北京棒球: The Padres meet Peking

最近两个美国的棒球队来北京。我不是一个非常大的棒球粉丝。但是作为住北京的美国人，我非常想看这个比赛在中国会怎么样。
Recently the San Fransisco Padres and the Las Angeles Dodgers held an exhibition game in Beijing. Now I’m not a huge baseball fan. But as an American living in Beijing, I had to see what this match would be like.

我听说12，000人去。因为我知道这个体育在中国不太有名，所以我有点吃惊。当然观众明显包括美国和其他喜欢棒球国家的人。但是大多数还是中国朋友。我和宁周围都是中国小男孩。我发现他们是一个棒球队。总会有一天可能是中国的奥运棒球队员！
I heard there were 12,000 people there. Since baseball’s not a really popular sport in China, I was surprised. Of course there were a lot of people in the stands from America and other countries that like baseball. But most of the people were Chinese. Sitting around Ning and I were a bunch of Chinese kids. Come to find out they’re on a baseball team. Someday they’ll probably be the Olympic baseball team of China!

这个比赛的目标可能只是让中国消费者更喜欢棒球。但是我真的觉得是一个非常好文化交流的机会。中国人，美国人在一起玩。我得坦白：有的时候我只看我们中间的区别。政治，经济都让人这样想。但是我们国家文化的出口的东西真的可以改一个天桥。
The purpose of this match was probably just to let more Chinese consumers know about the MLB. But I really thought it was a great opportunity for cultural exchange. Chinese people, American people having a good time together. I have to confess: Sometimes I only look at the differences. Politics and economics make people do that. But our countries’ cultural exports are capable of building bridges.

最逗是两个美国劳儿争取让全观众做波浪（各位同时站起来）。他们大声得说：把你的屁股抬起来！中国人，美国人一起笑。其实，看着这个情况我感觉好像再相信文化交流的能力。那就是和谐社会！
The best part was two American dudes trying to get everyone in the stands to make the wave. They were shouting: “Get up off your asses!” Chinese people, American people were all laughing. Actually, watching this kind of restored my faith in the power of cultural exchange. Now that’s a harmonious society!

不过，有一些奇怪文化的东西。把一个文化放在别的文化环境或有广告原因的时候，这样的事往往发生。棒球比赛什么时候开始有拉拉队呢？
There were some cultural oddities however. These seem to crop up whenever one culture is retro-fitted to another or when advertising is involved. Cheerleaders at a baseball game? The Padre gets his pimp on.

最后，宁听着我唱“带我看棒球比赛”（一首歌）一下子开始跳舞。
And finally, Ning did a little dance to my spontaneous interpretation of “Take me out to the ball game.”