在棒球场本垒位置上的孩子 [Paul Koch]

戴着头盔坐在凳子上的棒球手 [Paul Koch]

棒球场上的彩虹 [ Paul Koch]

芝加哥Wrigley棒球场全景。图片左侧和中间的座位被称为“漂白”座位，因为坐在这些位置的球迷会被太阳“晒白”。 [Jauerback]

Paul Koch最近刚到北京。他在美国弗吉尼亚州做了十四年教师。在James Madison 大学的棒球生涯结束之后（1996年），多年来他一直担当高中棒球队教练、管理弗吉尼亚州的大学夏季棒球项目。目前，他在北京的青年棒球机构工作，与妻子和三个打棒球的儿子住在北京郊区。

从三月初到树叶落满地，美国乡村各个地方每天都有不同年龄阶段的团体集合在钻石状的棒球场。小孩们打乐乐棒球，击打固定的球，直到能击到教练抛给他们的棒球；大点儿的男孩和女孩在自己的校队或社区的棒球队打球；大学组织高调、高预算的棒球队参加全国冠军联赛；当然，全国知名的棒球英雄则穿上队服为棒球馆里人山人海的观众和电视机前的男女老少表演球技。

棒球场地绿意盎然且修剪整齐，有些是人工草皮，有些有灯光装置，晚上可以进行比赛。不同年龄阶段的棒球爱好者坐在露天看台的座位上和大看台上一边看比赛，一边吃热狗和花生。他们身穿与自己喜欢的球队队服颜色一样的衣服，为自己喜欢的棒球手加油助威。大家都穿着球衫。小孩们穿着棒球裤，膝盖处经常因为之前打棒球而脏兮兮的。他们头戴棒球帽，脚上穿着钉鞋，眼睛下方涂上防强光深色颜料。他们上身穿着单色的T恤，衣服后面印有球员号码，号码上方有本地商业广告的装饰图案。教练也像队员一样穿球衫。

九名棒球队员从各自的休息场所迅速跑到场上，离开能遮挡夏日骄阳的地方，站到自己的防守位置。投球手单独站在一边，与对方击球手距离60英尺6英寸，他要努力投出三个致使对方出局的好球，为自己的球队赢得击球机会。他用力投出白色的棒球。击球手要试图把投球打出。击球手的目标是什么？使自己或队友接近垒位——要在防守方接住球、击球手出局之前从一垒跑到二垒，三垒，直到本垒，为球队得分。

球迷们会为远球、重击、全垒打和本垒打欢呼呐喊。击球手挥舞球棒，将球打过野护栏出界。投球手垂下头，因为给对方送了个好球。会有幸运的球迷接到球——可以作为纪念品。英勇的击球手绕着垒位小跑，大摇大摆碰一下垒包，最后登上本垒板，此时人声鼎沸；计分板上会出现最新比分。

两队轮流攻防9局——出局、跑位，投球、击球。有时赢球，有时输球，但我总是对棒球手说：“无论输赢，棒球比赛的一大乐趣是你明天还要再打。”

分析家和统计人员会研究数据，记下最好的和最坏的，分析比赛趋势，预测未来的比赛结果。报纸和电视会争先恐后对此进行报道。但棒球并不只是你在电视上看到的那么简单。棒球是美国的休闲运动。春天到秋天这段时间，美国每个角落的棒球场地每天都有棒球手在比赛后握手，飘扬在中央棒球场上的美国国旗降下来了，比赛中明亮的光线暗淡了，队服上的污渍和草屑洗干净了。孩子们闭上眼睛进入梦乡，希望自己成为伟大的棒球手，明天他们还会去棒球场打球。

Paul Koch is a recent arrival to Beijing. He comes from a fourteen- year career as a teacher in Virginia, USA.  Following his baseball-playing career at James Madison University (1996), he has spent his years coaching and managing High School baseball teams and collegiate summer baseball programs throughout Virginia. He currently works with youth baseball in the Beijing community and lives outside of Beijing with his wife and 3 baseball-playing sons.

Every day from early March until the leaves fall off the trees covering the fields, groups of all ages gather at diamond shaped baseball parks across the countryside of the USA.  Kids play tee ball, hitting a stationary ball until they are ready to have their coaches toss to them; older boys and girls play for their local schools or neighborhood teams; colleges field high profile and high budget teams competing for the National Championship; and of course, national heroes put on their uniforms to entertain packed stadiums and wide ranging TV audiences.

The fields are green and finely manicured, some are made from artificial turf, some have lights to allow for night games. Fans of all ages sit in bleacher seats and grandstands watching, snacking on hot dogs and peanuts, wearing their team's colors and cheering for their boys to be victorious. Everyone is in uniform. Kids wear baseball pants, usually with dirty knees from previous games played, caps, spiked shoes, eye black for the sun, and solid colored shirts with numbers on the back and local business advertisements emblazoned  along the top.  The coaches wear the uniform too, just as their players do.

Nine players sprint from their respective dugout, leaving the protection from the summer sun, taking their defensive positions. The pitcher stands alone, 60 feet and 6 inches away from the opposing team's hitters and tries to induce three outs, bringing his team to bat. He hurls the white ball. The hitter takes a hack at the pitch. The hitter's goal? To bring himself or his teammates around the bases - 1st, 2nd, 3rd, then Home, scoring a run for his team, before the defenders can catch the ball recording the out.

Fans cheer for the long ball, the bomb, the round tripper, the home run. The batter swings his bat, launching the ball over the fence and out of the field of play. The pitcher hangs his head having offered up an easy one. A lucky fan catches the ball - a souvenir. The crowd roars as the heroic hitter jogs around the bases, touching each bag with swagger, at last setting a foot on home plate; the scoreboard flashes the updated tally.

Nine times the teams exchange sides - outs and runs, pitches and hits. Sometimes you win and sometimes you lose, but as I always tell my players, "win or lose, one great thing about baseball is that you get to play again tomorrow."

Analysts and statisticians pore over the numbers, documenting the best and the worst, analyzing trends and predicting outcomes of future matchups, and it is reported in newspapers and on television in grand fashion.  But baseball is much more than what you see on TV.  Baseball is America's Pastime.  Everyday from Spring to Fall, on ball fields in every corner of America, players shake hands after a game, the American flag flying in Centerfield is lowered, the bright lights of the game are dimmed and the uniforms are washed of dirt and grass. Youngsters close their eyes for bed, dreaming of being like the great ones, and tomorrow, they will go out to the ball park and play again.

本文来自2011年《新交流》夏季刊