Posted on

Grandy in the Wind

by John M.

Goodbye, Grandyman…
Though I never knew you at all
You had the grace to swing away
While those around you walked
They crawled out of the woodwork
And they whispered into your brain
They set you on the homer porch
And they made you change your game

And it seems to me you swung your bat
Like blowing out a candle in the wind
Never knowing what to swing at
When the pitch came in
And I would have liked to have known you
But I was just a fan
Your average burned out long before
You became an also-ran

 

This post first appeared in the comments at It Is High, It Is Far, It is … Caught.  

Posted on

North Side Had Wood (This Fan Has Flown)

By Stuart Shea

I once had a team,
Or should I say,
It once had me.

And though they played bad,
Their park appealed–
Wrig-uh-ly Field.

I sat through Jim Kremmel, Chuck Rainey, and Wayne Nordhagen–
Mike Vail and Karl Pagel were touted as saviors back then.

Sat terrace reserved,
Bleachers and box,
Never threw rocks.

And when they played well,
I cheered loud,
Part of the crowd.

But 2003 was so bitter that I had to leave,
And since then they’ve given no reasons that I ought to grieve.

I still love the game,
If somebody plays, I
Watch every day.

But root for the Cubs?
That’s in the can.
No longer a fan.