Spring Training’s Desert Hopes

by Dr. Rajesh C. Oza

All the teams are
Tied for first,
And might just win 2025’s World Series.

Hope blooms in
The Cactus League.

Rookies and vets
Have a thirst,
A spot on the team means no unemployment wearies.

Hope blooms in
The Cactus League.

Legends like Fergie Jenkins
Make Sloan Park burst,
Cheering on my novel’s baseball queries.

Hope blooms in
The Cactus League.

Dr. Oza’s novel Double Play on the Red Line, sits at the intersection of Fergie and Ernie’s Cubs, the Negro Leagues, riding the “L,” wrongful convictions, immigration and friendship. It will be published in 2025 by Chicago’s Third World Press.

The author (back to camera) chats with Fergie Jenkins at Sloan Park in Mesa, AZ, February 2025.