NG Life

Derek Jeter大聯盟生涯首度無法打季後賽。

George Steinbrenner lorded over the staff meetings he attended, and as the Yankees prepared for the amateur draft in the spring of 2000, Steinbrenner noted aloud that Jorge Posada was moving closer to free agency.

George Steinbrenner 主持著他所出席的會議，當洋基隊正在為2000年春天的選秀會做準備時，Steinbrenner提到Jorge Posada即將成為自由球員。

"We need a catcher," Steinbrenner said. When it came time for the Yankees to make their first round pick, 28th overall, they called out the name of a catcher. He was David Parrish, the son of Lance Parrish and a University of Michigan product, with the kind of pedigree that Steinbrenner liked and recognized.

"我們需要捕手"，Steinbrenner表示。當輪到洋基做第一輪第28順位的選秀時，他們念出了一位捕手的名字。他是David Parrish，Lance Parrish的兒子，密西根大學出生產的球員，具有Steinbrenner喜歡且認可的血統。

Parrish also was regarded by executives and scouts with other teams as a fifth-round talent.

其他球隊的經理與球探則認為他的資質應該只能排在第五輪。

"No better than that," said one AL general manager.

"不可能排名更前面了"，一為美聯的經理如此表示。

Eight years later, Parrish has yet to play in the big leagues, like the vast majority of the Yankees' picks from 1997 to 2005 -- a period in which the Yankees' drafting and developing has been clearly the worst of any team in the major leagues. The Yankees failed to make the playoffs this season, in large part because the team is paying for its inability to generate young talent, as the Boston Red Sox, Minnesota Twins, Cleveland Indians, Tampa Bay Rays and others have been able to do.

八年之後，Parrish從未上過大聯盟，與1997年至2005年間洋基隊所選進的大部分新秀一樣 -- 這段時間洋基的選秀與球員養成顯然是大聯盟中最差的。洋基隊今年無法打進季後賽，主要的原因是球隊培養年輕新秀的能力不佳所致，同時波士頓紅襪隊，明尼蘇達雙城隊，克利夫蘭印地安人隊，坦帕灣光芒隊與其他球隊卻獲得不錯的成果。

Instead, at the end of the 1996-2001 dynasty, which was built largely on homegrown talent such as Derek Jeter, Andy Pettitte, Mariano Rivera and Posada, the Yankees began a period of free spending on veteran free agents, a habit that often exacerbated their player development problem and increased their reliance on older players.

在1996年到2001年這段洋基王朝的末期，大量的培養出了如Derek Jeter，Andy Pattitte，Mariano Rivera與Posada等的明星球員，此時洋基開始將錢揮霍在資深的自球員身上，這個習慣使得球員養成的問題更加的惡或，也使得球隊更加的依賴老球員。

The Yankees began shifting their draft philosophy after general manager Brian Cashman began overseeing the player development system after the 2005 season, but they still have a lot of catching up to do.

在總經理Brian Cashman從2005年開始掌管球員養成系統後，洋基隊改變了他們的選秀策略，但是他們仍得再做很多的努力。

"They're probably two or three or four years behind the Rays and Red Sox and Toronto," an American League general manager said recently.

一位美聯的總經理最近表示，"這方面他們大概落後了光芒隊，紅襪隊和藍鳥隊兩三年，甚至四年。"

The Yankees chose University of Maryland left-hander Eric Milton with their first pick in the 1996 draft, but in the nine drafts that followed, the Yankees' draft and development rate can be assessed as nothing short of abysmal. Consider that in the drafts of 1997-2005:

洋基隊在1996年使用他們的第一輪選秀權選進了馬里蘭大學的左投手Eric Milton，但是在那之後的9次選秀，洋基隊的選秀與養成被認為是一無是處。觀察一下1997年到2005年的選秀:

• The Yankees produced a total of 10 position players who have appeared in a major league game; that is the fewest of any team in the major leagues, according to the Elias Sports Bureau.

• 洋基一共培養出了10位曾在大聯盟出賽過的野手;根據Elias Sports Bureau的統計，這是大聯盟中最少的。

• The 10 position players drafted by the Yankees had accounted for a total of 888 career at-bats as of Sept. 9, which means that not only have the Yankees generated few major league position players, but they have produced no stars, and just a handful of journeymen. The draftees of the Toronto Blue Jays from the same time frame, by comparison, have combined for 27,427 big-league at-bats; the Mets, 11,469.

