Ring Lardner and Guy Harris White

by Michael Ceraolo

Ring Lardner

You know me as the author of stories,
many of them about baseball
A popular game that I never wrote about
is trying to figure out real-life models for fictional characters,
so I want to clear this up once and for all:
Jack Keefe was not based on any one player
Though such a thing is frowned upon now,
I was friendly with a few ballplayers I covered:
Doc White and I wrote a few songs together,
and I considered Eddie Cicotte a friend,
which made the events of 1919 hard to swallow
I was already moving away from baseball
when The Great Betrayal occurred,
so it wasn’t a sudden disillusionment
but more the final straw that broke my fandom

Guy Harris White

I was a dentist,
so like anyone with any medical training
I was called Doc
I am proud of my five straight shutouts,
but glad I lived long enough to see Mr. Drysdale beat it
And I thought Ring’s and my “Gee, It’s a Wonderful Game”
was better than Von Tilzer and Norworth’s work,
but they had a catchier chorus so they’ve lasted longer
I think there’s room enough for both our songs

From Michael’s collection, Dugout Anthology

 

Toe Jam

by James Finn Garner

Rodón was hot from the get-go
Stalked the elusive perfecto
‘Til some hobbit-like feet
Made hearts skip a beat–
Still, a no-no for a guy who’d been let go.

 

Harry M. Stevens

by Michael Ceraolo

I wasn’t the first to sell food at a ball game:
I think they were doing that even before
anyone thought to charge admission to watch the game
I wasn’t the first to sell what came to be called hot dogs,
though the legend of my doing so made a good story
But I think I was the first
to make a good living as a concessionaire,
starting out selling scorecards, then later also selling food
And I’m proud of the enjoyment I gave fans,
and equally proud my company continued to do so
well beyond the end of my life

Harry M. Stevens Created the Modern Ballpark Experience