12.29.06
Baum’s Road to Oz: Third Post (Poetry Patterns)
I find it interesting that of the three of the long poems printed about baseball (there was one short one readable in an illustration as well, but it differed from the others), all three were about people discussing baseball, not playing it. I found that fascinating, since most of the baseball poems and stories I’m read spend more time describing the game or the players than the reactions and discussions of the crowd. Of course, “Take Me Out To the Ballgame” about Katie and her beau follows Baum’s pattern and is probably the most famous baseball poem/song ever (even if nobody remembers the verses anymore). Perhaps he truly found the fans more interesting. In many ways they are!