美国国家公共电台 NPR--Author Jeff Pearlman says Bo Jackson is the greatest athlete who's ever lived

Author Jeff Pearlman says Bo Jackson is the greatest athlete who's ever lived

Transcript¹

NPR's A Martínez talks to Jeff Pearlman, author of a new book on Bo Jackson, who is often considered one of the greatest pro² athletes in U.S. history. The book is called: The Last Folk Hero.

A MART?NEZ, HOST:

If I try to explain Bo Jackson to you right now, I'd end up making him sound like a superhero. Bo didn't just play in the NFL and Major League Baseball at the same time. He was also an All-Star in baseball in 1989 and then an All-Pro in football in 1990. That's the only time that's ever been done. I mean, it's been more than 30 years, and I still cannot wrap my head around that. Bo Jackson once chased down a fly ball, and he couldn't stop himself before running into the outfield wall. So he just ran up the wall, like all the way up.

(SOUNDBITE OF ARCHIVED RECORDING)

UNIDENTIFIED COMMENTATOR³ #1: Yo, got to love that wall. Get up that wall. Spiderman.

MART?NEZ: On the football field, Bo could punish you with his 6'1" 230-pound frame. But he preferred to humiliate⁴ opponents with his unparalleled speed.

(SOUNDBITE OF ARCHIVED RECORDING)

UNIDENTIFIED COMMENTATOR #2: He had the angle, but there goes Bo. And nobody catches Bo. Touchdown.

UNIDENTIFIED COMMENTATOR #3: And it's like little kids chasing a grown man.

MART?NEZ: Everyone who saw him play, from his childhood friends in Alabama to his pro teammates - everyone has mythic stories to tell of Bo Jackson.

JEFF PEARLMAN: To me, he's the greatest athlete who's ever lived.

MART?NEZ: That is high praise coming from Jeff Pearlman, a guy who's written books about the 1980s L.A. Lakers and the 1990s Dallas Cowboys. Pearlman's latest is "The Last Folk Hero: The Life And Myth Of Bo Jackson."

PEARLMAN: There's a game in high school - and someone told me this early on - where he hit a baseball so high that by the time it came down, he was rounding third base. And I was like, OK, come on, that's utterly⁵ preposterous⁶. That's never happened. Blah, blah, blah, blah, blah. So I start researching the game, and I tracked down a kid named Eddie Scott - he's not a kid anymore - who was playing left field. And he's like, man, I'm telling you, it's true. He's like, I was playing in the outfield. The ball was hit so high, I lost the ball. It comes down. It lands. I pick it up off the grass, look up, and Bo Jackson is at third base. So, you know, it's possible Eddie Scott is lying, and the pitcher⁷ of that game was lying, and different people are lying. But there's just a lot of mythology⁸ that actually weirdly⁹ checks out with the man. I've never seen anything like it.

MART?NEZ: I'm wondering, though, for you, Jeff - you're a journalist. You're listening to these stories, and I'm sure you want to try and confirm as many of them as possible. But does it come to a point with someone like Bo Jackson that it's almost more fun not to?

PEARLMAN: Yeah. Wait, so I open the book with a flight. He was on a plane with the Chicago White Sox. They were returning from California. And the engine catches on fire. And players start freaking out. A bunch of the White Sox told me that all of a sudden, the cockpit door opens - out comes Bo Jackson. And he'd been sitting with the pilots, and he says, guys, everyone, we're going to be OK. They've got it under control. Everyone buckle¹⁰ up. We'll be good. And he said it was the most heroic thing they've ever seen. Then I talked to some different players who told me, no, no, no, you got that wrong. Bo actually was walking toward the cockpit. Once the plane was on fire, he got out of his seat and walked up to the cockpit to help the pilots land the plane. And I think maybe both are true. It's Bo Jackson, so maybe both are true. It's OK that there are these two stories about Bo Jackson.

MART?NEZ: I can believe that. I can believe - actually - and I can believe that he might have walked out on the wing and put out the fire himself...

PEARLMAN: Yeah, exactly.

MART?NEZ: ...On the plane. I would have believed that, too.

PEARLMAN: While knitting.

MART?NEZ: Yeah.

PEARLMAN: While knitting socks. Yeah.

MART?NEZ: So everyone likes to say that, you know, for big sporting events, memorable¹¹ things - that they were there. I was actually there when Bo Jackson in the LA Memorial Coliseum playing for the Raiders - something happened to him in that playoff game against the Cincinnati Bengals that changed everything. What happened, Jeff?

PEARLMAN: Well, it was - Bo Jackson takes a handoff and runs down the right side of the field, and a Bengals linebacker named Kevin Walker came into the play and basically grabbed on for dear life to Bo Jackson's leg. And Bo Jackson ran with such power, and Kevin Walker had a real vise grip on his leg, that the hip¹² came out of the socket¹³. And Bo Jackson was in a lot of pain. He gets up, and everyone's sort of speculating he'll return because he's Bo Jackson, and he always returns. It turns out it was a debilitating¹⁴ hip injury, and it turned out he actually ultimately needed a hip replacement¹⁵. And it ended his NFL career at that moment.

