By Patrick McCaughey
Overture
Baseball and opera. Basses, runs, and what’s more —
They each need a pitch before there’s a score.
Act I
Why would anyone take an opera box? There
Are better ones at the stadium.
Instead of watch opera, I’d rather go hear
Brooklyn’s phone book read verbadium.
Act II
I know how to handle a one or two hoppera,
And that Sparky Lyle was a lights-out stoppera,
That Tampa Bay plays at the Tropera,
And that Yogi was a malapropera.
But I’m as far from getting opera
As Bangor is from Santa Bopera.
Intermezzo
The seventh inning stretch — baseball’s intermezzo.
How do I know? My scorecard sezzo.
Act III
The drama! The length! The Mets! And before
The weary trudge up the aisle, two more —
Be it Series or Nibelung they each have rings,
And neither one’s over ‘til the fat lady sings.