39 comments on “YANKEES AT THE BAT”

  1. Well, aside from the small glitch of making game four game five and so on, a very, very clever and funny poem indeed.

    And given how long the games got, it’s easy to forget the numbering. All told I think this series ran about ten games. It’s the LotR of baseball, all extended edition at that.

  2. I thought the curse was about winning the World Series.

    Is that broken?

    Red Sox fans are so arrogant, wait until its over before you crow so much.

    When its over crow loud, but please wait.

  4. I like it. I like it a lot. I admired you before I met you in Brockton; I admired you more after that and I think you are one of the supreme talents writing today.

    And, when you’re back in the Bay State you will be the recipient of a batch of my wife’s most excellent chocolate chip cookies.

    Mark

  5. >> Red Sox fans are so arrogant, wait until
    >> its over before you crow so much.

    You have GOT to be kidding me.

    My Sox, whom I’ve loved and been tortured by
    since childhood, just made history. We went
    and caused the most dominant team in baseball
    to choke like no other team before them…

    …and you’re telling us not to crow so much?

    BwaaHahahahAHAHAhahahahHAAHAHah!

    Far as many of us are concerned, that WAS the
    World Series, man.

    Anything that follows is just icing.

  11. And in Ohio, one reader sat and waited all the week
    He refreshed and rebooted, always hoping, and yes, he felt it reeked.
    He watched that screen with great aplomb, and with anger then, he spewed
    Where the frell was that previously promised Farscape miniseries review?!

  12. Peter, are you aware that Martin Gardner compiled a whole bunch of Casey parodies in his Annotated Casey at the Bat? You might want to send him a copy of this poem.

  13. Hey PAD, you love old “Casey @ the Bat” song/ rhyme, eh? I personally just know it from the old Disney cartoon. But you did that GREAT issue of Hulk (435) where it was Rhino vs. Hulk when they were both baseball players. That was one of my favourite issues & you did did the same Casey at the Bat play on it. “But there was no joy in Sunville cuz the Rhino’s been punched out.” “As far as fights go, it was pure poetry”

    Not that I’m calling you on it, I just think its cool you dig the ryhme so much. Is it a ryhme or a song anyway? Like I said, my only frame of reference is the old Disney cartoon.

    Ok PAD I think you should start working “Casey At the Bat” into EVERYTHING you write. From now on. All the way. New Froniter, Sir Apropos, Fallen Angel, Madrox. Everything. Just try to jam it in there as ham-fisted as possible. Please?

  14. BRAVO! Author! Author!
    If the straight prose gig ever goes south Peter, you can always try your hand at more poetry! 😉
    GO ‘STROS! (Our game 7 is tonight!)

  19. Peter, Frank Jacobs would be proud of this. And If you grew up reading as many MADs as I did, you know what high praise that is.

    Steve Leavell

  20. Hmm. Is there another Toby out there? Or did someone just mess up (or messing with me?).

    Since I’m really here, though, I figured I’d pitch in my congrats to the Sox. I’m not a huge baseball fan (though after going to a game in person that changed somewhat), but my brother and grandfather are huge fans. I only tend to pay attention when they’re doing good things.

    Monkeys.

  21. Great poem! Of course, it probably has the most disgusting, filthy line about the whole series:

    and A-Rod

  22. More Baseball Stuff

    A lovely poem about the Sox-Yanks series.
    Also, a brief summary of pretty much everything that’s relevant in major league baseball right now, for anyone who’s lived on Mars (or overseas) for the past, say, century or so.

  24. Hello Peter,

    A friend sent me the URL for your Yankees at the bat, and my first thought was, “I know that guy”. Do you remember wayyyyyy back when? I used to be part owner of New England Comics in Boston, and you were just starting out with Marvel. Marvel had just released it’s “New Universe” books, and you were writing one of the books (sorry to have to remind you). We had you and the artist (Steve somebody?) in for an appearance/signing.

    Of all the guests we had in over those years, you and Steve were the best. I had a great time hanging with you two, and while I have been out of the comics business for over 20 years, and rarely read them anymore, I do see your name on things ocassionally. You seem to have done prety well for yourself. I had a hunch even way back when that you would. 🙂

    Anyway, I loved the poem…and if any of you Yankee fans need help coping with this, feel free to ask. We Sox fans have been coping for 86 years. Start with repeating after me… “Just wait until next year” 🙂
    -Brad

  25. This is wonderful, except that I wish you had spared a word for mighty Schilling, or the fear that came over the fans when Martinez was looking not too good in Game 7.

