Song of a Slump

by Jeffrey Felshman

Can’t hit, can’t pitch, can’t win,
Like ’62 all over again.
Their bats stilled
By the strong-armed Phils?
The bullpen pounded
By the mighty Dodgers.
Swept away in LA
We can still play, they say
We’ll win again someday.
We’ll get cranked
Against the Yanks,
So the boys keep swinging,
But the league keeps singing:
Meet the Mets,
Greet the Mets,
Step right up and beat the Mets,
Give us this day our daily slaughter —

Send in the Mets!

Posted 6/18/07

Song for Detroit

by Stu Shea

I.


Is there anyone Tiger fans are fonder than

Than Jeremy Bonderman?

 

Can any Bengal take the ball to left field

Better than Sheffield?

 

And who’s their best hitter? Everyone says

It’s Mags Ordonez.

 

Is any pitcher more likely to zoom the ball by ya

Than Joel Zumaya?

 

II.

 

But can anyone’s batting average make fans cringe

More than Brandon Inge?

A Brad (Not a Bad) Penny

by Stu Shea

 

Throw a Penny at a team,

And count the strikeouts.

Throw a Penny on the hill,

And watch the psych-out.

Other teams with payrolls high

Cannot hit this Dodgers guy

Sometimes talent stands alone!

This penny beats a million bones.

The Return of the Rocket

by Stu Shea

So Roger’s coming back at last.

Be still my heart that beats so fast!

Forgive me if I seem to joke

At Clemens’ latest blow of smoke.

 

The baseball world stands, mouth agape

As Rocket Man adjusts his cape.

Forgive me if this time I sit

And disregard this silly shit.

 

It’s not as if he’ll join my team,

So why should I, like others, scream,

“Roger’s back! Oh, praise the Lord!”

If my team his paycheck can’t afford?

 

“He wants a ring! He loves the game!”

The song remains fore’er the same.

“It’s not the money, not the perks,

It’s ’cause he loves his baseball, jerks!”

 

So Big George forks up mega-mills

For 15 visits to the hill.

(He doesn’t have to hang around

Those days when he’s not on the mound.)

 

His “veteran leadership” and arm

Calm Torre’s typical alarm.

But is it right to pay and pay

A guy who plays the game this way?

 

No matter what his season holds,

I’m waiting til next year unfolds,

And he retires, the spoiled dunce,

And keeps a promise just this once.

Early Buehrle Hurly-Burly

by Stu Shea

While it isn’t the same

As winning a game

From towheaded, cute little leaguers,

To shut down a team

That’s no hitting machine

Remains low on the “difficult” meter.

But no-hit affairs

Are still fairly rare,

Particularly in this age,

So even the Rangers

Who mostly are strangers

Pose putative threats in the cage.

In Mark Buehrle’s big scene

Back on April 18

At windy, chilly U.S. Cell,

He flattened out Texas

Like they were his breakfast

Or apples for William Tell.

Ex-Cubs Sosa, Hairston

And Lofton had no fun

Against Buehrle’s changing of speeds,

And obscuros like Kata,

Cruz, Laird and the remainda

Dropped no base hits into the weeds.

So Buehrle was fitter.

He got his no-hitter,

The AL’s first since Derek Lowe’s,

Bringing him validation

Across our great nation

In expanded post-game highlight shows.