AN ODE TO BASEBALL

• Posted on 6 November 2023
• By Carl Lemelin
• 1

Our condolences, sorry for your loss. The 2023 baseball season has taken its last breath, and the time has come to reflect on how this great game has impacted all our lives, and why it means so much to us.

The pennants of our favorite teams are all at half-mast; we feel like dressing in all black, we are sad, and we have a hard time concentrating at work. Oh yes, it's the annual mourning of baseball fanatics.

The Texas Rangers won the very first World Series in their history, just as we predicted in our playoff blog (well, not really!), and the season is over. Fortunately, just like Jesus at Easter, our favorite sport will once again rise from its ashes next spring.

In the meantime, I thought it fitting to pay tribute to the national pastime that holds such a significant place in our hearts, our customs, and our lives, enriching each of our days from March to November. Here is my ode to baseball!

AN ODE TO BASEBALL

A stick and ball

Oh, the possibilities it conjures!

From spring to fall

Wherever the posse gathers

A stick and a ball

A contrast of simplicity and intricacy

A game that pairs chaos with symmetry

Tradition with technology

The Silent Generation with Generation Z

Friends with foes

And memories from the past with… who knows?

A stick and a ball

From the glaciers in Canada

To the southern tip of Australia

From the decrepit streets of Republica Dominicana

To the architectural masterpieces of America

From the Land of the Rising Sun, Nippon

To Cuba, where capitalism is frowned upon

A stick and a ball

Only those who play can relate

That feeling that overwhelms your senses

When you step up to the plate

And crush one senseless

That majestic, seemingly unending flight

Sailing way over the wall

Is a testament to all your might

And the thrill of it all

A stick and a ball

They say pitching is an art

But what artist do you know

Could conquer the behemoth Aaron Judge

Like a hunter with an arrow

But in lieu of a bow

Are five fingers and a nudge

A stick and a ball

Ballerinas of the diamond

Masters of the leather

The grace of a great fielder

Is simply beyond comparison

A diving catch

A jump-throw in full extension

With a scoop at first to match

A double-play so swift

It leaves the hitter miffed

A stick and a ball

Baseball, the numbers sport

So much to sort

RBI’s, homeruns, ERA’s, and WAR

Statcast even tells us how hard, fast and far

Math and physics at work

But don’t you call me a dork!

A stick and a ball

If hand-eye skills are a measure of athleticism

Ball players are the epitome

I hear your scepticism

But try just once and you will see

Making contact on 90 MPH fastball

As a task is quite tall

Add curves, sinkers, changeups, sliders and sweepers to mix

Because those wizards of the mound

Possess all the tricks

And the most challenging feat in sports you have found

 A stick and a ball

A sunny afternoon at the ballpark

Wide-eyed youngsters seeing their heroes perform

Feats that are far from the norm

While grown-ups gaze in bewilderment

But also, with much envy

At the astounding gathering of talent

That only “at the ol’ ball game” you will see

National anthems and the 7^th inning stretch

Hot dogs, ice cream and cotton candy

Foul balls in the crowd you can fetch

And perhaps a ninth inning rally

All things that induce smiles and glee

And inspire gratefulness to be

In the Land of the Free

And for the uninitiated out there

All it would take is one throw

Or one spectacular snare

Of a shot headed for the bleachers’ second row

Or one perfectly located pitch

For you to get the itch

And like us hear the call

To love a sport so consummate

That all you need to play it

Is a stick and ball