Talkin’ Baseball, Detroit Tigers Edition
The Ballad of Nyjer Morgan
By Stuart Shea
Nyjer Morgan? What a jerk,
Putting catchers out of work.
Doesn’t get on base a lot,
Doesn’t use the speed he’s got.
Doesn’t understand the game,
Hasn’t got an ounce of shame,
Fighting with obnoxious fans,
Tossing baseballs in the stands.
The silver lining to this song?
He won’t be here for very long.
Tommy John
by Stephen Jones
An appendix in a forearm
A tendon described as “extra”
Is now elsewhere used
And is amazing surgery
A year’s worth of recovery
Required – and now the mind
Has to trust to relearn
The arm still has magic
The Legacy of Bud Selig
by James Finn Garner
Tons of money for the owners.
Ignorance of player-dopers.
More exploitative contract bids
For dirt-poor Caribbean kids.
A baseball classic for the world
Where U.S. players rarely hurled.
With anti-trust still holding fast,
Small-market teams still finish last.
Now, Milwaukee celebrates this schwanz
With a Selig statute cast in bronze.
Posted 8/30/10
Dust Up/Dust Off
by Stephen Jones
A pitcher’s foot digging in
on the mound a cloud of dust
swirling ’round his ankle
A batter’s foot digging in
in the box a cloud of dust
swirling ’round his ankle
The pitcher leaning forward
shaking off then agreeing
The batter leaning over
spitting now staring for
A coiled windup then release
a white blur’d delivery . . .
And then the sudden stagger
back . . . chin music
(Axiom: Don’t crowd the plate)
