by James Finn Garner
Dock Ellis dropping LSD
Yankee pitchers swapping keys
The Bird and Bill Lee spacing out
The Babe battling the clap and gout
While these actions might be reckless,
Modern players seem so feckless,
Corporate suits with all the spice
Of a Pepsi Lite with lime, no ice.
I want to bellow: “Why be normal?
“Show some life! Don’t be so formal!”
It’s more fun to watch Lee Van Cleef
Than cheer for Wally without the Beave.
Lee van Cleef!
With the Philadelphia Phillies, circa 1979, the mustached Steve Carlton looks JUST LIKE LEE VAN CLEEF.
All those players were real, unrehearsed
They made hay, they would feel, often cursed
They were heroes, unvarnished
Not those zeroes, untarnished,
Who today in the deal are well versed.