西雅圖夢未眠

Efforts to bring the NBA back to Seattle took a giant step forward in a revised arena deal announced Tuesday， with investor Chris Hansen agreeing to kick in more money for transportation improvements near a proposed new arena.The plan for the $490 million arena， which also could host an NHL team， represents the best shot at bringing the NBA back to Seattle.

經過不懈的努力，NBA重返西雅圖的進程又向前邁進了一大步，投資人克里斯·漢森同意投入更多資金用于改進新體育場周邊的交通措施。新體育場建設是一項總造價4.9億美元的項目，它的規模甚至能容納下一支NFL球隊，而他最重要的意義則是讓NBA重返西雅圖。

Chris Hansen has a ticket to shop.

克里斯·漢森手里有一張購物券。

His list is short: Find an NBA franchise willing to sell and bring professional basketball back to Seattle.

他的選擇很少：找到一支愿意出售自己的NBA球隊，然后把這支球隊帶到西雅圖來。

Hansen， the investor trying to build a new arena， said Thursday that the league has been closely watching what’s taking place in the Pacific Northwest and a renegotiated memorandum of understanding between Hansen and the city council on the proposed arena goes a long way to easing the league’s concerns about Hansen’s plan.

漢森，這個試圖建造新球館的投資者，周二表示，聯盟一直密切關注西北太平洋區發生的一切。而漢森和西雅圖市議會就建造新球館的提議所重新達成的備忘錄，很大程度上緩解了聯盟對漢森計劃的擔憂。

\"It means a lot to the NBA，\" Hansen said. \"They’ve been watching very close to what we’re doing. I think going in they were very skeptical we would get to this point given our history in Seattle.

“這對NBA來說意味著很多。”漢森表示，“他們密切關注著我們的一舉一動。我想鑒于西雅圖過去的歷史，在開始的時候他們對我們能達到這個地步還是有懷疑的。”

\"It’s a great win for the city with the league.\"

“對于城市和聯盟而言，這都是偉大的勝利。”

Hansen spoke at a bar in Seattle’s Pioneer Square shortly before an event where he invited fans to come celebrate the agreement announced earlier this week and have their first beer on him.

本周早些時候，在邀請球迷們一起慶祝協議達成的聚會上，漢森在西雅圖先鋒廣場的一個酒吧里說了這些話，第一杯啤酒他來買單。

While the green-and-gold celebration was just getting under way， a short distance away a council committee was voting to advance the renegotiated agreement to the full city council for a vote that is expected to happen Sept. 24. The agreement must receive full approval from the city council and the King County council.

當西雅圖的球迷的慶祝進行中時，在不遠處的市議會里，支委會正致力于將重新協商好的協議推進到9月24日舉行的全體議員會議中進行的投票。這份協議必須得到市議會和國王軍議會的全體通過才行。

Even some members of the city council showed up at the bar following the committee vote， along with a huge throng of Sonics fans hoping to see the franchise return sooner than later. Hansen cautioned it might not be a quick process and what might be the most difficult task -- team acquisition -- is just beginning.

在支委會投票后，甚至有些市議員都現身在酒吧里，跟成群希望球隊重新回到這座城市的超音速球迷聚在了一起。漢森提醒到，這個進程也許不會很快，而其中，也許也是最艱難的一項任務——招募球隊，才剛剛開始。

\"I think it’s conceivable， that would be optimistic and that is not an expectation I would not want to set，\" he said. \"I worry that people are expecting us to get this deal done and it be like magic and a team would be here this year. It’s like， ’Poof and we’ve got a deal done and where is our team?’ This is a far more difficult process. I think anybody who is intimately familiar with the NBA knows this is a tough next face we have to go through.\"

“我想這是可預見的，這是樂觀的看法，而我不想設立這種期待。”他說，“我擔心人們期望我們很快就搞定，然后就像變魔術一樣，今年就能找到球隊。這就好像：‘嘭的一聲，我們搞定了協議，然后我們的球隊在哪里？’這是一個困難得多的過程。我想任何跟NBA有過親密接觸的人都知道，我們下一步要經歷的是非常艱難的過程。”

The ①Mariners released a statement later Thursday saying they are encouraged by the city council’s requirement of an environmental impact study and reiterated their belief there are better sites for the arena. Hansen has spent more than $50 million purchasing land for the arena.

周四晚些時候，水手隊發表了一份聲明，表示他們對市議會要求提交環境影響報告的要求感到滿意。他們同時強調，他們相信新球館能找到更好的選址。漢森在為新球館購買土地上已經花了超過5000萬美元。

\"We look forward to participating in the②EIS process， sharing our experience， and helping the city and Mr. Hansen reach the best possible decision. This review will only enhance the arena’s chances for success; that is everyone’s goal，\" the Mariners said.

