※ [本文转录自 CMWang 看板] 作者: akainorei (我是Babyface澳客) 看板: CMWang 标题: [外电] Wang-o-Rama: All Hail the King? 时间: Wed Sep 5 13:26:44 2007 刚刚看到, 应该没OP http://eastwindupchronicle.com/?p=45 Wang Chien-Ming is the king of Taiwan. Wang, whose name literally means ‘king’ in Chinese, is Taiwan’s most revered and loved celebrity. The New York Yankees’ #1 starter is the first Taiwanese celebrity to achieve widespread international recognition (with the possible exception of filmmaker Ang Li, Madame Chiang Kai Shek and actress/Penthouse centerfold Hsu Chi), and a source of national pride every time he takes the hill for the storied New York Yankees. And what’s not to love about a player that has emerged as the ace of the world’s most successful baseball franchise, finished second in the AL Cy Young voting to Johan Santana in 2006, starts charities to benefit underprivileged kids in his free time, and has even had the courage to boycott the bloodthirsty and reckless Taiwanese media since moving to New York? Owing to his unusually composed demeanor, seemingly incorruptible personality on an island notorious for political corruption, and celebrity cache (that gives Taiwan the rare occasion to stick it China as the mainland siphons off its jobs and challenges its statehood), Wang takes center stage on a daily basis on the TV and in the papers. As a result, without a costly mlb.com package, baseball fans on the island have to get used to the following order of priorities: Wang Chien Ming first, The Yankees second, and baseball third. Wang fever in Taiwan can reach absurd levels. ESPN in Taiwan re-runs every game he pitches in 4 or 5 times in a week, while remaining Yankee games broadcast two to three times a day while the vast majority of MLB games go untelevised. For fans on the island interested in the bigger picture of the game, pennant races, or teams outside of the AL East, it can get vexing watching the Taiwanese media lavish more attention on a single start from Wang (or Wang having a conversation with Ron Guidry in the dugout) than it does on, say, Barry Bonds breaking the all-time home run record. Save for the occasional Red Sox game featuring Matsuzaka, or a even rarer Dodgers game where Hong Chih Kuo invariably gets lit up, Yankees games are by and large the only exposure fans get to MLB. One can well imagine the stunned silence, general confusion, and silent facial contortions of protest (as well as nasty emails) I get from Taiwanese baseball fans when I make the following outrageous claims: Wang at this stage of his career makes a very good #2 pitcher for a successful rotation but has not yet developed the qualities of a true staff ace, the jury is still out on his long term value, and the oft-cheerleading media and fans have jumped the gun a bit by placing Wang in the top tier of starting pitchers in MLB. I also get jeers when I suggest that fans in Taiwan, due 24/7 exposure in the media, conflate Wang’s historical and cultural importance with his actual talents on the field. Wang’s demeanor, high winning percentage, and league-best sinker certainly give him the potential to be mentioned in the same breath with Webb, Sabathia, and Johan, but he’s not there. Not yet. Naysayer! Cynic! Playa Hater! (being pelted with stinky tofu) First off, a fair assessment of Wang’s ability has to point to stats beyond his W-L record. Wang’s win totals are highly inflated due to an inordinate amount of run support—nearly 7 runs per game (6.8)—and excellent defensive support (The Yankee defense behind Wang, didn’t allow an unearned run in 47 consecutive innings, the longest such streak for a Yankee pitcher since the Elias Sports Bureau began tracking the stat in 1913). Every time Wang takes the hill the Yanks spot him 7 runs and never make any errors. This is a recipe for putting up a lot of wins regardless of who is on the mound. Or, to quote a Seattle Mariners scout in Taiwan who tried to sign Wang before he ended up on the Yankees, “take Wang off the Yankees and put him on a weak-hitting team, and he’s a .500 pitcher”. Wang has other attributes that suggest that some of the fawning over his performance thus far might not be warranted yet. This year, left-handed hitters are hitting .283 against him. Since the All-Star break this year, Wang the king has put up a respectable 7-2 record, but has an average E.R.A. (4.50) and hitters are opposing hitters are hitting .296. Due to his high ground ball percentage, a lot of these runs get cancelled out in double plays, but putting that many runners on base could be a recipe for trouble come playoff time. In fact, Wang’s stats this year are eerily similar to those put up by Greg Maddux at age 41, whom most statisticians and fans would describe as having a decent but unspectacular season in the twilight of his career. Maddux is regarded as the Padres #3 starter, certainly not their ace at this point. While it might not be the only factor in the equation, the extra 2 runs per game Wang receives in run support from the Bronx Bomber offense surely plays a big part in the 6 game difference in the win column: Wang 166.1IP, 16 wins, 6 losses, 3.79 ERA, 86 K’s, 45BB’s, 1.27 WHIP Maddux 168.2IP, 10 wins, 9 losses, 3.79 ERA, 89 K’s, 21BB’s, 1.20 WHIP That’s not to say Wang doesn’t have the capability to be a true ace, in fact, he’s nearly there. With the league’s best sinker that Yankees pitching coach Ron Guidry compares to trying to hit a shot put, and a 96 MPH heater, there’s no denying the talent is in place. He’s young, he’s already won a ton of games, and has room to grow. But he’s not all the way there yet, and often times this gets lost in the shuffle as the Taiwanese media clamors to put up yet another full-page spread singing his praises. __________________ More important than these statistical comparisons, the Taiwanese media, notorious for fabricating news stories and desperate to sensationalize anything they can in order to gain ratings–more than the unassuming Wang himself– can be blamed for the premature overhyping of the man of the hour. In Wang you have a highly marketable, good looking, reputable celebrity that’ s tailor made to sell papers and merchandise. But in the end, Taiwanese baseball fans, who might care more about the game itself with exposure to different teams, lose out in the end due to the disproportionate amount of airtime lavished upon Wang at this early stage in his career. They almost never get to see NL teams. They don’t get to see Pujols, Santana, Hanley, or even Bonds. This deprives them of the joy of seeing all the game’s stars, the thrill of pennant races, the ability to view baseball from a more objective perspective, and the perspective to see Wang within the greater overall context of the game. Because of Wang’s success in pinstripes, Taiwanese fans have almost without exception embraced the Yankees as their favorite team. From an overall standpoint, if what matters to Taiwanese fans is that Wang has put Taiwan on the map and given them something to cheer for after a long day at the factory, that’s great. 真是中肯又带点残酷的报导 --

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