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All, or Nothing-at-All, Ball?

by Stephen Jones

An uncle rich with old-time sentiment
Once patted me on the head, then pronounced:
“There is no shame in striking out.”
Sage advice, I guess, but times have changed:
Who has time for striking out, come October?

Home runs are being smashed at record pace,
The record number of strikeouts keeps ascending, and
My uncle would be dizzy at this two-fisted display.
Now the playoff question might well be:
Will one good arm outlast all those long-ball bats?

October will be interesting. . .

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Yardbirds, Beak to Beak

By Stephen Jones

Smack! and See ya – it’s outta here!
There’ve been a lot of home runs this year…
I listened to two sun-bleached gentry
Sitting on thrones in nosebleed country:

“Anyone hear of Long-ball Joe?
He’s a hitter!”

“Yeah, I know.”

The sneer was unmistakable,
But Speaker One was still unflappable:
“Oh yeah? Whatta’bout Serve’em-up Slim?
I guess, maybe, you’ve heard of him…
The way they hit … it’s box-office money.”

“Yeah, sure … like video-game currency.
And ev’rybody just oohs the velo
And wishes they could launch just so.”

Then I heard: Beer! Beer! Getcha beer!
“Hey beer! Two beers … over here!”

(Pause)

First, sighs of satisfaction;
Then Sneer launched into criticism:

“Anyway, it don’t matter. Somethin’s wrong
With the ball. It just shouldn’t travel that long.
And now I hear that mebbe it’s the seams
Or the way core’s now wrapped in string…

“You tell me. What’s behind the curtain?
I dunno. But one thing seems certain:
Now the stadium’s a home-run theme park.
With gaudy numbers. And we’re all a part.”

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Who’s Up Now (For the Yankees)?

by Stephen Jones

In the astronomy of Yankee baseball,
29 players have heard IR’s call –
Star-watchers have seen the holes –
But “next man up” has filled their roles
And has burned as bright,
If not brighter than more-famous light.

But now,
What’s the stellar map-decision
When stars reclaim astral position
(As some grumble “If I had that option…”)
For the run during postseason?

The fact is, the roster’s only 25,
And in postseason, pitchers thrive,
So player space is at a premium
And choosing players will take a medium
Well-versed in ego-physics
And game-by-game analytics.

The question – it begs discussion:
What’s the line-up for postseason?