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John Henry Lloyd

by Michael Ceraolo

Occasionally a writer would call me “the black Wagner”,
and Honus was gracious enough to say
he was honored by the comparison;
I felt equally flattered by it
Some in later generations wondered
why we didn’t protest our exclusion more
I can’t speak for anyone else,
but my way of protesting was to play my best
against the white major leaguers
whenever we got a chance to play against them,
and by my play disprove the reasons usually used
as a cover for bigotry,
knowing our chance would come eventually
even if it was too late for me personally
Plus, I got to play ball for a living,
something not too many are able to say

Published in the Pennsylvania Literary Journal, Spring 2020

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The State of MLB

by Stephen Jones

Players, owners — neither side talking.
Each entrenched in a far-away dugout
Of their own making, where “negotiation”
Is all about stubborn posture, about
“I’m not listening”, and is a joke
More like gum on the bottom of my shoe.

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Willie Keeler

By Michael Ceraolo

I wasn’t above shenanigans
such as hiding extra baseballs in the high grass,
but unlike some of my teammates and others in the League,
I drew the line at verbal and physical taunts
McGraw would even ride his teammates:
one day he rode me too far,
so I whipped him and he stopped riding me
You probably know my hitting philosophy,
or at least the most-quoted part,
so I’ll give it again in full:
“Keep your eye clear and hit ’em where they ain’t”
Many through the years have ignored the first part
and fewer every year follow the second part,
but it’s still sound advice today.

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Baseball Cards

by Jim Daniels

One
of the 10,342 baseball cards in my parents’ attic
sneezes in the dampness, remembers
sweaty hands.

He calls to me across hundreds of miles:

Remember me, Jake Wood, 1964, 2nd base, Detroit Tigers,
Series 2, No. 272?

He wants to stretch his legs, climb out
from between Wilbur Wood and the 4th Series Checklist
wants to outsail all the other cards
in a game of farthies, float down
on Jose Tartabull in a game of tops.
He wants to smell like fresh from the pack
wants to be perfumed again
with the pink smell of bubble gum.

 

Jim Daniels is the Thomas Stockham Baker University Professor of English at Carnegie Mellon University. Copyright by Jim Daniels.

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This Day

by Stephen Jones

It’s 1967,
A spring day
Mickey Mantle steps up
And hits it deep
It’s a home run,
Number 500