7. 上好 ê 討海人是你

7. Siōng-hó ê thó-hái-lâng sī lí

"Lí che ló͘-thng chiâⁿ chán," lāu lâng kóng.

"Kā góa kóng iá-kiû ê tāi-chì," gín-á kiû i.

"Tī Bí-kok Liân-bêng Sài, Yankees iâⁿ, tō ná góa kóng ê," lāu lâng kóng-kah chiâⁿ hoaⁿ-hí.

"Kin-á-ji̍t in su," gín-á kā kóng.

"He bô siáⁿ. DiMaggio láu-tōa hôe-ho̍k chèng-siông loh."

"In tūi ni̍h iáu ū pa̍t-lâng."

"Tong-jiân. Tān-sī i chiah sī tiōng-tiám. Tī lēng-gōa ê liân-bêng pí-sài, Brooklyn /brú.klin/ hām Philadelphia /fi.la.dél.fia/, góa ah Brooklyn. M̄-koh góa mā siūⁿ tio̍h Dick Sisler kap i tī kū kiû-tiûⁿ hiah ê hó-kiû."

"He lóng chiok chán ê. I phah chhut góa khòaⁿ kòe siōng hn̄g ê kiû."

"Lí iáu ē-kì-tit i í-chêng tiāⁿ lâi Terrace bô?"

"Góa boeh chio i khì lia̍h hî, koh m̄-káⁿ kā kóng. Góa kiò lí kā kóng, lí mā bô-táⁿ."

"Góa chai. Lán lóng sit-khì ki-hōe. I ū khó-lêng ē chham lán khì. Án-ne lán chit-sì-lâng tō ū-ta̍t lah."

"Góa siūⁿ boeh chhōa DiMaggio láu-tōa khì lia̍h hî," lāu lâng kóng. "Thiaⁿ kóng, in lāu-pē í-chêng mā sī thó-hái-lâng. Khó-lêng í-chêng i kap lán taⁿ pêⁿ sàn, án-ne i ē liáu-kái."

"Sisler láu-tōa ê lāu-pē m̄-bat sàn--kòe, in lāu-pē tī góa chiah tōa ê sî tō phah tōa liân-bêng pí-sài ah."

"Góa tī lí hiah tōa ê sî, tō tòe chi̍t chiah sì-kak chûn khì Afrika, àm-sî ū khòaⁿ tio̍h hái-thoaⁿ téng ê sai-á."

"Góa chai. Lí kă kóng kòe."

"Lán sī boeh kóng Afrika, a̍h-sī iá-kiû?"

"Iá-kiû lah," gín-á kóng. "Kā góa kóng John J. McGraw /ma.gro/ láu-tōa ê tāi-chì." i kā J. iōng Sepanga-gí liām-chò /ho.ta/.

"Í-chêng, i ū-sî mā ē lâi Terrace. M̄-koh i lim-chiú ê sî pháiⁿ-chò-tīn, chho͘-ló͘, kóng-ōe tōa siaⁿ. I m̄-nā sim siūⁿ iá-kiû, mā ài cháu-bé-á. Siōng chió, i lak-tē-á lóng tē chi̍t tiuⁿ bé-á miâ-toaⁿ, tiāⁿ-tiāⁿ khà tiān-ōe kóng bé-á ê miâ."

"I sī úi-tāi ê kàu-liān," gín-á kóng. "Goán lāu-pē kóng i sī siōng úi-tāi ê."

 "He sī in-ūi i siōng chia̍p lâi." lāu lâng kóng. "Nā sī Durocher ta̍k nî lâi chia, lín lāu-pē tō ē siūⁿ-kóng, i chiah sī siōng úi-tāi ê kàu-liān."

"Tàu-té siáng chiah sī siōng úi-tāi ê kàu-liān, Luque /lu.ke/ a̍h-sī Mike Gonzalez?"

"Góa siūⁿ in chha-put-to."

"Siōng hó ê thó-hái-lâng sī lí."

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7. 上好 ê 討海人是你

"你這滷湯誠讚," 老人講.

"Kā 我講野球 ê 代誌," 囡仔求伊.

"Tī 美國聯盟賽, Yankees 贏, tō ná 我講 ê," 老人講甲誠歡喜.

"今仔日 in 輸," 囡仔 kā 講.

