Mehring Monday: Baseball Poetry

By Chris Mehring

February 27, 2012

It is getting to be the busy time of the season and it's time to take a little bit of a break.

A lot of the fun writing that I am doing right now may be found over at Rattler Radio. It's a series of posts titles 50 Years in 50 Days. It takes a look at each year of Appleton Professional Baseball from 1962 as part of the 50th anniversary of the organization joining the Midwest League.

To close out this volume of posts here is something that the Foxes published in their programs during the late 60's and early 70's under the title of Prayer of a Ball Player.

The original poem was titled Prayer of a Sportsman by Berton Braley. Braley, a native of Madison, Wisconsin, was born in 1882. According to Wikipedia, Braley was a prolific writer of verse for many magazines between 1900 and his death in 1966.

This seems an appropriate way to get ready for the 2012 baseball season.

Dear Lord, in the battle that goes on through life I ask but a field that is fair, A chance that is equal with all in the strife, A courage to strive and to dare;

And if should win, let it be by the code With my faith and my honor held high; And if I should lose, let me stand by the road, And cheer as the winners go by!

And Lord, may my shouts be ungrudging and clear, A tribute that comes from the heart, And let me not cherish a snarl or a sneer Or play any sniveling part;

Let me say, "There they ride, on whom laurel's bestowed Since they played the game better than I." Let me stand with a smile by the side of the road, And cheer as the winners go by!

So grant me to conquer, if conquer I can, By proving my worth in the fray, But teach me to lose like a regular man, And not like a craven, I pray;

Let me take off my hat to the warriors who strode To victory splendid and high, Yea, teach me to stand by the side of the road And cheer as the winners go by!