Reviving the Art of Baseball Doggerel
In far-off Buffalo,
Where midges fly
And the Blue Jays of Toronto
Now play their home games …
It was something special,
Something never seen before:
When the dust had settled,
At the end of the first inning,
People scratched their heads:
They’d just seen the Yankees turn
A 1-3-6-2-5-6 triple play —
The first in baseball history.
Finally … a “grown-up victory,”
As the play-by-play guy said.
The frustrated faithful needed this.
Down 5-2, and fans grumbling
‘Bout the three-game slide and
“Not again. This is a division game!” …
But the Pinstripe bats woke up,
The bullpen came alive, and
Finally … a win for fans to relish.
It’s already one-third of the season,
And the Yankees are tumbling down
The Jack-and-Jill of five-hundred ball.
They’d better find a good reason
To turn around this sad season,
Or to paraphrase Yogi Berra, it’s
Going to get late early, very soon.
It was supposed to be a laugher,
Instead it was a groaner
For the Yankees in Poe’s Baltimore.
Even with 2 strikes, 2 outs,
Baltimore just kept on hitting.
Quoth the Orioles: “Nevermore.”
40 games so far this season,
And four no-hitters–so far.
Pundits and knowalls project
At least 12, maybe 16, in the end.
This is uncharted territory–or is it,
Given the “new age” we’re living in–
Where it’s either long ball or strikeout,
And very little between the lines.