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Poetry Sunday: Analysis of Baseball

I'm not a big sports fan in general. But there is one game that 
I love, that I have loved since I was twelve years old and that 
is baseball. I love the grace, the balletic quality of the players 
in the field as they go for the ball. I love the twitchiness of the 
batters at the plate as they fiddle with their gloves, adjust their 
helmets, and play for time as they try to figure out what the 
pitcher is going to throw next. I love watching the pitcher and 
catcher collaborate as they work on a plan to get this guy out. I 
love the fact that it is a timeless game; i.e., it's played without a 
clock. The only limiting factor is 27 outs - and sometimes not 
even that is enough. I love the fact that the same game can be 
played by 6'2" Mike Trout and 5'6" (maybe on a good day) Jose 
Altuve and that Jose Altuve can win, proving that size truly 
doesn't matter, except maybe the size of the heart.

I think May Swenson loved baseball, too, and she summed it up 
perfectly in this poem.    


Analysis of Baseball

by May Swenson


It's about
the ball,
the bat,
and the mitt.
Ball hits
bat, or it
hits mitt.
Bat doesn't
hit ball, bat
meets it.
Ball bounces
off bat, flies
air, or thuds
ground (dud)
or it
fits mitt.

Bat waits
for ball
to mate.
Ball hates
to take bat's
bait. Ball
flirts, bat's
late, don't
keep the date.
Ball goes in
(thwack) to mitt,
and goes out
(thwack) back
to mitt.

Ball fits
mitt, but
not all
the time.
Sometimes
ball gets hit
(pow) when bat
meets it,
and sails
to a place
where mitt
has to quit
in disgrace.
That's about
the bases
loaded,
about 40,000
fans exploded.

It's about
the ball,
the bat,
the mitt,
the bases
and the fans.
It's done
on a diamond,
and for fun.
It's about
home, and it's
about run.
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Comments

  1. SnapJuly 24, 2016 at 7:39 AM

    Love it! Go Astros!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Dorothy BordersJuly 24, 2016 at 10:56 AM

      We do love our Astros. Let's hope they can keep playing like they are at the moment.

      Delete
  2. CarmenJuly 24, 2016 at 1:32 PM

    Love it! Catches the spirit of the game perfectly. I'm rooting for the Mets.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Dorothy BordersJuly 24, 2016 at 4:44 PM

      Ah, the hated Mets! I remember them well from when the Astros were a National League club and the Mets were our nemesis.

      Delete
  3. Judy KruegerJuly 24, 2016 at 2:03 PM

    Brilliant!

    ReplyDelete
  4. AnonymousJuly 24, 2016 at 3:51 PM

    Enjoyed this. Kind of you to share.

    ReplyDelete

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