“我們期待參與環境影響評估報告的進程，分享經驗，幫助這座城市和漢森得到可能的最佳決定。審核只會提高球館獲得成功的機會，這也是每個人的目標。”水手隊表示。

The revised deal first leaked late Monday night and was announced by a trio of city council members on Tuesday night. Hansen said his phone erupted when the news leaked and he stayed up until 1 a.m. listening to a Seattle sports radio station take phone calls from excited fans.

這份修改過的協議最早在周一晚上的時候被紕漏出來，周二晚上，市議會的三名成員公布了這份協議。漢森說，當新聞被紕漏后，他的電話被打爆了，直到凌晨1點他才睡覺。他做的就是打開收音機，聽西雅圖一個體育電臺接聽興奮的球迷打進來的電話。

Hansen said the demands of the council pushed him and his investors past the point that they were probably prepared to go financially， but they decided it was in the best interest of the community to drop a few more dollars into the agreement.

漢森說市議會的要求促使他和他的投資者們跳過了可能尋求財政支援的計劃，但他們認為，對于整個社區來說，為這個協議再投入一些錢是最好的選擇。

\"In the interest of making this happen and taking a step back and see the big picture it was just really important for us to get this done，\" Hansen said.

“為了這一切能發生，我們退后一步，看到了整個宏圖，對我們來說，能搞定這一切非常重要。”漢森說道。

The renegotiated deal was met with praise by fans and city officials， but still skepticism from opponents. On Wednesday， opponents to the arena sent a letter to the city stating their concerns about the re-worked agreement. Among those signing the letter was a representative of the Seattle Mariners’ front office， one of the first public statements by the Mariners opposing the deal.

這份重新協商好的協議得到了球迷和市政官員的贊賞，但仍有反對者表示了質疑。周三時，反對建設新球館的人給市政當局寫了一封信，表達了這份新協議的擔心。在這些署名的人中，有一個人是西雅圖水手隊管理層的代表，這也是水手隊反對這項協議的公開聲明之一。

The proposed site of the arena is adjacent to the parking garage across the street from the Mariners’ home park， Safeco Field.

計劃中新球館的選址就在和水手隊主場薩菲克球場一街之隔的對面，毗鄰停車場。

Hansen said there have been repeated efforts to reach out to the Mariners along with Seattle’s other pro franchises.

漢森表示，他們反復努力接觸包括水手隊在內的西雅圖其他職業運動隊。

\"About the only comment I would make is the ③Seahawks and ④Sounders have engaged with us and are interested in what we are doing， expressed their concerns and are willing to work with us，\" Hansen said. \"We have made a lot of outreach to the Mariners and they are not interested in having a dialogue. You can’t reach a point with people if they’re not interested in having the discussion about what it would take to make it happen and make it acceptable for them.\"

“我能給出的唯一的評價就是，海鷹隊和海灣人隊都和我們有聯系，而且對我們所做的很有興趣，他們表達了自己的擔心，也愿意和我們一起努力。”漢森說，“我們很努力地想和水手隊接觸，但他們對交流沒有興趣。如果其他人對需要做什么才能讓現實發生，或者讓他們覺得可以接受沒有興趣的話，那是無法達成共識的。”

The revised deal called for Hansen’s group to increase its reserves on the $490 million project that will include $290 million in private investment. Hansen’s group will also commit $7 million toward KeyArena and spend $40 million on improving traffic and freight mobility in the area around the stadiums and the nearby Port of Seattle.

這份修改過的協議要求漢森的集團把他們的投入提高到4億9000萬美元，其中包括2億9000萬美元的私人投資。漢森的集團同時還要對鑰匙球館投入700萬美元，還要在改善交通和球館內的運輸以及附近西雅圖港口的運輸上投入4000萬美元。

\"We said we would do our share on the transportation side. We would contribute money， we always said we would try and make it better than it was before，\" Hansen said. \"So I think $40 million， plus what we have to put in for SEPA， we’re hopeful other professional sports organizations will benefit from improved pedestrian access and transit connectivity will have a similar point of view as us and help out.\"

“我們說過，我們會在交通方面付出我們該有的部分。我們會投入金錢，我們一直說，我們會努力讓一切比過去更好。”漢森表示，“所以我想，4000萬美元，加上我們已經對環保的投入，我們希望其他職業球隊能從改善的交談中獲益，而他們對運輸運輸也會跟我們有相同的看法，并且伸出援手。”