MART?NEZ: But it didn't end his playing career because he actually wound up making it back, which, Jeff, I think that this is the capper to his legacy¹⁶ in that he suffered one of the worst injuries that anyone could suffer. And you would think, well, that's it for him in sports, but it wasn't.

PEARLMAN: Oh, yeah. I mean, the diagnosis¹⁷ was avascular necrosis. I mean, nobody comes back from that. And he's done in football. He's on crutches¹⁸. He signs a new contract with the Kansas City Royals. The Royals are unaware¹⁹ of how severe this injury is. He signed a $2 million deal with the Kansas City Royals. It was a huge money. And he reports to spring training on crutches. And he's telling everyone, yeah, I'm going to be back. And the Royals are like, I don't know about this. This does not look good. And they released him. Very cutthroat, but understandable. And the White Sox signed him. The Chicago White Sox signed him with the idea that he'll probably never play, but you never know. And he made this amazing comeback, first just by strengthening the muscles around the hip. He came back briefly²⁰ in 1991. Then he took all of 1992 off. And in 1993 for the AL West champion Chicago White Sox, Bo Jackson was their part-time designated hitter playing on a artificial hip made of plastic and metal bolts. Like, it was the artificial hip your grandma would have gotten. And he wasn't the player he once was. But the mere²¹ fact that he came back on an artificial hip is preposterous.

MART?NEZ: You know, Jeff, I think about what he was and what he means to me because I'm just a little low-key obsessed²² with Bo Jackson and his myth and his legend. But do you think in this day and age, 2022, that a legend or a myth or something like that could exist, considering that kids today - the second there's a kid that shows any kind of athletic²³ ability or promise at the age, say, of 9 or 10, there are several scouting²⁴ services that are filing reports and videos that are being posted to YouTube. I mean, there doesn't seem like there's secrets anymore.

PEARLMAN: No, there's no mythology whatsoever²⁵. And if Bo Jackson came along now or if Twitter and TikTok were available in the early '80s, we'd see all this stuff. And I told someone the other day - I was joking, but I actually think it's true. If that Chicago White Sox plane is on fire, someone on the plane is taking out his phone, and he's taking a picture, and we see Bo Jackson. And maybe Bo Jackson isn't charging out of the cockpit. Maybe he's - looks scared and he's sitting in the seat. Maybe he's walking down the jetway because he just had to use the bathroom - I mean, the aisle²⁶. You know, like, maybe that ball that Eddie Scott says, you know, almost touched the moon, maybe it didn't almost touch the moon. Maybe they misplayed it, and it rolled around the ground. Like, every single thing is recorded. And I'm not saying that's a bad thing or a good thing, but it definitely eliminates the mythology of athletes.

MART?NEZ: That's Jeff Pearlman. His new book is "The Last Folk Hero: The Life And Myth Of Bo Jackson." Jeff, thanks.

PEARLMAN: Thank you.

(SOUNDBITE OF JOHN WILLIAMS' "MAIN TITLE FROM SUPERMAN")

1 transcript   

n.抄本，誊本，副本，肄业证书

参考例句：

• A transcript of the tapes was presented as evidence in court.一份录音带的文字本作为证据被呈交法庭。
• They wouldn't let me have a transcript of the interview.他们拒绝给我一份采访的文字整理稿。

2 pro   

n.赞成，赞成的意见，赞成者

参考例句：

• The two debating teams argued the question pro and con.辩论的两组从赞成与反对两方面辩这一问题。
• Are you pro or con nuclear disarmament?你是赞成还是反对核裁军？

3 commentator   

n.注释者，解说者；实况广播评论员

参考例句：

• He is a good commentator because he can get across the game.他能简单地解说这场比赛，是个好的解说者。
• The commentator made a big mistake during the live broadcast.在直播节目中评论员犯了个大错误。

4 humiliate   

v.使羞辱，使丢脸[同]disgrace

参考例句：

• What right had they to bully and humiliate people like this?凭什么把人欺侮到这个地步呢？
• They pay me empty compliments which only humiliate me.他们虚情假意地恭维我，这只能使我感到羞辱。

5 utterly   

adv.完全地，绝对地

参考例句：

• Utterly devoted to the people,he gave his life in saving his patients.他忠于人民，把毕生精力用于挽救患者的生命。
• I was utterly ravished by the way she smiled.她的微笑使我完全陶醉了。

6 preposterous   

adj.荒谬的，可笑的

参考例句：

• The whole idea was preposterous.整个想法都荒唐透顶。
• It would be preposterous to shovel coal with a teaspoon.用茶匙铲煤是荒谬的。

