by Jim Siergey
Originally published in The Chicago Baseball Magazine.
Three for Miggy!
by Millie Bovich
Miggy knew well with this at bat
His brain on message ‘neath his hat
He struck the sphere
Heard thund’rous cheer
It’s Hit 3,000 — ‘magine that!
Miggy knew this was the night
And held that piece of lumber tight
A mighty swing
He whacked that thing
Just like a blast of dynamite!
3000’s not a mighty sum
If you count cars or bubble gum.
Count hits instead
I’ve heard it said
The hoopla’s ad infinitum!
Millie Bovich, a longtime Bardball contributor, has been a Tigers fan since the days of Hal Newhouser and Virgil Trucks.
Rename Them “The Hammers” Already
by James Finn Garner
Still doing the “tomahawk chop”
When everyone begs you to stop
You say it’s your mission
To keep up tradition–
You just like your racism with props.
Charles “Gabby” Hartnett
by Michael Ceraolo
You know why someone gets the nickname Gabby
And you can probably guess why someone
gets the nickname Old Tomato Face
(hint: Chicago during Prohibition, and after)
I know injuries are a part of the game,
but we would have won back-to-back Series
if I had been healthy in ’29
and Hornsby had been healthy in ’30
You know I was behind the plate
when Ruth allegedly called his shot;
he pointed to our bench with two fingers
(both teams had really been riding each other),
saying that was only two strikes, he had one left
You know about the famous homer in ’38,
but you may not know I got called on the carpet
for having my picture taken with Al Capone
after I had given him an autograph
What was I supposed to do, refuse his request?
A Topsy-Turvy Town
by James Finn Garner
As the Chi “City Series” rolls ’round,
There’s excitement on just one side of town
Giddy White Sox fans
Will be packing the stands
While Cubs fans their sorrows will drown.
Photo: Brian Cassella, Chicago Tribune