Posted on

You’re Gonna Miss Alex Rodriguez

by James Finn Garner

As the end of his playing days appears,
I need to ask: Whither A-Rod?
There’ll be no other player left at his tier
On whose neck you can gleefully trod.

No gaffes to rehash, no mistakes to cheer,
No insinuations on his bod,
No schadenfreude thoughts to slur in your beer
That he’s a bum, a starlet, a fraud.

You won’t see Alex this time next year,
And the absence you’ll feel will be odd
Til you choose someone else, with your conscience so clear,
And condemn him like an Old Testament God.

 

Posted on

Moon, Swoon, Baseball in June

By James Finn Garner

On this beautiful summer day in June
The Royals rise and the White Sox swoon
The Astros still dream of their trip to the moon
The Red Sox hope they aren’t peaking too soon
While the Yanks obsess over things picayune
The Rangers and Jays field their share of goons
Tampa ponders a move to Saskatoon. . .

And Epstein’s still the smartest guy in the room.

 

Posted on

The Punch Heard ‘Round the World

by Stephen Jones

In baseball, since time began,
Players and clubs never forget.
What you did, you Blue Jay man,
We’ll repay . . . That you can bet.

Bautista must’ve known this
When he faced off with Texas.
His flip of the bat last year
Really burned the Rangers’ ear:
The unwritten code was broken
And some revenge must be taken.

He got plugged and went to first–
That should’ve ended Ranger thirst.
But when he slid hard into second,
Mr. Bautista didn’t reckon
He’d end up in a stadium ring
With Odor, who took the first swing.

Now, of course, it’s all the news
On ESPN, YouTube and other venues.

 

Posted on

What a Season — And It Ain’t Over Yet

by James Finn Garner

So now, my friends, it has come to this,
The World Series of 2015
The kids ablaze on the New York Amazin’s
Versus the Big Blue Royal Machine.

Let’s consider all that’s gone before
As we bid the warm weather goodbye
Some teams did roll as had been foretold
While others came through with surprise.

The new Cubbie kids swung some mean bats
The Blue Jays refused to show fear
Motown fell dead, now needs a retread
While the Giants await an even year.

The Dodgers in their close-ups again blinked
Staid St. Louis became hot and unglued
The Nationals sputtered, then throttled each other
The Lone Star State watched a marvelous feud

So when someone tells you baseball is boring,
Whether online, at work, in a bar,
Don’t chuckle or sigh. Look them straight in the eye
And say, “Baseball’s not boring — you are.”