Reviving the Art of Baseball Doggerel
During the war I came in handy
because I could work in places
nonlittle people couldn’t get to,
and after the war I became a performer
Mr. Veeck said he’d never read Thurber’s story,
but I’m skeptical about his claim:
he said he would have a sniper in place
to shoot me if I tried to swing the bat
I never knew whether or not he was joking
For that wonderful ambassador of baseball who made it into the Hall of Fame this week.
Baseball
Seventy years a fan
And counting
From the “Whiz Kids”
To the “Brew Crew”
Following the boys of summer
Enjoying the timeless flow
Of the game
The perfect way to spend
A summer afternoon
Originally published in The Chicago Baseball Magazine.
I was looking forward to the game,
But could not find it on TV —
At least not on any customary station.
Then I learned it was being aired
On some streaming service,
And only by subscription.
In disbelief, I went online to explore —
Is this our brave new world, our 1984? —
And sadly, discovered
Baseball’s schedule, and my landscape,
Has been changed forever. It’s now
Littered with subscription service.
It’s bad enough that ticket prices
Have soared — truth is, I can’t afford them —
But to ask for more money when I’m home?
There’s nothing right in this situation —
And I wonder what minds made it so.
My only active thought spins around:
America’s national pastime
Is now MLB’s “cash time.”