美国国家公共电台 NPR Inside Wrigley Field, The Scorekeepers Stay True To Baseball's Beginnings

 

SCOTT SIMON, HOST:

Baseball's a game that honors tradition, like B.J. Leiderman, who writes our theme music. At Wrigley Field, which is where I believe the world champion Chicago Cubs¹ play, that 103-year-old ballpark has a new seating and dining area, massive new video screen. But near that Jumbotron is a living relic², a manually operated scoreboard. It's one of only two in Major League Baseball, the other, of course, in Boston. As part of our Backstage Pass series, NPR's David Schaper takes us inside the historic scoreboard.

DAVID SCHAPER, BYLINE³: From a perch⁴ high above the center field bleachers inside the massive, forest green scoreboard, Darryl Wilson has a view like none other in the ballpark.

DARRYL WILSON: You see everything. That's the thing about it. You see things that a lot of people don't see just sitting in their seats.

SCHAPER: But he doesn't have much time to enjoy the view.

WILSON: Oh, man. That was a homer.

SCHAPER: The visiting Washington Nationals hit a two-run home run. And it's time to get up and change out one of the nearly 7-pound, 15-by-20 inch steel plates.

WILSON: There's just a small clip. You just turn it counterclockwise.

SCHAPER: But it's not that easy. These pieces are old.

(SOUNDBITE OF STEEL PLATES CLANGING)

WILSON: Most of the time, they get wedged in there 'cause they're a little rusty⁵. So you have to give them a nice, little...

(SOUNDBITE OF STEEL PLATES CLANGING)

WILSON: ...A quick punch to pop them out.

SCHAPER: He then replaces a blank plate with one painted with a yellow number two.

WILSON: Slide it up.

(SOUNDBITE OF STEEL PLATES CLANGING)

WILSON: Slam it in.

SCHAPER: And Wilson then locks that yellow two into place.

WILSON: And that yellow two means the inning is still active.

SCHAPER: When that half inning ends, he replaces the yellow number with a white one, which remains⁶ in place for the rest of the game. Wilson and his two coworkers repeat that routine each half inning. That's at least 18 changes of these heavy steel panels in a nine-inning game. And it's not just for the Cubs game. They're doing that for as many as a dozen games that might be going on in Major League Baseball at the same time. Fortunately for them, only 24 of the 30 teams fit on this old scoreboard that was built in 1937.

WILSON: You don't sit down with this. You've got to constantly stand up because when you run to the third floor and come back to the second, you got two more changes. And that constantly happens all the way through. I don't even notice the Cubs game most of the time 'cause it's (vocalizing) running around.

SCHAPER: If it's a hot day, the giant steel box gets stifling⁷ inside. Wilson and his coworkers have to wear gloves to change out the scalding-hot steel plates that have been baking in the sun. During those cold days and nights early or late in the season, they're wearing heavy winter coats, ski masks and earmuffs.

WILSON: When it's cold, you don't want this Chicago wind blowing through here because everything in here gets cold. And it blows everything away.

SCHAPER: The only concession⁸ to technology here in this scoreboard is 1937 technology. It's that loud electric hum and clank you're hearing from the electromagnetic dots that are flipped⁹ into place remotely to form the numbers for balls, strikes and outs.

WILSON: That would be a ball.

SCHAPER: The job does have a few drawbacks, like climbing up the ladder at the top of the center field bleachers and through a trap door to get into the scoreboard.

WILSON: (Laughter) I think they're adding extra steps each year I work here 'cause it's getting rougher (laughter).

SCHAPER: But after 26 years, Darryl Wilson still loves operating this old, manual scoreboard, even if there is a much bigger and brighter video screen just a few dozen feet away over left field.

WILSON: But we're, like, the history. Like, you know, this is keeping it real. You know, this is authentic¹⁰. That's the feel of old-time baseball.

SCHAPER: And Wilson was thrilled to be up in the old scoreboard to watch last year's run through the playoffs into the Cubs' first World Series championship in over a century. David Schaper, NPR News, Chicago.

1 cubs   

n.幼小的兽，不懂规矩的年轻人( cub的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• a lioness guarding her cubs 守护幼崽的母狮
• Lion cubs depend on their mother to feed them. 狮子的幼仔依靠母狮喂养。 来自《简明英汉词典》

2 relic   

n.神圣的遗物，遗迹，纪念物

参考例句：

• This stone axe is a relic of ancient times.这石斧是古代的遗物。
• He found himself thinking of the man as a relic from the past.他把这个男人看成是过去时代的人物。

3 byline   

n.署名；v.署名

参考例句：

• His byline was absent as well.他的署名也不见了。
• We wish to thank the author of this article which carries no byline.我们要感谢这篇文章的那位没有署名的作者。

4 perch   

n.栖木，高位，杆；v.栖息，就位，位于

参考例句：

• The bird took its perch.鸟停歇在栖木上。
• Little birds perch themselves on the branches.小鸟儿栖歇在树枝上。

5 rusty   

adj.生锈的；锈色的；荒废了的

参考例句：

• The lock on the door is rusty and won't open.门上的锁锈住了。
• I haven't practiced my French for months and it's getting rusty.几个月不用，我的法语又荒疏了。

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 stifling   

a.令人窒息的

参考例句：

• The weather is stifling. It looks like rain. 今天太闷热，光景是要下雨。
• We were stifling in that hot room with all the windows closed. 我们在那间关着窗户的热屋子里，简直透不过气来。

8 concession   

n.让步，妥协；特许(权)

参考例句：

• We can not make heavy concession to the matter.我们在这个问题上不能过于让步。
• That is a great concession.这是很大的让步。

9 flipped   

轻弹( flip的过去式和过去分词 )； 按（开关）； 快速翻转； 急挥

参考例句：

• The plane flipped and crashed. 飞机猛地翻转，撞毁了。
• The carter flipped at the horse with his whip. 赶大车的人扬鞭朝着马轻轻地抽打。

10 authentic   

a.真的，真正的；可靠的，可信的，有根据的

参考例句：

• This is an authentic news report. We can depend on it. 这是篇可靠的新闻报道, 我们相信它。
• Autumn is also the authentic season of renewal. 秋天才是真正的除旧布新的季节。