by Michael Ceraolo
Oklahoma wasn’t a state yet when I was born there
it was still largely part of the Wild West
And a part of the Wild West ethos
was the ability to hold your liquor
I showed that ability early on,
and I always thought it helped my ballplaying,
relaxing me, and allowing me
to the lines and alleys at Forbes Field,
piling up those doubles and triples;
one season I gave up the booze
and couldn’t hit worth a damn,
so I resumed drinking on the manager’s orders
Of course,
such didn’t help my life after baseball
