当妈妈“确认”那些我每年圣诞节都许愿想要的球服的确都是圣诞老人送的时候；当妈妈看着我每天放学后都在前院模仿打超级杯球赛的时候；当我多次向德克萨斯州大学的橄榄球教练写信，歪歪斜斜地写道他们应该怎样教好球员，然后妈妈替我写上地址和贴上邮票的时候；当妈妈告诉我我不是职业橄榄球员的料的时候，她一定非常难过。对妈妈来说，把真相告诉这么一个笨手笨脚、满脸雀斑的一年级小学生，肯定很痛苦。
“You weren’t made to be a great athlete,” she told me. “You weren’t born big enough or fast enough to play football. If you want to play, you’re going to have to work really hard at it.”
“你天生就不具备做一个优秀运动员的资质，”她告诉我，“你天生个头不够大，速度不够快，所以不适合打橄榄球。如果你真想打橄榄球，那你就真的要在那方面下苦功了。”
I took her words and ran with them. And lifted weights. And rehabbed injuries. And lifted. And ran some more. I wasn’t 15)Rudy, but I was damn close.
我听取了她的意见，每次跑步的时候都铭记于心。我还练习举重。受伤后积极恢复伤患。然后继续举重。再增加跑步锻炼。我不是电影《追梦赤子心》里的鲁迪，但是我下的苦功绝对不比他少。
My mother is the kind of person who can’t tell you how the 16)Redskins did last night. She can’t even tell you what they were trying to accomplish. But, from early 17)Pop Warner Saturday mornings to lazy 18)Little League afternoons to Friday night’s bright lights, she never missed a game. Were it not for her telling me the truth that day, I would have never seen the field.
即使看了昨天晚上的球赛，妈妈也说不出华盛顿印第安人的表现怎样，甚至说不出他们的目标是什么，她就是这样的人。然而，从每个星期六早上开赛的早期的波普•华纳少年橄榄球赛，到下午让人懒洋洋的少年棒球联赛，再到星期五晚上的大型赛事（编者注：文中的“lazy”描述的是“妈妈”看球赛时的状态，“bright lights”指晚上进行的赛事）她每场必看。如果那天她没有告诉我事实真相，我就不可能成为球员。
I should have thanked her after every 19)touchdown I ever scored in high school. I should have run up into the stands and hugged her with each jump shot that fell through the net. I should have thanked her after every track meet and 20)rugby match and baseball game.
高中时的每次达阵得分，我都应该好好感谢她。每次跳射入网后，我都应该跑到观众席给她一个拥抱。每次田径运动会后，每次橄榄球赛后，每次棒球赛后，我都应该衷心感谢她。
I should thank her every time I reach the end of a great book. I should thank her every Thursday when I race home to pluck my Sports Illustrated from the mail slot. She gave me all of this.
每次我读完一本伟大的著作，我要感谢她。每个星期四我跑回家迫不及待地从信箱里抽出《体育画报》时，我要感谢她。是她给予了我这一切。
My mother gave me a perspective that allowed me to see why and the ability to articulate that passion. For that, I owe her more than a gleaming 21)Escalade, more than a dream house, more anything else I can possibly give back.
妈妈教会了我洞察事情缘由，和表达对体育的热忱的能力。所以，我欠她的远不止一辆崭新的凯迪拉克凯雷德，或者一座理想的房子，我欠她的今生今世都无法偿还。
