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Of all the fond memories Miguel Montero can recall from his time with the
Diamondbacks, one stands out above all.
所有Montero可以想起的关于响尾蛇的记忆，其中一个特别珍贵
It wasn't being named to his first All-Star Game last season. It wasn't
helping the Diamondbacks win the National League West. And it wasn't his
breakout year at the plate, where he led all National League catchers in
doubles (36), RBIs (86) runs scored (65) and on-base percentage (.351) and
finished second with 18 home runs and a .282 batting average.
这个记忆不是去年的第一度入选明星赛。不是帮助蛇队打入季后赛。也不是打击开窍,
打出在2B, RBI, RS, OBP等数据领先所有国联捕手的爆发年。
"I've had a lot of joyous times playing the game, but the most I ever had was
when I signed my first professional contract," Montero said. "I tried out for
so many teams and nobody wanted to give me a chance."
"我有很多打球的美好记忆，但最美好的是当我签下第一份职业合约时的那一刻" Montero
说"我到好多支球队测试过，但没有一队肯给我一个机会"
Asked how many teams passed on him, Montero said: "Pretty much all of them.
In the end, the Diamondbacks were the only ones willing to give me a shot."
当问到有几支球队不要他时，Montero表示: "几乎所有的球队。最后，响尾蛇是唯一一支
肯给我机会的球队"
Montero, now 28, went to every audition he could find in his native
Venezuela. All the scouts pretty much told him the same thing.
Montero，现年28岁，那时到了所有他能在家乡委内瑞拉找到的测试会。所有的球探都告诉
他同一件事情
"The told me I was too short," he said. "They told me they didn't see any
potential in me. I wasn't fast and they didn't like that, either. But hey,
I'm a catcher, and I'm still not fast."
"他们说我太矮" 他说 "他们看不到我有什么潜力。我跑不快而他们不喜欢这样。但，我
可是捕手，但我还是'不快'"
Montero was close to giving up his dream of playing professional baseball. He
considered going to college and studying to become an engineer. "I like math,
I like mechanics and I like numbers," he said.
Montero原本快放弃打职棒的梦想。他考虑进大学然后当个工程师。"我喜欢数学，喜欢机械
还有数字" 他说
"In the end, I wanted to be a baseball player still. I was frustrated. No one
wanted to give me a chance to play and my dad was the one who really had my
back, saying, 'Don't give up. Keep looking for your dreams. There's going to
be one team out there that's going to give you a chance.' "
"最后，我还是想当一位棒球员。我很沮丧。没有人要给我打球的机会。我老爸是唯一
支持我的人。他说'不要放弃。继续追求你的梦想。最后总有支球队会给你一个机会'"
It was the Diamondbacks. Their top Latin American scout, Junior Noboa,
arranged a tryout. Montero, 17 at the time, thought it might be the last one
he'd ever get. When it was over, Noboa asked Montero and his father to
accompany him to dinner.
那支球队是响尾蛇。蛇队的拉美球探长Junior Noboa举办了一场测试会。Montero，那时
17岁，觉得这大概是他最后一个打球的机会了。当测试会结束后，Noboa邀请Montero和他
老爸共进晚餐。
"None of the scouts had ever said that to me before," Montero said. "They
would just say things like, 'OK, well, thanks a lot,' and then leave. But
Junior took us out to dinner and later he said he wanted to sign me (to a)
professional (contract).
"之前没一个球探这样对我说过" 他说 "他们总说一些, 像是'好，谢谢'然后就走了。但
Junior带我们去吃晚餐，稍后表示他想签下我"
Noboa offered $10,000 for Montero's autograph. The elder Montero helped talk
up the offer to $13,000. The son signed it.
Noboa提出一万元的合约，老爸把价码喊到一万三，然后儿子签字。
Two months later, the check arrived in the mail. Montero cashed it, kept $200
in cash, and gave the rest to his father.
两个月后，支票寄来了。Montero把钱领出，留下两百元，剩下的全交给老爸。
Now, 11 years after signing his first official contract, a much bigger payday
awaits the catcher. He and the Diamondbacks weren't able to agree to a
long-term extension, but after accepting a one-year deal worth $5.9 million
for this season, the next contract he signs will be one that sets him up for
life.
现在，离他第一份合约已过了11个年头，一个更大的发薪日在等着他。他和蛇队无法
达成延长合约协议，但在接受今年的一年5.9M的合约后，下一份合约将会让他一生衣
食无虞。
Montero said there won't be any negotiating until after the 2012 season and
that the Diamondbacks will get his full attention in the off-season. But if
the right deal isn't there, he knows he ultimately could end up elsewhere.
Montero说要到球季后才会再度开启协商。尽管蛇队是首选，但如果没办法拿到理想的合约
，他知道他最终可能将要琵琶别抱。
"I've got a big decision to make," he said. "But I'm not thinking about that
right now. I've got to concentrate on baseball, playing hard, helping the
team win and go to the World Series. The rest will take care of itself."
"我将要下一个重大决定。但我现在不会去想它。我会专注在球场上，努力打球，帮球队
赢球然后进入世界大赛。剩下的自然会OK"
As Montero knows, good news doesn't always happen right away. He's learned
how to wait and how to be patient.
就像他所知道的，好消息不见得会马上发生。他已经学会要如何有耐心地等待。
"It's a great story in that he's an All-Star and he continued to push through
when nobody believed in him," Diamondbacks manager Kirk Gibson said. "There
are so many people out there that aren't given an opportunity, but as long as
they believe in themselves, they'll have an opportunity like Miggy has this
year and beyond."
"这是个好故事。当所有人都不像信他时，他依旧持续奋战并成了明星选手" 蛇队总教练
Kirk Gibson说 "很多人没有得到机会，但只要他们还相信自己，最后他们也能像去年的
Montero一样证明自己"
Oh, and as for some of those scouts who passed on Montero back in the day, he
said he still runs into many of them when he is back home in Caracas.
对了，当年那些错过Montero的球探，有不少Montero还会在家乡的路上遇到他们。
"It's interesting, too," he said, "because when I see a lot of those scouts
they tell me, 'Oh, we were going to sign you. We always knew you could play.'
"恩，这也很有趣" 他说 "因为当我遇到他们时，他们对我说'阿，我们原本要准备签你的
，我们一直知道你能打'"
"I know they're full of crap. They just say it because they want to say it
because now I'm in the big leagues. That's OK. I always knew I could play."
"我知道他们是一坨[-]。他们总是因为你在大联盟所以才这样恭维你。没关系，我一直
知道我确实能打。"