Check out the rest of their music and support the Isotopes by visiting http://theisotopes.bandcamp.com.

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

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

Reyes gone.
Life goes on.
New woes take
time to bake.
Now Johan
can’t pitch/can?
Either way,
sad to say,
fans don’t care,
won’t be there.
“Citifield,
where Mets yield.”
Money’s tight
wallet’s light.
Can’t pay loans,
Wilpon phones
MLB
just to see
if they can
find a plan.
Get some jocks
with high socks,
shirts tucked in
after win.
Will Dave Wright
now take flight?
Song of swan,
“Reyes gone.”

Ron Kaplan is the head honcho at the excellent blog, Ron Kaplan’s Baseball Bookshelf, which is about baseball but not strictly about books.

When Jose Reyes won the title
it gave us pause to check his mettle.
Which body part did serve him best:
His heart, his biceps, or his ass?

What I remember is large
some of it confused
the sadness the heroes
some still unnamed

but I zero in on baseball
not to forget but because
like a constant outside history
baseball resonates for me

the heroics of play on a field
the belief that a game is sometimes
better than grief
a comfort & something to point to

The Blue of the Bums, the Orange of the Jints and the interlocking NY,
The Mets cap was designed to reflect Big Apple baseball historicity.
Why not wear FDNY or NYPD on 9/11? It’s all about New York City.

The Blue of the Bums, the Orange of the Jints and the interlocking NY.
Joe’s dad walked a Brooklyn beat, but still Bud pinned it on Torre.
He walked out when he was dissed by The Boss, so seriously – what’s the real story?

The Blue of the Bums, the Orange of the Jints and the interlocking NY.
The design is now, of course, officially MLB licensed apparel.
It’s yours for just $29.95, but it won’t save you when your life is in peril.

The Blue of the Bums, the Orange of the Jints and the interlocking NY.
Like the horror of that day ten years ago, we’re left to wonder who’s responsible and why

Rod Nelson is the managing editor of The Emerald Guide to Baseball 2011.

Salary caps,
Spending caps,
Baseball caps…
Caps the Mets couldn’t wear with their uniform,
Because they didn’t conform,
Or some crap.
Baseball’s image burned
As Bud Selig took a nap.

Huge savings now with your NY Mets!
It’s as cheap as baseball gets!
You need a slugger? Come on down
Our prices are the best in town!
Starters, bench help, closers too–
We want to make a deal with YOU!
Are we crazy to sell for less?
(Just ask Madoff:  The answer’s YES!)
We need dough before Yankee stars
Hire us to wash their cars.

When the Giants added beltin’ Beltran,
Bruce Bochy said, “Now I’ve got enough!”
Buster struck a curious Posey
And Aubrey walked out in a Huff.