Reviving the Art of Baseball Doggerel
In blue and gray,
we played ball between battles
and in prison camps until the food ran out
When those of us who survived
returned home after the war,
we helped to spread the game
Later on,
the ballyhooers gave us more credit than we deserved,
but we do at least merit a mention here.
Michael Ceraolo, a retired firefighter/paramedic, follows sports and writes poetry, mainly about the Cleveland area.Â
The air is clear
The sky is blue
The sun is shining on the field
It’s a perfect day for baseball
No one in the stands
No runs no hits no errors
No movement in the pen
It’s a perfect day for baseball
The cathedral of the stadium
Has only feathered faithful
Praying for fallen peanuts
It’s a perfect day for baseball
It’s a perfect day for baseball
So let’s play the inside game
That knows no limits
That transcends time
It’s a perfect day for baseball
When Mariano offers up a cutter
To a smiling Stan the Man
And Willie makes a basket catch
It’s a perfect day for baseball
When Derek flips to Jackie
Who tosses to the luckiest
Man in the world, 6–4-#4
It’s a perfect day for baseball
When Roger hits one out
And Mickey hits one too
And Yogi says it’s deja vu
It’s a perfect day for baseball
When Hammerin’ Hank hits the wall
And the Splendid Splinter returns the ball
And Thurman lifts his mask and grumbles
It’s a perfect day for baseball
When Pee-Wee shakes a hand
And the Babe rounds the bases
Again with such small steps
On the canvas of absence
Let’s paint with the art of memory
Mixing colors and time
Let’s play the inside game
© 2020, by Raphael Badagliacca
Rick Monday
Born on Tuesday
Homered off Seaver Wednesday
Traded on Thursday
Saved the flag Friday
Broke Canada’s heart Saturday
Retired on Sunday
And that’s why people still talk about Rick Monday.
Photo Credit: Chicago Sun-Times
I wasn’t above shenanigans
such as hiding extra baseballs in the high grass,
but unlike some of my teammates and others in the League,
I drew the line at verbal and physical taunts
McGraw would even ride his teammates:
one day he rode me too far,
so I whipped him and he stopped riding me
You probably know my hitting philosophy,
or at least the most-quoted part,
so I’ll give it again in full:
“Keep your eye clear and hit ’em where they ain’t”
Many through the years have ignored the first part
and fewer every year follow the second part,
but it’s still sound advice today.
I was involved in a few controversies:
my initial signing out of college,
trying to keep my medical information private,
my ‘deficiencies’ as a manager,
and I was suspended once for punching an umpire,
but on the whole I think I was a solid citizen
But then as now
excellence by itself is often not appreciated
unless it’s accompanied by ‘color’,
which means self-hype or hype by others
I didn’t do that for myself,
and others did so for me rarely,
so I’ve largely disappeared from memory
But whether accompanied by hype or not,
excellence should never be out of fashion