2007年VOA标准英语-American Baseball Season Begins

By Ernest Leong
Washington
11 April 2007

The American major league baseball season kicked off recently, a sign spring has arrived in North America.  But the game some call America's pastime is also growing in popularity around the world.  VOA's Ernest Leong was on hand earlier this month for baseball's opening day in Washington, DC.

Washington Nationals game in Washington, D.C.

Thousands of fans flocked to RFK Stadium for Opening Day for the Washington Nationals baseball team for the first game of the 2007 big-league baseball season. 

One father and son came early to the park, to more fully¹ experience their first Opening Day game.  "Exciting.  I took a day off from work, and here we are," the father says.

The pre-game ceremonies are a colorful spectacle, with marching bands, fireworks – and of course, the American National Anthem².

While many see baseball as a uniquely American sport, baseball has its roots in the English game cricket, which also involves a pitcher³, batter⁴ and running bases to score.  To some, baseball can be a slow-paced game.  Between pitches, fielders stand around [and] catchers hold conferences with the pitcher on the mound⁵.   Exciting plays are few and infrequent.

Yet baseball remains⁶ a popular sport.  The game's fans say its seemingly slow pace is part of its charm, allowing spectators to relax and enjoy the day.  Mike Allen is head coach of a high school baseball team in Virginia, the Yorktown Patriots⁷.  Allen says baseball will always appeal to some sports fans.

"It's not just a physical game.  It takes the mental and physical.  Anybody likes that, this is the game for them," he says.

The Patriots also recently played their opening day game.  Not as many fans or as much fanfare⁸ as in the big leagues, but enthusiasm for the game is there.

At all levels of baseball, ethnic⁹ diversity has become commonplace.  Since Jackie Robinson broke the color barrier in 1947 to become the first black player in the U.S. major leagues, black and Hispanic players have become an integral part of the game.  In recent years, more Asians are playing in the majors too, further increasing the game's popularity in that part of the world.

Washington Nationals' starting pitcher Shawn Hill has played baseball in the U.S. and abroad.  He says the sport can flourish wherever the climate will permit.

"You could go anywhere in the world that's got some warm weather, a nice climate,” Hill says.  “You can start building, you know, from the ground up, start going with the young kids.   It will take years, obviously, but the Middle East, anywhere in Africa."

And baseball is even making inroads in Iran.  Mehrdad Hajian, head coach of Iran's national baseball team, says despite limited resources and equipment, provincial¹⁰ Iranian teams play summer and winter tournaments, often on converted cricket or soccer fields. 

Florida Marlins manager Freddi Gonzalez says major league baseball is trying to become a truly global sport.  "I think the world's open.  I think major league baseball is trying to do that, captivate all the talent, all around the world," he says.

And that's good news for baseball fans everywhere.

1 fully   

adv.完全地，全部地，彻底地；充分地

参考例句：

• The doctor asked me to breathe in,then to breathe out fully.医生让我先吸气，然后全部呼出。
• They soon became fully integrated into the local community.他们很快就完全融入了当地人的圈子。

2 anthem   

n.圣歌，赞美诗，颂歌

参考例句：

• All those present were standing solemnly when the national anthem was played.奏国歌时全场肃立。
• As he stood on the winner's rostrum,he sang the words of the national anthem.他站在冠军领奖台上，唱起了国歌。

3 pitcher   

n.(有嘴和柄的)大水罐；(棒球)投手

参考例句：

• He poured the milk out of the pitcher.他从大罐中倒出牛奶。
• Any pitcher is liable to crack during a tight game.任何投手在紧张的比赛中都可能会失常。

4 batter   

v.接连重击；磨损；n.牛奶面糊；击球员

参考例句：

• The batter skied to the center fielder.击球手打出一个高飞球到中外野手。
• Put a small quantity of sugar into the batter.在面糊里放少量的糖。

5 mound   

n.土墩，堤，小山；v.筑堤，用土堆防卫

参考例句：

• The explorers climbed a mound to survey the land around them.勘探者爬上土丘去勘测周围的土地。
• The mound can be used as our screen.这个土丘可做我们的掩蔽物。

6 remains   

n.剩余物，残留物；遗体，遗迹

参考例句：

• He ate the remains of food hungrily.他狼吞虎咽地吃剩余的食物。
• The remains of the meal were fed to the dog.残羹剩饭喂狗了。

7 patriots   

爱国者，爱国主义者( patriot的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• Abraham Lincoln was a fine type of the American patriots. 亚伯拉罕·林肯是美国爱国者的优秀典型。
• These patriots would fight to death before they surrendered. 这些爱国者宁愿战斗到死，也不愿投降。

8 fanfare   

n.喇叭；号角之声；v.热闹地宣布

参考例句：

• The product was launched amid much fanfare worldwide.这个产品在世界各地隆重推出。
• A fanfare of trumpets heralded the arrival of the King.嘹亮的小号声宣告了国王驾到。

9 ethnic   

adj.人种的，种族的，异教徒的

参考例句：

• This music would sound more ethnic if you played it in steel drums.如果你用钢鼓演奏，这首乐曲将更具民族特色。
• The plan is likely only to aggravate ethnic frictions.这一方案很有可能只会加剧种族冲突。

10 provincial   

adj.省的，地方的；n．外省人，乡下人

参考例句：

• City dwellers think country folk have provincial attitudes.城里人以为乡下人思想迂腐。
• Two leading cadres came down from the provincial capital yesterday.昨天从省里下来了两位领导干部。