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.
2012 NL East Prediction Haiku
by Stuart Shea
ATLANTA BRAVES
So many moons past…
The spring of Chipper gives way
To rust and pallor
MIAMI MARLINS
New house and new name
Young folks up til all hours
The Blizzard of Ozz
NEW YORK METS
They built this Citi.
Now they have to live in it
Short fences or not
PHILADELPHIA PHILLIES
At the keystone sack
Nothing but questions surface
In this pennant Chase
WASHINGTON NATIONALS
Message from the East—
“Beware high expectations”
Tapped out in Morse code
Season’s Last Day Oakland Sportswriter Blues
By Stuart Shea
The Cardinals are blanking the Astros again,
And they’ll make the playoffs if the Braves can’t win.
I wish I was there for this wild-card craze,
But I’m stuck in Seattle covering the A’s.
Hey! Tampa came back from a 7-0 hole,
Dan Johnson just tied it–right off the foul pole!
I’d love to be seeing the Yankees and Rays,
But I’m stuck in Seattle covering the A’s.
Did Baltimore really just walk off the Sox?
And Papelbon pull one more of his rocks?
So Tampa and St. Lou are in. I’m amazed
That I’m stuck in Seattle covering the A’s.
It’s cold in this pressbox at Safeco Field,
And watching a meaningless game is the yield.
The action is elsewhere, and it’s one of those days.
I’m stuck in Seattle covering the A’s.
Braves’ Leaky Pen
by Brad Cleveland
The bats have finally come to life
but things here still don’t seem right
Uggla can’t get going here
and Linebrink fills the fans with fear
every single pitch he throws
has a fan’s heart coming up his throat
for fear the game will soon be lost
and then a home run ball is tossed
when will Fredi make a move
let Venters close and Kimbrel groove
his fastballs in the 8th instead
so we can try to get ahead?
we can’t beat Philly 2 of 3
and then get smothered by D.C.
makes no sense if you ask me!
Ode to Oddibe
by Jim Siergey
A wildcat did prowl
The wind began to howl
and Oddibe McDowell
belongs in a Bob Dylan song.
.
Jim Siergey is the author and illustrator of the Cubs alternate history If They Did It. You can see more of his illustration work at his website here.