    But I’ll link to this anyway.

    Karen in Tucson, former home of the Tucson Toros (including Schilling, Biggio, Lofton and others).

  27. The mighty, heroic and all-around inspiring performance of Mr. Curt Schilling would warrant a poem all unto its own!

    Many thanks for a fine ode to the Red Sox triumph – the greatest comeback ever!

    4 more, God All-Mighty – 4 more!!!! Please!!!!
    -Luciano

  29. And from today’s Boston Globe, this update on Schilling:

    “Before every World Series game Red Sox ace Curt Schilling pitches, his doctors will perform the same quick-fix ankle stitch-up that enabled him to dominate the Yankees Tuesday night in New York.

    The procedure, which must be undone after every game to prevent infection, will allow him to pitch effectively through the series against the St. Louis Cardinals, said his doctors yesterday. And if his pitching services are needed to help save a game in later innings, his doctors are prepared to do the procedure in the middle of a game in order to get him on the mound, they said. The stitching can be done in 10 minutes with just a local anesthetic.”

    They state that this will not make the situation worse, and Schilling’s going in for surgery about 1-3 days after the end of the Series.

    Me, I’m waiting for the commercial from a certain Boston-area based office supply company. Shot of doctor running through the aisles to pick up certain office equipment, then cut to a dugout with a background soundtrack of Fenway going nuts. The doctor uses the office equipment on Schilling’s ankle. Cut to company logo and tagline: “Staples. Yeah, we got that.”

    And, for those who are interested, the Sox have made some, to me anyway, interesting choices of singers for the first two games:

    “Aerosmith’s Steven Tyler will perform the national anthem and “American Idol” winner Kelly Clarkson will sing “God Bless America” for Game 1. James Taylor will sing the anthem and Donna Summer will perform “God Bless America” for Game 2″

    I’d like to hear Taylor’s version. I’m curious as to just what a Steven Tyler version of the anthem is going to sound like. I’m hoping they get Peter Wolf of the J. Geils Band for something later on if needed. And, frankly, while I suspect they disbanded for the season a month ago, I wouldn’t at all mind music for these by the entire Boston Pops orchestra. But Clarkson’s a bad choice (OK, so I’m an old fogey who’s not an American Idol fan) in my opinion…but if they do a New Kids On The Block reunion, I’m going to start wishing the Yankees had won.

  30. From a comment on Teresa Nielsen Hayden’s blog:

    “To whomever far, far upstream posted the link to Peter David’s Red Sox rhyme: thank you. I enjoyed it, and so did my friend who works at the Baseball Hall of Fame. I imagine it is well circulated in Cooperstown by now.”

  31. Sox up 4-0 after the first inning.

    Game tied 7-7 after the sixth inning.

    And so it begins…

  32. You’ve got to check this out…Arcana thinks they broke the Curse…cool comic and HOT chick…I hope they did or anything/anyone does…but as a previous poster said….this is icing. We beat the YANKEES!! after coming back from a feat that has NEVER EVER been done in the history of baseball…dudes..the curse is over…now we just have two more games to go to win the World Series!!!

  34. Yankees At The Bat

    It doesn’t have the apocalypic implications of last year’s playoffs, but it’s very satisfying that the Sox have another chance to snap the back of the Curse. Peter David puts the whole thing into verse so we don’t have to.

  35. I don’t want to say anything definite for fear of jinxing anything, but there is a certain team in Game 3 that has the appearance of a jinxed, beaten, self-defeating team. That team is famous for a red-colored article of clothing. However, that article of clothing is their red caps and not their red socks. Anyway, I had better go to bed now. A part of me expect the Red Sox to blow this lead in the last three innings as the real St. Louis Cardinals show up. But if not—we may have to stop talking about the Curse of the Bambino and start talking about the Curse of Dom Denlinger…

    Sincerely,

    Edward J. Cunningham

  36. Looks like a BIG party in Boston tonight. my prayers will be with you all, both to get the win, and that the celebrations are relatively non-dangerous (“peaceful” is a pipe-dream).

    police officers and emergency vehicles, start your engines.

    and remember, it’s Chicago’s turn next year….

  37. Some people say ” It Doesn’t matter if you win by an inch or a mile winnings, winning.”
    now just apply that to baseball. At which the red sox prevailed the yanks. the yanks really suck now b/c it was said they wouldnt/ couldn’t lose to the redsox, yet they did. As peter said in the poem the curse was now passed on to the yankees and they to will not win for another 86 years!!!

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