by the Village Elliott
For Jimmy Piersall (11/14/1929 – 6/4/2017)
Jimmy Piersall today passed away
Childhood hero had own style of play
My first glove bore his name
Tried to play game the same
With his glove, learned to field Jimmy’s way.
Jimmy played with unique sense of pride,
Until by his pride Piersall was fried.
After treated with shocks
Rapped with Harry, White Sox,
Only sane man on air, certified.
After I submitted this poem, I wrote another limerick for it:
Piersall played center field for Red Sox,
Won Gold Glove with the Tribe; Cleveland rocks!
Hundredth home run with Mets
Is one no one forgets,
Nats and Angels post-treatment for shocks.
Here are a few more earlier written in tribute:
“My First Glove”
The Village Elliott: 5/15
As a youngin’ I loved to play ball.
Dad said. “You need a glove,” I recall;
Picked out new Rawlings glove,
My first glove, my first love,
Was signed by Red Sox Jimmy Piersall.
“Only One Clown”
For: Casey Stengel and Jimmy Piersall
The Village Elliott: 5/15
“Old Professor” once owned Gotham Town;
Shmoozed “His Writers” who wrote his quips down.
Stengel told Piersall he
took his job; why set free.
‘Jim didn’t know I’m the Mets’ only clown!’
Jim hit hundredth home run in Skip’s town,
Backwards-Run bases made Skipper frown,
Casey Stengel felt dissed,
Said to Piersall, “Dismissed!
‘Only room on this team for one clown!’
From: Pedro and Schilling:
And Pray God is Willing”
The Village Elliott: 2/04
….Holy Cow! Pray for rain?
Must have pitched, Spahn and Sain,
Better get on our ponies and ride
To the local “hot spot,”
Get what’s there to be got
There from all of those sources inside;
Look who walk through the door,
I ain’t met him before,
But my first baseball glove bore his name,
He broke in with Red Sox,
Before treated with shocks,
Inner Circle in my Hall of Fame;
He approached me and sat,
Then he said, “By your hat,
You’re a Redbirds fan; wear it with pride!
I’ll give you the lowdown
On that team from Beantown,
You can trust Me I’m Sane: Certified…
…Jimmy Piersall, that’s great,
To you, I can relate,
By Yom Kippur we’ll know how it goes,
If Ex-Skipper Gerbil,
Post-shove, is enshrined, will
He go in a D-Ray?” “I suppose.”