Red Sox Baseball Sideways (Or How Not To Slide Safely In Boston)
by Stephen Jones
Franchise disarray
Post-season fingers pointing
Rumor mill working
Franchise scrambling
Truth . . . Boston fog obscuring
Who did what . . . or not?
A manager leaves
Pitchers eat chicken drink beer
Ownership denies
What to remember?
Two championships . . . or collapse?
Or “What’s next at bat”?
Boston Half-Baked Beans
by Hilary Barta
They were losing so nobody spoke
No schmoozing, no boasting, no joke
. From the bench not a mention
. Just a clenching from tension
No boos heard in Boston, just “Choke!”
Season’s Last Day Oakland Sportswriter Blues
By Stuart Shea
The Cardinals are blanking the Astros again,
And they’ll make the playoffs if the Braves can’t win.
I wish I was there for this wild-card craze,
But I’m stuck in Seattle covering the A’s.
Hey! Tampa came back from a 7-0 hole,
Dan Johnson just tied it–right off the foul pole!
I’d love to be seeing the Yankees and Rays,
But I’m stuck in Seattle covering the A’s.
Did Baltimore really just walk off the Sox?
And Papelbon pull one more of his rocks?
So Tampa and St. Lou are in. I’m amazed
That I’m stuck in Seattle covering the A’s.
It’s cold in this pressbox at Safeco Field,
And watching a meaningless game is the yield.
The action is elsewhere, and it’s one of those days.
I’m stuck in Seattle covering the A’s.
Boston Autumn? (The Reel Is Not A Jig)
by Stephen Jones
Inexplicable meltdown
In Boston leaves are falling
No Autumn splendor
Instead play-off hopes
Free-falling without a net
And time running out
