Yes we can is the easy answer to that – inquiries with he who should know, a savant type who suggested this form in the first place as being well suited to an acerbic baseball board says great start, now move on. Why? It can be more satisfying, more fun to attempt the purer form and it turns out to be an easy upgrade.
New mantra – AA/BB per se does not a Clerihew make.
The Metric, the peculiar, fractured metric.
This is at the heart of it. Reread the Christopher Wren one, the first on the Wiki page. In particular the truncated third line, the greatly expanded fourth. There’s your bite. This could be taken as a baseball example of what he’s talking about, below…
Albert Hall
with his back to the wall
hitting one forty nine
there was minimal consensus to enshrine.
That’s a good, simple baseball Clerihew primarily because the metric has largely been captured and the last line incorporates the whimsy factor in the form of hyperbole – there would have been no consensus at all. But the metric is what is important.
Here’s a so-so one, near miss in two senses…
the swinging bunt
it doth affront
such mighty force
near miss of course.
this actually is a good little poem but is not a classic/purist Clerihew – all four lines about the same length. It was meant to convey a Fielder/Sandoval type getting to first base embarrassed that his mighty swipe produced but a little dribbler and feeling he had to explain it .
Try to change the format?
the swinging bunt
always the potential to affront
such wasted force
must likely be explained as a near miss of course.
take your choice…but one is a classic Clerihew metric, one not. And the greater length of the last line provides more space for the whimsy factor to be introduced. So to conclude this metric thing…
Yes, there are always multiple exceptions and we said from the start pretty much anything goes with the Clerihew, and it does…but read fifty of them in all styles once they’re up and choose the style you prefer…might you not agree sometimes it’s more fun, more of a challenge, this way? The other characteristics we seek – forced rhymes etc – we will leave for another day.. much relief all round.
Freddy Gonzalez
Annoys most all of us
Mike Foltynewicz?
Let him bat and then switch
@1, 🙂
Darrell Evans
the ladies at sixes and sevens
he swung for the ages
vicariously inventing the tabloid pages.
Tom Glavine
he pitched well at Chavez Ravin
LaSorda annoyed
he got calls a yard outside,into the void.
Al Hrbosky was just on MLB talking to Russo in his capacity as a Cardinals broadcaster -I did not know he had any other source of income.
Al Hrbosky
was injured while playing long tosski
we’re paying him still
a Hungarian bank is listed in our will.
Nick Esasky
Need directions? Don’t ask he
He developed vertigo
Turning our free agent investment into an inferno
Thankfully, the Falcons stepped in last night and, despite making a real effort to blow it, ended what has been a solid two straight months of nothing but complete and abject sports misery for me (a couple of small and meaningless victories scattered across sports notwithstanding). Thank you, Falcons!
I genuinely wonder: What the odds are for the Braves to win just 1 of these 3 games in the Toronto series?
Right now, the Jays are looking like ringers on some beer-league softball team. It seems like they score 2 or 3 runs every first inning they play. Hell, last Friday night at Yankee Stadium, they scored 5 while I was on line waiting for a new Guinness keg.
#6
Yes, it was encouraging to watch a game that mattered from a team that’s trying to win. And thank goodness that Saturday football is here as well.
It’s amazing how the most innocent feeling flatus can be absolutely toxic.
Greg Maddux
his great grandad fought at Appomattox
the shots that he fired
veered left, then dipped and were universally admired.
Chipper Jones
we say he has Shea in his bones
they say La-rry, La-rry
so who’s the next you will ma-rry?
Vinny Castilla
two homers a week? Mama Mia!
at five feet tall
we just marveled he could ever play at all.
Jim John-son
we are grateful that for us your swan-song
was much superior
to that which you produced in the Chavez interior.
Alex Wood
if circumstance allowed that he could
prefers to be here
around Puig there’s a certain element of fear.
the Cuban mafioso
whose ethics he calls soso
there’s a contract out
and it’s not one whose terms one can readily flout.
Arodis Vizcaino
in his youth he played classical piano
tho’ his skills did diminish
he starts well but somehow he can never finish.
