英語検定ライティング準１級（第163回）

盗塁王「謙虚すぎる福本豊の話」

今までに国民栄誉賞を受賞した野球選手と言えば王と長嶋が有名だ。他にも衣笠とか松井などがいる。しかし打診がありながら辞退している選手もいる。イチローと福本豊の２人である。
National Honor Awards were bestowed with several professional baseball players, including “Sadaharu Oh,” “Shigeo Nagashima,” and so on.
Other players are “Sachio Kinugasa,” “Hideki Matsui,” and so on, but two players have declined this award so far, who were offered by Japan’s government.
They are “Ichiro Suzuki” and “Yutaka Fukumoto.”

イチローは野球人生を終えきった段階でいただけるように今後とも続けていきたいと話している。彼は新人時代にコーチから打撃のスタイルを変えろと言われたがそれも拒絶している。
When Ichiro declined this award, he said that he was an active baseball player, so he didn’t become mature at this stage of his career, which was the reason why he couldn’t receive this too honorable an award.
Another specific episode of his is that he rejected his coach’s advice that he should change his batting form when he was a rookie player in 1992.
His specific batting form was called “Pendulum Form.”

今はピッチャーを中心にメジャーリーグで活躍する日本人が多い。だがもともとは通用しないと言われていた。だからホームラン王になるような選手が出てくるとは夢にも思わなかった。
In recent years, numerous Japanese players go overseas to be a major leaguer, many of whom perform excellently or enthusiastically, almost all of us are informed.
In the past, a player in Japan was said not to be successful there because he is inferior to American players in the physical or mental viewpoint.
However, “Shohei Otani” became the home run leader in America last season, which was something unbelievable or incredible about three decades ago.

その先駆者となったのは野茂である。その当時パリーグは人気がなかった。自分の能力と実績が適正に認められる世界で活躍したかった彼は周囲の反対に逆らってドジャースに入団した。
The pioneer player was “Hideo Nomo,” who was a capable pitcher of Buffaloes, we remember.
In those days, the pacific league wasn’t as popular as the current days, so he wished that he should be evaluated appropriately because he was confident about his ability and accomplishments.
His enthusiasm brought him to Los Angeles Dodgers against those who were around him in 1995.

ところで福本豊が栄誉ある賞を辞退した理由は極めて特殊だ。そんな立派なものをもらったら立小便ができなくなると言ったと。国民の模範になる自信が持ってなかったのが真意らしい。
By the way, the reason why “Yutaka Fukumoto” declined the percussion of National Honor Award should be extremely specific, we must admit.
He said that he couldn’t do a standing pee when he received such an honorable award, we cannot believe.
However, his true belief was that he couldn’t have a confidence that he should be a model of a people.