54 days until pitchers and catchers
(wait til next year)
baseball has a way…
five golden-armed young pitchers–
can this magic last?
spate of injuries–
hoped to skip only one start–
gone for the season
a sacrifice fly–
put him in the clean-up spot
veteran presence
first major league start–
sometimes faith is rewarded
pitched well yet again
eighth-inning rally
the ever calm elder sage
a pinch-hit grand slam
fastballs and sinkers
keeping the team in the game
seven shut-out innings
turn to the bullpen
(give up runs and you lose games)
his command was poor
bottom of the ninth
flyout to right, left, center
then it was over
baseball has a way…
the lingering question is–
(the silence in Queens)
All phrases in this haiku sequence taken from sports stories about the Mets in the NY newspapers during the final two months of the 2016 season.
The Day is Ruthian
Bat-welder, changer
of games, Bronx Sultan of Swat:
Forever The Babe
Echoing my post from yesterday a bit: it’s always a good day to celebrate baseball. And who deserves a day of celebration more than Babe Ruth? George Herman Ruth put up stats as both hitter and pitcher that still stand in the top 10 of all time, and he did it while maintaining a famous appetite for good food with a physique to match.
Fat Cats crushed the House
That You Built, casting shadows
of shoes still unfilled
My haiku draws its inspiration from the NaWriPoMo prompt from way back on day 20 to include kennings (a phrase that describes something without using its actual name) in a poem. Baseball is full of them.
Let’s hope today finds us all batting 1000.
Almost Spring
“They throw the ball, I hit it; they hit the ball, I catch it.”
–Willie Mays
“Wait till next year” they
say, and here are arms to throw
a curve, a fast ball.
Who can say that I
will not be able to hit
that ball out, send it
much farther than they
have ever seen? to reach up, hit
the stars with that ball.
Listen closely: I
can hear bats sing. Come catch
the magic of it.
As usual: explanations. Laura at Create Art Everyday asked me awhile ago to put my Mets obsession on hold and draw Chris Davis, who plays first base for her team, the Baltimore Orioles. I had been planning to, and got an extra push with a poetic prompt from Colleen and Ronovan: write something based on a quote you find inspiring. The theme was “wisdom”, and who is wiser about baseball (and life) than Willie Mays?
Quotes are perfect for shovel poems: look at the last word of each line.
Opening Day Sunday April 3! The real first day of spring!
d’Ark Knight and d’Arnaud
spring…as in hope springs
eternally to hot summer nights
of euphoria and despair
For the uninitiated, Matt Harvey (The Dark Knight of Gotham aka Batman) and Travis d’Arnaud (who seems not to have acquired a nickname yet) are pitcher and catcher for the New York Mets.
Pitchers and Catchers! Can spring be far behind…?
This is where we left the Mets in October. We’ll see where 2016 takes us. “You can’t predict baseball,” as John Sterling, the Yankees broadcaster, is fond of saying.
Catchers (and Pitchers…)
back to back walks…
the catcher takes the pitcher
to the top of the mound
–Tom Clausen
I couldn’t let too much time go by without noting that the Mets finally have their second Baseball Hall of Fame member…Mike Piazza.
Tom Clausen is a haiku poet who works at Cornell. You can see more of his writing here.
…and only 33 days until pitchers and catchers.
…to be continued
Mistakes were made. Second guessing abounds.
Still.
The Mets were supposed to be mediocre, finishing 3rd in their division. The pundits predicted Nats-Blue Jays or maybe Dodgers-Royals in the World Series. (Also forgotten: the Cubs and the Astros.)
It was an unexpected ride. And in baseball: yes! there is crying (see Wilmer Flores), and yes! there is always next year for redemption (just ask Kansas City).
103 days until pitchers and catchers.
Yes, I’m Smiling
The Mets’ win-loss record may be worse than the top 3 teams in the NL Central, but who cares? Anything can happen in the playoffs.
I’d also like to note that Curtis Granderson has been a steady presence this season through good times and bad. He leads the team in hits, OBP, walks, and runs scored, and is in the top ten in the National League in both walks and runs scored.
And the man knows the correct way to slide home.
Random Drawings from Last Week (#2)
Nina asked for more cats after my first set of Random Drawings (https://methodtwomadness.wordpress.com/2015/06/29/random-drawings-from-last-week/). Tabby was around quite a bit last week, doing various cat things. OK, mostly sleeping.
We went to see the Mets and Diamondbacks at CitiField (a haven, like all stadiums these days, for corporate sponsorship…). Mets fan: happy. D’backs fan: don’t ask.
The players stretched before the game. Why can’t they stay still?
We were kind of (way) above home plate, so I had a better view of the pitchers than the batters.
The fans (or “guests” as they are now called) ate, as fans do.
I also drew a car parked in front of my house. I definitely need some practice on drawing cars.
Serena!
from point to set
from opponent to played
she! first again
I haven’t used the haiku generator in awhile…I combined a few of its ideas taken from text about Wimbledon and tennis in general.
Her dance is strong and beautiful. I did some quick sketches of the action.
One to go…good luck, Serena!
method two madness 
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