by Stephen Jones
Joe Torre
Made his way
To Cooperstown
Because he showed
His greatest stat
Was to listen
To what was said
So, he quietly led
By example
Showing patience
And humanity
In the dugout
On the field
And before any camera
An Athlete’s Prayer
By Ed Charles
Author of my talents, only You have I praised,
To Thee only shall my hands be raised.
For when I’m burdened with the weight of my team,
To my rescue You come, it will always seem.
For outstanding is my play on any given day
When You intervene and help lead the way.
Grateful to You I’ll always be
For exploiting my talents for the world to see.
For out there on the diamond before thousands of fans,
We players perform the best we can.
Perform we must both day and night,
Seeking victory with all our might.
Seeking a place with other sports greats
In the Hall of Fame where ability rates.
Where Ruth, Cobb, Robinson and the rest
Stand proudly enshrined as baseball’s best.
Excerpted from ‘An Athlete’s Prayer,’ c. 1966, by Ed Charles, major league third baseman (Kansas City Athletics, New York Mets) from 1961-69
Masahiro Tanaka Can Do (Yankees-Mets, 5/15)
by Stephen Jones
With signature splitters
He retired Met hitters.
He pitched a 4-0 shutout,
Leaving some with little doubt.
Gunslinger David Cone did speak:
“His pitching control is truly elite.”
And Ron Darling, former Met, did chime:
“He just may be once-in-a-lifetime.”
And if his splitter wasn’t enough,
Tanaka showed other nasty stuff –
Fast ball, change up, slider, curve –
And at the plate had some nerve,
Hitting in the ninth inning a single.
It gave Girardi a fit, others a giggle,
And in the end seemed perfect garnish
For his on-the-mound dominance.
National League East 2014 Spring Training Haiku
by Stuart Shea
BRAVES
Upton up and down?
Uggla ugly or upward?
Freddie a Free Man?
MARLINS
Now that everyone
Has left the stadium, the
Rebuild can begin.
METS
A farewell to arms—
No Harvey, no Mejia?
And one fat Colon.
NATIONALS
Welcome, Matt Williams!
Now that you’re here, it’s assumed
You’ll win right away.
PHILLIES
Old men, broken down,
Troll the green fields of the town,
Searching for what’s gone.
September Regrets for the New York Mets
by Joshua Roth
Terry Collins, manager of scorn,
was praying for Sandy to sign Michael Bourn.
Sandy got no money
from Uncle Fred,
Now, the 2013 season
is all but dead.