Learning to Swing #RedSox #TedWilliams

I remember playing catch with dad,
out in our back yard, between the pine trees,
the old first basemen’s glove of my father,
wanting to be like a Red Sox, our heroes,
Giving up Wonder, eating Yaz Bread religiously,
as if that would make them win,
the Impossible Dream, their games,
baseball cards clickety clacking on our tires.
 
In the pantheon of heroes,
One name stood out, higher,
the epitome of hitting, of perfection,
Ted Williams and Sears Roebuck,
a match made in marketing heaven,
before computers, a giant catalog,
showrooms, our eyes agog.
 
A baseball bat, a ball, a glove,
with his name emblazoned upon them,
oiled just so, according to instructions,
a booklet to be studied, to measure up,
a record with his voice, teaching us how to hit,
Learning to Swing, as Ted did, his science,
All of us future Red Sox, (like Pudge, like Jerry)
Growing up in their shadows…
 
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February 17, 2024
Learning to Swing
 
Film from 1966, (24:48 minutes)
"Batting With Ted Williams"
sponsored by Sears, Roebuck and Company
&
In 1967, as part of a promotion for a new line of
“Ted Williams Approved Baseball equipment,”
Williams and Sears released a 20-page booklet,
titled “Batting Tips from Ted: How to Be a Better Hitter”
and corresponding phonograph record,
“Tips on How to Become a Better Hitter.”
The record is narrated by Williams himself;
a copy in the Baseball Hall of Fame,
https://baseballhall.org/discover/ted-williams-hitting-tips-preserved-on-45-rpm-record-at-hall-of-fame
&
February 17, 2024
Willing the ball Fair
https://raymondafoss.blogspot.com/2024/02/willing-ball-fair.html
Carlton Fisk’s 12^th inning walk-off homerun,
for the Boston Red Sox, in the 6^th game of the
1975 World Series, just hitting the foul pole,
October 21, 1975
 
All of my poems, photographs, and videos are copyrighted by Raymond A. Foss, 1999, 2000, 2001, 2002, 2003, 2004, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014, 2015, 2016, 2017, 2018, 2019, 2020, 2021, 2022, 2023, and 2024. All rights are reserved. Contact me at Ray Foss (raymondafoss@gmail.com) for usage. See all 53,000+ of my poems at www.raymondafoss.blogspot.com Poetry Where You Live.
 
Poetry, 1975 World Series, Carlton Fisk, Red Sox, Cincinnati Reds, Game 6, homerun, heroes, childhood, Red Sox Nation, joy, happiness, baseball, MLB, 
 
#Poetry #1975WorldSeries #WorldSeries #CarltonFisk #RedSox #CincinnatiReds #homerun #heroes #childhood #RedSoxNation #joy #happiness #baseball #MLB
 
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Poetry, Ted Williams, Red Sox, heroes, childhood, Red Sox Nation, hitting, baseball, MLB, ‎Carl Yastrzemski,
 
#Poetry #TedWilliams #RedSox #heroes #childhood #RedSoxNation #hitting #baseball #MLB #CarlYastrzemski