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A New Lineup

As a person of limited substance, I have always been drawn to both light verse and baseball.  In the first grade we were asked to recite a poem in front of the class.  Amidst various renditions of Roses are Red, Jack and Jill, and Twinkle Twinkle Little Star, I offered up Ogden Nash's Lineup for Yesterday: An ABC of Baseball Immortals -- all 26 stanzas and 104 lines.

In this popular poem - first published by SPORT Magazine in 1949 and seen HERE - I had discovered the masterful confluence of my two prime interests.  I was hooked young.and never lost my love for this unique work.  In fact, more than 50 years removed from that classroom, I still recite it to myself when I need to pass time waiting for the water to boil or the timer on the microwave to run its course. 



With that in mind - and desperately avoiding whatever task actually needed to be done - I attempted an homage to Mr. Nash with a modern "Lineup" comprised of the "Immortals" of my lifetime.  

I am well aware that one needs to share my extremely specific interests to understand this effort, but that did not deter me.  While I may lack Mr. Nash's gift for improvised language and clever wordplay, I am pleased with the result.  I imagine he might have been flattered by my effort.  At the very least, I'd hope he would not mind my imposition on his art.

With no further ado, and no illusion of comparison, I offer this lineup ... for the boy I was and the man I became.






























Comments

  1. JerryJune 21, 2017 at 11:17 PM

    Wow - you just transported me back to my youth - this was done with just the right deft touch.
    The surprises were delicious (Quisenberry! Tiant!).
    Thought I learned a new word - but help me with impervance?.
    I held my breath like a kid hoping you would include Tom Terrific, and of course you did not disappoint.
    Did you consider Gooden for K?
    Let's get this published/distributed!!!
    I am aware you have met a handful; what's the actual count there?

    ReplyDelete
  2. JerryJune 21, 2017 at 11:33 PM

    Try this one on for size:

    Dwight was a baseball meteor
    Made house calls at Shea
    .153 raised the bar
    Our own Doctor K

    Took liberties with the K placement in line 4. Maybe start a complete Mets version?!?!

    ReplyDelete

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