Tribute to Billy Werber, by Bob M.

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For baseball fans everywhere:

 

The Ballad of Billy Werber

 

It was somewhere between '34 and '36

and the scene was Fenway Park;

The Red Sox were hosting the Yankees,

The day Billy Werber made his mark.

 

I don't recall who's pitching, but he's

angry and over-wrought;

He'd just walked this Werber kid

And he did not do that a lot!

 

Somewhere out there in Google-land,

There may be an account of this feat;

But, I was there in person,

On a bench they called a seat.

 

After drawing the walk, Werber heads for first,

The catcher, Dickey holding the ball;

Lazzeri, is no where near second

Paying no attention to the “ball 4” call.

 

Crosetti, the shortstop is checking his hair,

hat off, fingers scratching away;

Everybody seems half asleep on this

balmy, mid-summer day.

 

As Billy makes the turn at first,

he's watching these all-stars freeze,

So he puts his butt in second gear

and slides into second with ease!

 

Many years later I heard that Cobb

had pulled the same thing once,

And a few others had likewise tried,

but not really a whole big bunch.

 

In 1930, Billy was a Yankee,

where Crosetti amd Lazzeri held sway;

He rode the bench and played off and on;

Until it came; a career changing great day.

 

He was traded to the Red Sox,

and became a very familiar face;

Can you imagine the smile he beamed

standing tall on second base?

 

This came so early in a great career,

that not much was written or said,

Until the word came out of Charlotte,

that the great Billy Werber was dead.

 

Some times stats tell a story

that are true but incomplete;

and there are few of his equal in Cooperstown,

not when you're talking “compete.”

 

His numbers can be easily found, hitting, fielding,

(man, how he could run---!)

He fought to the day in two thousand eight, but

couldn't quite make it to a hundred and one!

[dustcover]

I like it. Good thread.