DESIGNATED HERO

What my team needs more than anything else
As we find ourselves in this stretch run
After a season that has seen its roller-coaster combat
Is a designated hero —
One steady player who is always there,
Always eager to face the pressure, laugh, and perform.
We need a baseball hero who will not fade away
During a game because a really good pitcher is facing him,
But rather someone who will shine and grow and meet the challenge
Time after time, a hitter who will use his sharpened sight
To meet the pitch as it swerves away from what was once
A direct course to the catcher’s mitt, use his tiger-reflexes
To swing and meet the ball as it tries to escape the contact
That we so need to see and hear.
We need such a designated hero every game day
So we can smile and enjoy anticipation
Rather than fret and look away; that would be a blessing,
A reward for our season-long faithfulness,
A tasty meal at the end of weeks of near-starvation.
We are here; we haven’t gone away; we’re not like that.
We deserve this blessing from the Gods of Baseball;
Recognize us and assure us that our star starter will perform.
We ask no more: a daily designated hero
Who will lead us to nirvana, to the fields where games are played
That stir us and excite us and renew our love of the Chase.
We need a hero who will steady the sometimes shaky ride
And guide us to the treasured title that has too long eluded us.
That is all we seek.