The Baseball Chronicle

Poetry, June 2009

Yeah? So?

By Ember Nickel

I am a fan. I have not always been.
But I could not point to the moment when
I became more than just a rider on
A bandwagon whose station is long gone.

Perhaps disappointment is the real test?
To root for the best takes little, they say.
Was it when outcomes didn’t go my way
But I kept rooting with all of my zeal
That I was for real? That depends on what
Is meant by “outcomes”. The score’s one thing, but
There’s worse. What if the bandwagon’s wheels were
Wrongly greased to lure in fools like me? It
Shouldn’t matter now, even if each hit
That drew me to the game was wrong. I’m still
A fan, and I will keep being one. The
Ends don’t justify the means. Ends can’t be
Burdened, on the other hand, with means’ blame.
We can’t save the game from its saviors past.
Too big to save or destroy, it will last.

Share & Save

  • Tweet
  • Print
  • bbchron.com/go/107

About the author

Ember Nickel’s hobbies include playing chess, saxophone, and with the AM radio dial to listen to games 400 miles away. The results of various attempts to play with the English language can be found at Lipogram! Scorecard!

← Previous story Next story →

Recently

Essays

Ron

By Todd Cosner

A tribute to a legendary Cub, beloved as a player and broadcaster.

Personal Stories

The Knothole

By Phil Bencomo

Witness the crush of people in front of the 10-foot-wide window into Wrigley Field. Where they congregated before 2006, when the knothole in the outfield wall was carved, I do not know. But they are together now.

Reporting

The Once and Future Baseball Man

By Phil Bencomo

Victor Wang hasn't played baseball competitively since he was a kid. He knew, back in elementary school in the '90s, that he'd never reach the pros. That he'd struggle even in Little League. That he simply wasn't very good. So he quit.

Fiction

Strike Zone

By Paul Lonardo

Bump hadn't seen him in decades. No one had. He disappeared, as if he'd never existed, just months into a brilliant major league career. But there he was, Ron Flury, sitting three stools away in a Jacksonville bar.

Podcast

Podcast home | Subscribe in iTunes

Archive

Or browse the whole thing, on a single page.

About

The Baseball Chronicle is an online magazine that celebrates the narrative. We publish personal stories, essays, journalism and more—great stories, of all varieties, about our favorite game.

Tell your story today.

gipoco.com is neither affiliated with the authors of this page nor responsible for its contents. This is a safe-cache copy of the original web site.