Reviving the Art of Baseball Doggerel
Let’s settle all this controversy
And throw ourselves on the court’s mercy
About who likes beer and how many
And who should play
And who sit on the bench
And even how absurd it is — a witness named Judge
There is only one who’s earned anything supreme
And his name is Aaron.
I am unbiased:
I root for the Yankees.
Severino will start tonight
And all of us hope: just
Show up for the big game.
After last night–a torrential rain
And twisters here and there–
The home field is green,
Today is light autumn-fine, and
Tonight should be good.
I see the roster, in my head.
I wonder about expectations,
And I think:
Just show up for the game.
Can a wild card get any wilder?
Can a tie be tied in more knots than this?
That a game of inches becomes the reason
Four teams get the chance to play
Another game of inches
To win or lose a season?
Yelich
Confident, laid-back
Electrifying, galvanizing, hitting
Most valuable player, veteran leader
Exciting, running, fielding
Explosive, dependable
Cain
there is the moment
when the ball leaves the bat
setting everything in motion
splintering the sky
into a spectacle
of unimagined colors
out of the green out of the white
out of the blue
the unexplained figure in the distance
shattering every notion
of the possible
with the impossible
Painting of Willie Mays’ “The Catch” by wonderful baseball artist Margie Lawrence. Rafael says on Facebook, “I am proud to say I own this painting of Margie’s. Seeing it the first time, here is the poem I wrote that convinced me I needed it.” It occurred on this date in 1954. Copyright 2014 by Raphael Baddagliacca.