Description
If God Invented Baseball – poems by E. Ethelbert Miller
Publication Date: February 13, 2018
Paperback ISBN: 978-1-947951-00-6 — $14.95
eBook ISBN: 978-1-947951-01-3 — $9.99
“Ethelbert Miller is one of the most significant and influential poets of our time.” –Gwendolyn Brooks
When I was growing up in the South Bronx baseball was the game I played across the street. It was in the playground next to P.S. 39. I lived at 938 Longwood Avenue on the second floor.
A cousin Robert lived two floors above and possessed the name Dinky. He was two years older but ahead of his time. Dinky read books by Herman Khan, Isaac Asimov and Arthur C. Clarke. He also loved Roberto Clemente, Tommy Davis and Don Drysdale. Dinky and I would play baseball together even when there was snow on the ground.
There is no future without baseball. There is no past either. My childhood memories will always embrace the New York Yankees of Bobby Richardson, Tony Kubek, Bill Skowron, Roger Maris, Mickey Mantle, Yogi Berra, Hector Lopez and Elston Howard. Yes, a line-up of remembrance.
One should always have a romantic relationship with a sports team. I love the Washington Nationals with all the joy and heartbreak only a Cubs or Red Sox fan would understand. I admire Dusty Baker and should have written this book with a toothpick in my mouth.
Here are poems that celebrate and interpret the game. They are for everyone who has experienced the magic released when three holy things come together: bat, ball and glove.