7 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。

8 mythology   

n.神话，神话学，神话集

参考例句：

• In Greek mythology,Zeus was the ruler of Gods and men.在希腊神话中，宙斯是众神和人类的统治者。
• He is the hero of Greek mythology.他是希腊民间传说中的英雄。

9 weirdly   

古怪地

参考例句：

• Another special characteristic of Kweilin is its weirdly-shaped mountain grottoes. 桂林的另一特点是其形态怪异的岩洞。
• The country was weirdly transformed. 地势古怪地变了样。

10 buckle   

n.扣子，带扣；v.把...扣住，由于压力而弯曲

参考例句：

• The two ends buckle at the back.带子两端在背后扣起来。
• She found it hard to buckle down.她很难专心做一件事情。

11 memorable   

adj.值得回忆的，难忘的，特别的，显著的

参考例句：

• This was indeed the most memorable day of my life.这的确是我一生中最值得怀念的日子。
• The veteran soldier has fought many memorable battles.这个老兵参加过许多难忘的战斗。

12 hip   

n.臀部，髋；屋脊

参考例句：

• The thigh bone is connected to the hip bone.股骨连着髋骨。
• The new coats blouse gracefully above the hip line.新外套在臀围线上优美地打着褶皱。

13 socket   

n.窝，穴，孔，插座，插口

参考例句：

• He put the electric plug into the socket.他把电插头插入插座。
• The battery charger plugs into any mains socket.这个电池充电器可以插入任何类型的电源插座。

14 debilitating   

a.使衰弱的

参考例句：

• The debilitating disease made him too weak to work. 这个令他衰弱的病，使他弱到没有办法工作。
• You may soon leave one debilitating condition or relationship forever. 你即将永远地和这段霉运说拜拜了。

15 replacement   

n.取代，替换，交换；替代品，代用品

参考例句：

• We are hard put to find a replacement for our assistant.我们很难找到一个人来代替我们的助手。
• They put all the students through the replacement examination.他们让所有的学生参加分班考试。

16 legacy   

n.遗产，遗赠；先人(或过去)留下的东西

参考例句：

• They are the most precious cultural legacy our forefathers left.它们是我们祖先留下来的最宝贵的文化遗产。
• He thinks the legacy is a gift from the Gods.他认为这笔遗产是天赐之物。

17 diagnosis   

n.诊断，诊断结果，调查分析，判断

参考例句：

• His symptoms gave no obvious pointer to a possible diagnosis.他的症状无法作出明确的诊断。
• The engineer made a complete diagnosis of the bridge's collapse.工程师对桥的倒塌做一次彻底的调查分析。

18 crutches   

n.拐杖, 支柱 v.支撑

参考例句：

• After the accident I spent six months on crutches . 事故后我用了六个月的腋杖。
• When he broke his leg he had to walk on crutches. 他腿摔断了以后，不得不靠拐杖走路。

19 unaware   

a.不知道的，未意识到的

参考例句：

• They were unaware that war was near. 他们不知道战争即将爆发。
• I was unaware of the man's presence. 我没有察觉到那人在场。

20 briefly   

adv.简单地，简短地

参考例句：

• I want to touch briefly on another aspect of the problem.我想简单地谈一下这个问题的另一方面。
• He was kidnapped and briefly detained by a terrorist group.他被一个恐怖组织绑架并短暂拘禁。

21 mere   

adj.纯粹的；仅仅，只不过

参考例句：

• That is a mere repetition of what you said before.那不过是重复了你以前讲的话。
• It's a mere waste of time waiting any longer.再等下去纯粹是浪费时间。

22 obsessed   

adj.心神不宁的,鬼迷心窍的,沉迷的

参考例句：

• He's obsessed by computers. 他迷上了电脑。
• The fear of death obsessed him throughout his old life. 他晚年一直受着死亡恐惧的困扰。

23 athletic   

adj.擅长运动的，强健的；活跃的，体格健壮的

参考例句：

• This area has been marked off for athletic practice.这块地方被划出来供体育训练之用。
• He is an athletic star.他是一个运动明星。

24 scouting   

守候活动，童子军的活动

参考例句：

• I have people scouting the hills already. 我已经让人搜过那些山了。
• Perhaps also from the Gospel it passed into the tradition of scouting. 也许又从《福音书》传入守望的传统。 来自演讲部分

25 whatsoever   

adv.（用于否定句中以加强语气）任何；pron.无论什么

参考例句：

• There's no reason whatsoever to turn down this suggestion.没有任何理由拒绝这个建议。
• All things whatsoever ye would that men should do to you,do ye even so to them.你想别人对你怎样，你就怎样对人。

26 aisle   

n.（教堂、教室、戏院等里的）过道，通道

参考例句：

• The aisle was crammed with people.过道上挤满了人。
• The girl ushered me along the aisle to my seat.引座小姐带领我沿着通道到我的座位上去。