Welcome to the Bush Leagues
by Michael X. Ferraro
With the Washington Nine on the rise
They’re the National League’s big surprise
Cole shoulda thunk twice
Before plunking Bryce
Now the Nats have fire in their eyes
Michael X. Ferraro is a TV writer/producer and author of Numbelievable: The Dramatic Stories Behind the Most Memorable Numbers in Sports History and Tased & Amused: The Shocking Poetic Recap of the 2010 Baseball Season.
The Ballad of Scott Podsednik (Sung to “I’m Movin’ On”)
By Joyce Heiser
Came out of high school, stayed in Texas awhile
Seems he just couldn’t make it all seem worthwhile
He’s movin’ on. He’s movin’ on.
Rangers said “So long son, go enjoy the sun”
He’s Marlin gone.
Minor leagues kept trading, kept cutting him loose
Never was the engine, just a little caboose
Seven years rolled on, they just moved on.
Finally majored a run in 2000 and 1
Would they keep him on?
Another year came and another deal too,
Milwaukee got him in 2002,
He still moved on, he was there and gone.
Led the league in base steals, tried to keep it real,
But they moved him on.
Chicago was home for a few good years
Got a World Series ring, a girl with bunny ears,
He’s carryin’ on, maybe he’ll stay on.
But another year came, and another ball game,
He packed and was gone.
Up in the mountains, till 2009,
Back to bat that year in the White Sox line,
Another movin’ on, another hometown gone.
Even though he had fans, Chicago had other plans
And they let him move on.
One year with the Royals, still stealing some base,
Let him go to the Dodgers, problems slowing his pace.
Trouble movin’ on, released and on his own.
Try up North, play the West, half-a-year at best
So he’s movin’ on.
Finally landed in Philly, more like Lackawanna
Scranton doesn’t really sound like baseball nirvana.
Will he be movin’ on? Sing that travelin’ song?
Thirteen teams, eighteen years, Hard to change your gears
And keep movin’ on.
Ballad of Rey Ordonez
by The Isotopes
Check out the rest of their music and support the Isotopes by visiting http://theisotopes.bandcamp.com.
Dale Murphy
by Charles Ghigna
A Brave young slugger,
A two-time VP,
A five-time Gold Glover
Who wore number 3.
A role-model teammate
Without ego or rage,
A clean-living player
In a steroid age.
Two home runs short
Of a trip to the Hall,
His legacy waits
To fly over the wall.
Charles Ghigna (Father Goose) is a poet, children’s author, speaker and nationally syndicated feature writer. He has written more than 60 award-winning books of poetry and been reprinted extensively, even in the ACT and SAT tests.
Say “Hi” To Gary Carter
by Stephen Jones
Say “Hi” to “The Kid”
who never missed a beat/bat
of enthusiasm & protocol
even when his locker room
teammates were elsewhere
who believed baseball is a game
not of dollars & nonsense
who never cursed ‘cept once
in Game 6 the ’86 World Series
when on first base he swore
“I will not lose this damn game”
heart owning the whole thing
& who maintained a standard
beyond “behind home plate”
& something we could all learn from
