イチロー特集#4shtick

またまた先ほどの記事から英語の落ち穂を拾いたいと思います。以下はイチローがマリナーズに入団した当時の様子を描写した部分です。記事を読む限りイチローは入団当初から非凡な才能を発揮していたようです。
Ichiro came to the Mariners as a heralded, expensive, seven-time batting champion from Japan. Certainly, at 5 feet 11 and 172 pounds, he didn't have the look of a batter who would instill fear in the opposition. And in the early goings of spring training in 2001, he didn't.
The left-handed batter's routine was to ease into hitting by first stroking pitches to left field and gradually building himself up until driving them to right field. Early on, he fouled off so many pitches in the direction of the Mariners' third-base dugout in Peoria, Ariz., that teammates sometimes waved white towels in mock defense. Manager Lou Piniella's request during an exhibition game that Ichiro show he could handle an inside fastball by pulling it to right field is by now famous for Ichiro's response of immediately homering over the right-field fence.
But such tales that live on humorously today also underscore the clouds of doubt back then over whether Ichiro's shtick would work in America. Ichiro was well aware of it.
Originally published Thursday, September 16, 2010 at 10:01 PM
http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/mariners/2012919629_ichiro17.html
今回取り上げる表現は最終段落にあるshtickです。辞書を引いてみると「《米》（ショーなどの）お決まり［得意］の芸，十八番（おはこ）」と出ていました（『スーパーアンカー英和辞典』第4版，学研教育出版）。LONGMAN Advanced American Dictionaryには“a typical quality or feature that someone, especially a comedian or other entertainer, is known for”とありました。同辞書によるとshtickのスペルはschtickでも可能のようです。
日本ではマリナーズ入団当時あれだけ注目度が高かったイチローですが，アメリカでは少し冷ややかな視線でみられていたとは知りませんでした。それでもイチローは自分の得意な俊足を活かした内野安打を量産し，疑念を打ち払ってきました。自分も英語にさらに磨きをかけて，イチローのように不安や疑念に打ち勝っていきたいと思います。（ゼミ生 camel）