I think the seizures started not long after
I was hit in the head with a throw
while running the bases in the minors
(I was unconscious for more than a day),
and I’m sure they weren’t helped
by gas exposure and a head wound during the war;
the alcoholism started at least two generations back,
though few thought of it that way back then.
Striking out Lazzeri with the bases and me both loaded
has made for a colorful dramatic tale,
and some have speculated that my drinking
actually helped my pitching by relaxing me.
Such speculation may be fun for those making it,
but it remains just that: unprovable speculation.
I tend to think the drinking didn’t help my pitching:
I tried to dry out many times,
but I just couldn’t, and it killed me.
THE POETRY OF THE GAME