Reviving the Art of Baseball Doggerel
Oh somewhere in this favored land the sun is shining bright
The band is playing somewhere, and somewhere hearts are light,
And somewhere men are laughing, and somewhere children shout
But there is no joy in Mudville — for the Corn Flakes are fresh out.
Kellogg’s ad, 1963
He played in just 69 games,
Of obscurity he was a paragon
But he had one of my favorite names:
Rest in peace, Cuno Barragan.
June 20, 1932 — May 12, 2024
(He DID hit a home run in his first major league at-bat.)
Shohei steals a base
his hundredth in MLB
trumps all other news
In honor of Emily Dickinson, 1830-1886. In 1887, the first Negro League was formed.
Tell all the stats but tell them slant —
Success in the baseball Circuit lies
Too bright for our unconscious bias
The Truth’s superb surprise is
Like a ball hit lightening quick
With Josh Gibson atop
Ty Cobb’s dazzling batting record
Or every fan be blind —
Let’s get this out of the way first:
I didn’t die of a broken heart
at disappointment over not being first
instead of Jackie;
I had other health issues
that killed me at thirty-five
I’m glad our leagues have now
been recognized as ‘major’,
and I’m happy statistics have been compiled:
those who won’t believe without numbers
now have the documentation they need
And I like that the numbers have confirmed
some of the legends about me
I take pride in being the best RBI man
in history on a per-game basis.
A repost from August 8, 2023