people," said Elmer Schneider, Texas A&M's chief of police. "这是唯一一个能看到5个人控制四万人的地方" Texas A&M的警长Elmer Schneider说 Mike Fossum, the first Texas A&M astronaut to travel into outer space, addressed the crowd. School president Robert Gates, former director of the CIA, watched from courtside. Former U.S. President George H. W. Bush wasn't there, but was probably sleeping nearby in his apartment at the George Bush Presidential Library and Museum on campus. Hopefully, the cannons and fireworks didn't wake him. 首位Texas A&M太空人Mike Fossum带领着观众。前CIA大头，校长Robert Gates则在球 场边注视着。前米国总统老布希虽然不在场，但大概就在他位在校园内乔治布希纪念图 书馆的公寓就寝。希望那些大炮跟烟火声响别吵醒他 Around 12:30 a.m., Gillispie's team took the court. The Aggies return four starters, including senior guard Acie Law and Jones, both preseason All-Big 12 choices by the league's coaches. There are five new freshmen, all from Texas, and a junior college transfer -- a recruiting class that was ranked in the top 25 nationally and considered the best in school history. 约凌晨12点半，Gillispie的球队进入练习场。包括大四後卫Acie Law和Jones，两位在 联盟教头们季前预测是Big 12第一队成员在内，今年一共有四位返校先发球员。另外还 有五位来自德州的新生及一位从二年制学院来的转学生，组成被评为全国前25和校史最 佳的新生团队 "Our expectation is to win the national championship," said Law, who became a crowd favorite when he hit a game-winning shot to beat rival Texas last season. "We're as talented as any team in the country. We might not be on paper, but we're tougher than anybody and closer than anybody." "我们被期望赢得全国冠军" 因上季对世仇UT Austin投进致胜三分球而成为球迷最爱的 Law说到。 "我们跟国内任何球队一样有天份(小弟不这麽认为...)。我们也许不是台面 上的球队，但我们比任何人都强韧，比任何人都都团结(同意!)" Recruiting the Lone Star State has been Gillispie's biggest priority; the Aggies already have three players from the state committed to sign this fall. One of them, 7-foot center DeAndre Jordan of Christian Life Center in Houston, is ranked among the top 10 prospects nationally and might have been an NBA lottery pick next year if not for the league's new age requirements. Gillispie一直以招募德州境内的新生为优先。Aggies已经有三位德州高卒生答应在秋天 入学。其中一位，来自休士顿Christian Life Center的七尺中锋DeAndre Jordan被评为 拥有全国前十的潜力(记得是中锋第十...)并且若不是因为NBA新的年龄规定，有可能会是 明年的乐透人选 "There's so many good players here," Gillispie said. "We're not only recruiting Texas, but we'd be crazy not to get a large percentage of our players from Texas. One of the things we've been able to do is get a lot of people to make unofficial visits here because we're close to so many cities. Once they're here, a lot of them fall in love with the place." "这边有太多好球员了" Gillispie说。"我们并不是只在德州招生，但如果说我们没办法 招来许多德州好手，那你一定是疯了。因为我们邻近许多大城，所以能让许多球员来这边 做非官方的参访。许多人一到这边後就爱上这个地方(其实有点乡下...)" And, finally, Texas A&M has fallen in love with its basketball team. There has never been much to embrace. The Aggies haven't won a conference championship since 1986 and have played in the NCAA tournament only seven times. 终於，Texas A&M爱上了自己的篮球队，一只他们不曾拥抱过的球队。Aggies自1986年後 就从来没赢过分区冠军，并且总共只打过七次NCAA tournament The 1979-80 season was largely considered the greatest in school history, when the Aggies beat Bradley in the first round and upset North Carolina in double-overtime in round two before losing to eventual national champion Louisville in overtime in the Sweet 16 79~80球季是普遍被认为校史上最佳的表现，当时Aggies在第一轮打败Bradley大学，并且 在甜蜜16强的延长赛输给後来的冠军Louisville前，在第二轮於第二次延长赛中爆冷门击 败北卡(!!!) Shelby Metcalf, the coach of that team, was fired midway through the 1989-90 season, and the Aggies have had five coaches since then. They believe they finally have the coach who will get it done. 当时的教练Shelby Metcalf在89~90球季中遭到开除，之後Aggies换过5任教头。他们相信 最後一定能找到一个能带领球队的教练 "Everyone has expectations," Gillispie told the crowd early Saturday morning. "Expectations that we've never had here. A lot of people get scared of expectations. But our guys are tough and they say, 'Bring it on!' " "每个人都抱持着期待" Gillispie在星期六凌晨对着观众说。"这些我们从来不曾拥有的 期待。很多人会被期待吓到，但我们的小夥子们不但坚强，他们还会说'放马过来吧!'" -- ps1:Gillispie已经连两年获得Big 12最佳教练 ps2:队中的Josh Carter和Dominique Kirk今年夏天有来台湾打琼斯盃，对台湾的印象就 是令人难以置信的食物，Carter不太敢吃，Kirk对排骨饭评价甚高 --

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