BJ Surhoff
he would give you the shirt off
his back
but had no propensity to attack.
Jason Marquis
to a certain degree
the pick of the bunch
we sold on a hunch.
Wilson Betemit
he and his dad both bet a bit
they were asked about Pete
they couldn’t remember anything, discrete.
Damian Moss
we remember becoss
his stay so short
he refused to be tort.
Marcus Giles
he had just too many miles
Brian his brother
they both blamed everything on their mother.
Donnie Veal
we know exactly how you feel
no sooner here than gone
as transient, the ultimate sine qua non.
Williams Perez
he’s originally from Mexico so he sez
now he’s hiding el chapo
in a tunnel somewhere underneath his chateau.
Kent Mercker
No relation to Larry Dierker
Both pitched a no-hitter
But Kent couldn’t finish his–he had to use the shitter
So. Freddie Freeman.
Why isn’t Olivera playing? Am I the only one bothered by this?
We don’t want him to be too tired for winter league.
I want the Braves to get that #1 pick, but does it matter? This team will probably draft the same Georgia-born high school pitcher in the first round, regardless of if it’s the #1 pick, or #10.
Don and Jim are enthusiastic about Daniel Castro and noticeably cool talking about everyone else on the team.
I sort of respect AJ Pierzynski. Never thought I’d feel that way about him.
Braves had men on second and third, no out, and I’m all excited they actually got one run out of it.
This season has changed me.
@22
AJ’s been great. He’s one of the few bright spots about this cluster of a season.
Chip and Joe were also raving about Castro. They all salivate over guys with no power.
Oppo yicketty for Justin Smoak. Julio has got to get himself vaccinated against the home run bug this off-season.
@25, I wouldn’t say they were raving in the radio booth. Just not depressed sounding.
Can Persian Julius make it out of the sixth? One more out to go…
Edit: Nope! Apparently he wasn’t too pleased with Fredi about it.
Persian Julius
We thought him an Ace but he was fooling us
Now not exactly a pillar
But at least he wins occasionally, unlike Shelby Miller
I’m sure Donaldson and Bautista are quaking in their spikes watching Brandon Cuniff warm up.
Brandon Cuniff
He’d be a good one if
He could pitch
If he ever learns how, he’ll be rich
Peterson (Jace)
Plays a nifty second base
Once a safety at Mcneese State
I wish he hit so hard at the plate
How many of these things need to happen for the Braves to become a .500 team next year:
1) Bringing the bullpen to a level it was at the beginning of this season.
2) Markakis regaining his power back to career levels.
3) 2 out of Folty, Wisler, Banuelos, and Perez become average-to-above-average starters.
4) Jace Peterson becomes an average second baseman offensively.
5) Sign power-hitting LF.
6) Average hitting CF.
7) Someone matches AJP’s production at catcher.
8) Hector Olivera becomes Travis Fryman.
9) Freddie returns to form.
10) Teheran returns to form.
11) Sign 5th starter.
Nice one Simba.
Win.
That was fun
John…
thanks, good work.
Alex, please check your e-mail. Thank you.
@33, this may sound wildly optimistic. but considering where we were in June #1 should just about do it by itself.
The market for starters is really deep this offseason. You have the obvious guys who will make tons of money (Zimmerman, Samardzija, Greinke, Cueto,Price and Kazmir etc), but there are also several potential reclamation project types that we could maybe get a good year out of without having to commit to years and dollars that will block the talent coming out of the farm system, assuming such a thing exists. I suppose I’d rather see us sign two of these kinds of guys to pillow contracts rather than getting stuck in a Derek Lowe type of deal. I’m seeing tons of names that I can remember at least being solid fantasy contributors in the last few years who are still relatively young: Brett Anderson, Bucholz, Chacin, (not Bruce) Chen, Marco Estrada Fister, Gallardo, Jaime Garcia, Iwakuma, Kennedy, Lackey, Latos, Colby Lewis, Lohse, Masterson, Bud Norris, and Porcello. Considering our need for short term veteran pitching depth, I think this market is pretty favorable.
Recap is up.