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Bill Roberts
Squeeze Play
With Jackie Robinson on third,
either from a triple, double and
stolen base, walk or single and
two stolen bases, you could bet
that whoever was up next (and
it really didn't matter who it was,
they all sacrificed proficiently
in those days) was going to lay
down a bunt, usually on the second
or third pitch -- the first was often
a pitch-out to try to trap Jackie
heading hellbent toward the plate
-- the ball being fielded by the third
or first baseman, scooped up with
a bare hand and zinged futilely
to the catcher who would be
barreled into and run over by Jackie
whose bruised body, some part
of it, would touch the plate while
the rest of him cartwheeled over
the sprawled catcher and into
a virtual fit of glee after once again
scoring a run on the squeeze play,
or suicide bunt which sounded
even more ominous, just as all of us
pale onlookers knew he would,
back in the days when ballplayers
could bunt and Jackie Robinson
scared the bejesus out of anyone
fool enough to get in his way.
©2006 by Bill Roberts
Bill Roberts is a retired nuclear weapons expert who
writes poetry for the small press to relax. He has
recently returned from France fifteen pounds heavier, and
has resumed spoiling his two dogs. If he could turn
back the clock, he'd get up much later and pursue a
career in opera (non-singing roles).
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