By Dr. Rajesh C. Oza
Ernie Banks wanted
To play a doubleheader
Every day, because
He loved baseball so
Much that one was not enough
To satisfy him.
Wilbur Wood lost two
Games of a doubleheader.
He started both games,
Throwing his trademark
Knuckleball ball to twenty-four
Wins, twenty losses.
Billy Williams and
Ron Santo played every game
In 1965.
Perhaps a couple
Players will play all the games
In 2024.
Ferguson Jenkins
Threw 29 complete games
In 1974.
MLB may not
Have 29 complete games
In 2024.
So why does baseball
Today give hitters days off
And pitchers pitch counts?
Is Pampers part of
How managers lead their teams?
Or a diaper brand?
Dr. Oza’s novel Double Play sits at the intersection of Ernie Banks’ Cubs, the Negro Leagues, riding the El, wrongful convictions, immigration and friendship. It will be published in October 2024 by Chicago’s Third World Press.