"彼無啥. DiMaggio 老大回復正常 loh."

"In 隊 ni̍h 猶有別人."

"當然. 但是伊才是重點. Tī 另外 ê 聯盟比賽, Brooklyn /brú.klin/ 和 Philadelphia /fi.la.dél.fia/, 我押 Brooklyn. 毋過我 mā 想著 Dick Sisler kap 伊 tī 舊球場 hiah-ê 好球."

"彼攏足讚 ê. 伊拍出我看過上遠 ê 球."

"你猶會記得伊以前定來 Terrace 無?"

"我欲招伊去掠魚, koh 毋敢 kā 講. 我叫你 kā 講, 你 mā 無膽."

"我知. 咱攏失去機會. 伊有可能會參咱去. Án-ne 咱這世人 tō 有值 lah."

"我想欲揣 DiMaggio 老大去掠魚," 老人講. "聽講, in 老爸以前 mā 是討海人. 可能以前伊 kap 咱今平 sàn, án-ne 伊會了解."

"Sisler 老大 ê 老爸 m̄-bat sàn 過, in 老爸 tī 我遮大 ê 時 tō 拍大聯盟比賽 ah."

"我 tī 你 hiah 大 ê 時, tō 綴一隻四角船去 Afrika, 暗時有看著海灘頂 ê 獅仔."

"我知. 你 kă 講過."

"咱是欲講 Afrika, 抑是野球?"

"野球 lah," 囡仔講. "Kā 我講 John J. McGraw /ma.gro/ 老大 ê 代誌." 伊 kā J. 用 Sepanga 語念做 /ho.ta/.

"以前, 伊有時 mā 會來 Terrace. 毋過伊啉酒 ê 時歹做陣, 粗魯, 講話大聲. 伊 m̄-nā 心想野球, mā 愛走馬仔. 上少, 伊 lak 袋仔攏袋一張馬仔名單, 定定敲電話講馬仔 ê 名."

"伊是偉大 ê 教練," 囡仔講. "阮老爸講伊是上偉大 ê."

 "彼是因為伊上捷來." 老人講. "若是 Durocher 逐年來遮, 恁老爸 tō 會想講, 伊才是上偉大 ê 教練."

"到底 siáng 才是上偉大 ê 教練, Luque /lu.ke/ 抑是 Mike Gonzalez?"

"我想 in 差不多."

"上好 ê 討海人是你." 

--

7.

“Your stew is excellent,” the old man said.

“Tell me about the baseball,” the boy asked him.

“In the American League it is the Yankees as I said,” the old man said happily.”

“They lost today,” the boy told him.

“That means nothing. The great DiMaggio is himself again.”

“They have other men on the team.”

“Naturally. But he makes the difference. In the other league, between Brooklyn and

Philadelphia I must take Brooklyn. But then I think of Dick Sisler and those great drives in the old park.”

“There was nothing ever like them. He hits the longest ball I have ever seen.”

“Do you remember when he used to come to the Terrace?”

“I wanted to take him fishing but I was too timid to ask him. Then I asked you to ask him and you were too timid.”

“I know. It was a great mistake. He might have gone with us. Then we would have that for all of our lives.”

“I would like to take the great DiMaggio fishing,” the old man said. “They say his father was a fisherman. Maybe he was as poor as we are and would understand.”

“The great Sisler’s father was never poor and he, the father, was playing in the Big Leagues when he was my age.”

“When I was your age I was before the mast on a square rigged ship that ran to Africa and I have seen lions on the beaches in the evening.”

“I know. You told me.”

“Should we talk about Africa or about baseball?”

“Baseball I think,” the boy said. “Tell me about the great John J. McGraw.” He said Jota for J.

“He used to come to the Terrace sometimes too in the older days. But he was rough and harshspoken and difficult when he was drinking. His mind was on horses as well as baseball. At least he carried lists of horses at all times in his pocket and frequently spoke the names of horses on the telephone.”

“He was a great manager,” the boy said. “My father thinks he was the greatest.”

“Because he came here the most times,” the old man said. “If Durocher had continued to come here each year your father would think him the greatest manager.”

“Who is the greatest manager, really, Luque or Mike Gonzalez?”

“I think they are equal.”

“And the best fisherman is you.”

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