• 統計到9月9日為止，這10位被洋基選進的野手總計只有888個打數，這表示洋基不只是不擅於培養出大聯盟野手，更無法培養出明星球員，只有一些流浪球員而已。與同時期的多倫多藍鳥做比較，藍鳥隊所選進的球員一共累積了27427個大聯盟打數，大都會隊則有11469個打數。

• The Yankees drafted and developed 20 pitchers, which is tied for the 12th-most among the 30 major league teams. However, those 20 pitchers selected by the Yankees have amassed 1,852 2/3 innings in the majors -- the fewest innings for any group of pitchers drafted by any team. The Oakland Athletics' draftees rank first, at 9,686 innings, according to Elias.

• 洋基隊選進並培養出了20位投手，在大聯盟30支球隊中並列第12名。然而這20位投手在大聯盟累積了1852又2/3局 -- 這又比大聯盟中任何一支球隊少。根據Elias的資料，奧克蘭運動家隊選進的新秀排名第一，一共在大聯盟投了9686局。

The Yankees' thirst for yearly success at the big league level has hurt the team's efforts to regenerate the organization's player development, of course. The unofficial Steinbrenner Doctrine deemed that anything less than a World Series championship has been regarded as a failure. In the moments after the Yankees lost Game 7 of the 2001 World Series to the Arizona Diamondbacks, Steinbrenner said aloud in the team's clubhouse, "There are going to be changes."

洋基隊可望年年在大聯盟中獲得好成績的渴望，毫無疑問的傷害了球隊重建球員養成的成果。Steinbrenner的信念為只要不是世界冠軍就是失敗。洋基隊於2001年世界大賽第七場比賽輸給亞歷桑納響尾蛇隊的時候，Steinbrenner在更衣室中大聲的說:"一切將會有所轉變的"。

And he was right. The Yankees, who already had become a middle-aged team during the dynasty, began relying almost solely on free-agent spending to augment the team, to paper over weaknesses, and the Yankees sacrificed draft picks along the way. From the fall of 2001 through 2005, the Yankees sacrificed nine high draft picks to sign free agents Jason Giambi, Steve Karsay, Rondell White, Tom Gordon, Paul Quantrill, Jaret Wright, Carl Pavano, Kyle Farnsworth and Johnny Damon. In addition, the Yankees' consistent high finishes in the standings -- propped up by the free-agent signings -- naturally hurt their draft position.

他說得沒錯，在那段王朝期間，洋基已經逐漸成為一支中年球隊，開始幾乎完全依賴自由球員來補強球隊，掩飾球隊的弱點，洋基隊也同時犧牲了選秀權。從2001年秋季到2005年，洋基隊一共犧牲了9個高順位權以簽下Jason Giambi，Steve Karsay，Rondell White，Tom Gordon，Paul Quantrill，Jaret Wright，Carl Pavano，Kyle Farnsworth與Johnny Damon。洋基靠著簽下自由球員連續幾年維持頂尖的戰績，當然也損害了他們的選秀順位。

"The bottom line is that there is a lot of value, in the big picture, to have a down year now and then," said a rival GM, "because that's the only way you're going to have a real shot at the elite talent in the draft. You can't say that out loud to your fans, but that's the truth. You might have someone fall through the cracks to you every once in awhile, but the best draft talent is, generally speaking, going to be at the top of the draft."

"偶而一年戰績不佳對未來有很大的重要性"，一位對手的總經理說，"因為那是唯一可以在選秀會上選進優異新秀的方法。你不能大聲的告訴球迷，但是這是事實。你也許偶而會選到沒有被大家注意的好手，但是一般而言最佳新秀都出現在較高的順位。"

The Yankees have changed their draft philosophy in recent seasons, selecting the best player on their board, rather than trying to address a specific position, like catcher. They still lack depth among their position-player prospects, but they have done well in landing highly regarded pitching talent, like Joba Chamberlain.

洋基隊在最近幾個球季已經改變了他們的選秀策略，選擇名單中的最佳球員，而不再針對特定的位置，如捕手。雖然洋基隊的新秀野手深度仍然不足，但是在獲得如Joba Chamberlain這樣的潛力投手卻有不錯的成效。

But the Yankees are at a crossroads again. In the aftermath of the frustrating 2008 season, the Yankees have the option of diving back into the free-agent market again and addressing needs immediately. They will likely pursue CC Sabathia, and if they fail to sign him, Hank Steinbrenner already has mentioned the name of A.J. Burnett as a possible offseason target. They could also go after first baseman Mark Teixeira.

