Being a captive of the 21st century,
but more at home in the 20th,
I remember the golden years of baseball
in the 50s when Snider, Mantle and Mays
ruled the outfield grass of local ballparks.
So I have come late, cap in hand,
to the modern underground tunnel
to see present day ballplayers check
their stance, launch angles, past records,
pitchers, pitches, and optimum counts.
And via the use of spreadsheets,
they analyze their most potent hitting zones.
They also study media reports on which
members of the press are for or against them;
they also calculate their chances
for free agency market riches.
Snider, Mantle and Mays were pawns
of moneyed baseball owners then,
but today’s players in the tunnel
will emerge into the bright sunlight of
the batter’s box standing on their own two feet.
THE POETRY OF THE GAME