The Birth of Wiffle 洞洞球的诞生

Davey wanted to play baseball.

戴维想打棒球。

But fifty years ago, in his small town, he couldn’t find enough players for two full teams or an empty lot big enough for a field.

但50年前，在他的小镇上，他找不到足够的球员来组成两支完整的球队，也找不到足够大的空地做球场。

And when he played ball in his back yard, he just broke windows and got into trouble.

当他在后院打球时，他打破了窗户，惹上了麻烦。

So Davey began playing with a plastic golf ball and a broom handle for a bat.

于是戴维开始用塑料高尔夫球和扫帚柄打球棒。

When his dad, David Mullaney, a former semi-pro baseball pitcher, realized his son was hurting his arm trying to throw curves with the little plastic ball, he decided to find a better solution.

当他的父亲，前半职业棒球投手大卫·穆拉尼，意识到他的儿子会因试图用小塑料球投掷曲线而弄伤手臂时，他决定寻找一个更好的解决方案。

Mullaney got a bunch of hollow plastic spheres from a local factory, sat down at his kitchen table and began cutting different size holes in the balls with a razor knife.

穆拉尼从当地一家工厂弄到了一堆空心塑料球，坐在厨房的桌子旁，开始用剃刀在球上切不同大小的洞。

He thought maybe the holes would alter the ball’s flight and help his son throw curves and sliders without hurting his arm.

他认为这些洞可能会改变球的飞行，帮助儿子在不伤手臂的情况下投掷曲线和滑行。

All the balls failed—except the one with the eight oblong holes cut into one of the hemispheres.

所有的球都失败了，除了一个在半个球面上有八个长方形洞的球。

This ball curved naturally and sharply without a violent snap of the wrist.

这个球曲线自然，击球时手腕没有剧烈的阵震痛。

In fact, Davey was now striking out so many batters, he called his new ball a “wiffle ball”.

事实上，戴维现在正抨击击球手们；他把他的新球称为“wiffle球”。

A year later, Mullaney borrowed $20,000 from family and friends and started producing Wiffle Balls in his little suburban town of Shelton, Connecticut.

一年后，穆拉尼向家人和朋友借了两万美元，并开始在他位于康涅狄格州，谢尔顿市郊区的小镇上生产Wiffle球。

“I didn’t want investors.” He said, “I wanted to control my own company.”

“我不想要投资者，”他说，“我想控制自己的公司。”

This was the beginning of one of the hottest fads of the fifties and a perennial best seller well known all around the world.

这是五十年代最热时尚之一的开始，也是一个在全世界持续畅销的物品。

Since then millions of boys and girls have enjoyed countless hours of safe, wholesome fun playing with a Wiffle ball and bat.

从那时起，数以百万计的男孩和女孩便用Wiffle球和球棒，玩起了这项安全又有益健康的运动。

Esquire Magazine has even called the Wiffle Ball “a national treasure”.

《绅士》杂志甚至称这个“Wiffle球”为“国宝”。

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