但是洋基隊再度面臨了重要的抉擇關頭。在令人失望的2008年球季尾聲，洋基隊有權選擇再度進入自由球員市場，立即滿足他們的需求。他們將很有可能加入競爭CC Sabathia的行列中，如果洋基隊無法簽下Sabathia，Hank Steinbrenner已經提過A.J. Burnett是季後可能的目標。他們同時可能競逐一壘手Mark Texeira。

If they take that approach, of course, there will, again, be a high-end cost. They probably will lose their first-round draft pick, and their second-round draft pick, and further retard their player development system that was, in the early '90s, the best in the major leagues. A dynasty was born from that, and from that dynasty came the YES Network, support for a new Yankee Stadium -- and an insatiable quest for success that, in the way it was managed, effectively cannibalized the organization.

如果洋基隊選擇這麼做，當然會再度付出昂貴的代價。他們很可能失去第一輪與第二輪選秀資格，更進一步的阻礙在90年代曾經是大聯盟最佳的球員養成系統。這個系統孕育出了其中一個洋基王朝，這個王朝帶來了YES Network，也進一步的帶來新的洋基球場 -- 還有對成功貪得無厭的追求，如此的經營管理，深深的侵蝕了這隻球隊。

資料來源: Yankees' fall from grace stems from years of draft neglect

隊長Derek Jeter在賽後發表了簡短的演說，並且代表球團對球迷表達敬意。

"For all of us up here, it's a huge honor to put this uniform on every day and come out here and play," he said. "And every member of this organization, past and present, has been calling this place home for 85 years. There's a lot of tradition, a lot of history, and a lot of memories. Now the great thing about memories is you're able to pass it along from generation to generation. And although things are going to change next year, we're going to move across the street, there are a few things with the New York Yankees that never change -- it's pride, it's tradition, and most of all, we have the greatest fans in the world."

"We're relying on you to take the memories from this stadium and add them to the new memories that come to the new Yankee Stadium, and continue to pass them on from generation to generation. On behalf of this entire organization, we want to take this moment to salute you, the greatest fans in the world."

"每天能穿上這套制服到這座球場打球，對站在這裡的每一個人而言都是莫大的光榮"，Jeter這麼說。"85年來，這個球隊的每一分子，不管是過去的還是現在的，都將這裡視為家。這裡有很多的傳統，很多歷史以及很多的回憶。而回憶最棒的是你可以將它一代一代的傳下去。雖然有些事情明年會有所改變，我們將搬到對街去，但是對紐約洋基隊而言，有些事情卻是永遠不變的 -- 榮耀，傳統，尤其是我們擁有世界上最棒的球迷。"

"因為有你們，我們才能從這座球場獲得這些回憶，再加上新的洋基球場所帶來的新回憶，將一代代的流傳。我代表整個球團在這個時刻向你們這些世界上最棒的球迷致謝。"

Out: Brian Roberts (Orioles) grounder to first baseman Cody Ransom, Sept. 21, 2008

Run: Brett Gardner (Yankees), Sept. 21, 2008

RBI: Robinson Cano (Yankees). RBI single, Sept. 21, 2008

Pitch: Mariano Rivera (Yankees), Sept. 21, 2008

Hit: Jason Giambi (Yankees), a single, Sept. 21, 2008

Double: Kevin Millar (Orioles), Sept. 21, 2008

Triple: Adam Jones (Orioles), Sept. 21, 2008

Home run: Jose Molina (Yankees), Sept. 21, 2008

Walk: Johnny Damon (Yankees), Sept. 21, 2008

Grand slam: Alex Rodriguez (Yankees), Sept. 14, 2008.

Cycle: Tony Fernandez (Yankees), Sept. 3, 1995.

Inside the park home run: Chris Duffy (Pirates), June 8, 2007.

Stolen base: Bobby Abreu (Yankees), Sept. 21, 2008

Victory: Andy Pettitte (Yankees), Sept. 21, 2008

Loss: Chris Waters (Baltimore), Sept. 21, 2008

Save: Mariano Rivera (Yankees), Sept. 19, 2008

No-hitter: Six Astros, June 11, 2003

Shutout: Jon Lester (Red Sox), July 3, 2008

Ejection: Edwar Ramirez (Yankees), July 30, 2008

Extra-inning game: Yankees, 3, Royals 2 (13 innings), Aug. 16, 2008.

下面是球迷補充的

Yankee At-Bat: Derek Jeter

Hit By Pitch: Derek Jeter

GIDP: Jason Giambi

Ejection: Joe Girardi

資料來源: The last .... at Yankee Stadium