1890-1920

They played with intensity
A rough and tumble lot.
Ruth introduced majesty
But the drinking did not stop.

Bad marriage

Cobb’s wife lived in fear
Of hubby’s terrible rage.
How many tears,
Hoping he’d die in middle age?

Ty didn’t believe in hitting to the fences.
He missed the old days- low scores, tight defenses.

To show he could do it,
Ty hit homers for a couple of days,
Went back to old school ways.

His pride intact.
He proved to the world he was master of the bat.

Pitchers used to have the power
Defense the name of the game.
Fathers preached by the hour
In life it’s exactly the same.

Ruth arrived with godly might
People daydreamed deep into night.
It makes sense
To swing for the fence.

Dad had to understand.
Ruth created the modern man.

No palm trees in big leagues then.
Ruth made fans feel like they were in paradise.
Babe a gift from heaven.
Right before their eyes.

When fans saw Ruth unleash his power
They erupted with a roar.

Never being allowed to flower
They clamored for more.

In the old days when they drank so much
Their dreams were that much bigger.
It must have been hard to stop
Finding out they were no big leaguer.