Yes, I know baseball is
70% failure as one more player
returns empty-handed to the dugout
after some foolish time at bat.
But what can a disheartened fan
say whose team has failed to keep
their collective heads above
the .500 waterline?
The specter of a long winter
sits outside my window,
and not even the small, warm
comforts of the hot stove league
will provide solace as other
teams revel in October joy.
What funereal words can I offer
to soften the blows of yet another
losing and disappointing season?
There’s nothing to do but clean out
the baseball locker in my mind,
and turn without enthusiasm
to other televised winter sports
I can watch with severely limited passion.
THE POETRY OF THE GAME