By James Finn Garner and Stuart Shea
Chicago Cub Xavier Nady
Fouled off a ball that injured a lady.
At her hospital bed,
He told her with dread,
“I should have laid offa that pitch, maybe.”
Elegy: For Dave Niehaus
By Stuart Shea
To watch for years a losing team,
He’d root and hope and sometimes scream.
Alvin D and Junior G,
Edgar M and Gaylord P,
Til ’95–a magic dream!
Familiar things he’d shout and cry…
A grand salami, my oh my!
Seattle fans will miss his call,
This one’s sailing toward the wall…
Fly away, Dave. It’s gone. Goodbye.
Bye, Bye, Berkman
By Stuart Shea (apologies to Dixon-Henderson)
Been an Astro for so long,
Got the gong,
Here’s your song:
Bye, bye, Berkman.
Master of the hard line drive,
You’re 35?
What’s that jive?
Bye, bye, Berkman.
When Ed Wade shipped your contract to the Yankees last July,
You didn’t know it wasn’t “come on back,” but just “goodbye.”
The hourglass is losing sand.
Will you land
In Japan?
Bye, bye, Berkman.
Sparky Anderson
by James Finn Garner
The snowy hair
The doleful stare
The mangled speech
The subtle preach
The dubious start
The gentle heart
The hook that stings
Three Series rings
The postgame pipe
The misplaced hype
Shaggy dog stories
Humble glories
A light gone dark
We’ll miss you, Spark
Go Giants!
by Hershey Sri
Orange and Black
They never slack
Did you see Renteria bat?
His back deserves a pat
Lincecum pitched well
It made me feel swell
Posey hit far
He made the World Series look like a war
Wilson finished up the game
In the next one, hope he does the same
Four to one the Rangers lost
I wonder how much the trophy costs
All in all
I love Baseball!