The Stellar Throws of Texas
by Hilary Barta
The defense of Texas was tight
From the catcher, and later from right
. From third to the plate
. was a distance too great
and Cabrera was out like a light
Man of the Eleventh Hour
Jim Leland put Beltre on first
Of the options that proved to be worst
. The dreamed double-play
. was singled away
And by Nelson, Detroit was submersed
Banging on the Bengals
by Jim Siergey
For Rangers, the game ended happily
with thanks to their catcher Mike Napoli
. There won’t be no crown
. to wear in MoTown
if Tigers don’t stop playing crappily
Detroit vs Texas, Game 3
by Hilary Barta
Martinez had banged up his frame
And Beltre was dinged, almost lame
. Two pros that were sore
. both chose to ignore
the pain for the sake of the game
The Mo-Men of the Moment
In Detroit there is reason to shout
Their boys this post season are stout
. They might not be pretty
. but these Tigers are gritty
They’re poised and they’re toughin’ it out
Jose Valverde
By James Finn Garner
Like a monkey on a hurdy-gurdy
Jumps Papa Grande Valverde
As jumbled as a keyboard QWERTY
He gets batters to watch the birdie,
Then with control most absurd, he
Blows it by them, nice and purty.
His yellow glasses somewhat nerdy
Don’t match a gut profound and sturdy.
In interviews he’s somewhat wordy
(Though certainly no Krishnamurti)
Will his total saves reach twice 30?
Will the Motown squad get down and dirty?
With fickle hist’ry flirts he,
Our fireman Jose Valverde.
Rain Delays the Pain
by Hilary Barta
The hard-stuff was raining in Texas
Said the Tigers, “Their fastballs just wrecked us.”
. Both bullpens were great
. but Feliz got three straight:
His pitching was all about Xs
Cruz Control
The trouble with loading the bases
is for runners you’ve run out of places
. And go extra innings
. your woe’s just beginning,
’cause brother, you’ve run out of aces
A walk or a homer — you choose
A ball or a strike — they both lose
. The bases are loaded,
. your bullpen’s eroded,
and tall at the plate: Nelson Cruz
