On the Lack of Any Exciting Division Races

by James Finn Garner

I’ll prob’ly buy some bags of mulch
And mix them in the garden.
Kids’ homework sure could use my touch.
College football’s starting.

The DVDs of “Breaking Bad”,
They won’t watch themselves.
Tomatoes are almost set to can.
The basement needs more shelves.

Cold mornings tell us now it’s fall
But before the snows arrive,
I long for the days when baseball
Lasted six months, not just five.

Chillinois, You Put Me in a Frozen State

by Hilary Barta

There’s a pall on the breeze in the air
Though there’s ball, for the freeze they prepare
.    In Chicago the fans
.    make their long winter plans
as they fall on their knees in despair

What I Remember After 09/11

by Stephen Jones

What I remember is large
some of it confused
the sadness the heroes
some still unnamed

but I zero in on baseball
not to forget but because
like a constant outside history
baseball resonates for me

the heroics of play on a field
the belief that a game is sometimes
better than grief
a comfort & something to point to

Tighten Your Beltran

By Stuart Shea

When Carlos Beltran came to the Bay,
He was supposed to hit SF’s troubles away.
Fans think his RBI count’s a disgrace,
But you can’t drive in runners
Who aren’t on base.

Brewer Summer

by Doug Fahrendorff

Auspicious signs
Ten games up
A month to go
September in Wisconsin
Baseball still a hot topic
Three million fans
Make the trek to Miller Park
Skeptical fans
Beginning to believe
This will be a season
To remember
Ryan, Prince, and T. Plush
On the cover of S.I.
LaRussa disconcerted
Still
The pennant
Not clinched yet
Work to do
“Gotta Go”