On September 18, 2005, poet David K. Moseder penned The Ballad of Theodore Henry Schreiber. He was not present at the historic occassion, so he took a bit of poetic license regarding the count on the batter, but the rest, as they say is baseball history.

September Eighteenth, Coogan's Bluff,
The last home game of Sixty-Three;
The Mets this afternoon hang tough
For scant four thousand eyes to see.

The Phillies' hurler, sharp and deft,
Holds Casey's men to one lone tally.
They trail by four, with two outs left;
The faithful few cheer for a rally.

Then suddenly the Mets attack,
Determined not to be denied:
Two left-field singles, back to back;
Two bases now are occupied.

Another hit or base-on-balls
Would bring to bat the tying run;
Upon a rookie's shoulders falls
The daunting task to get it done.

Ted Schreiber, pride of St. John's U,
A strapping lad of five-eleven,
Exudes the spirit of can-do
Though batting just one-sixty-seven.

A product of the Brooklyn streets,
He strides with purpose in his gait,
Then taps his bat against his cleats
And settles in beside home plate.

Ted takes one ball and then two strikes
While looking for a pitch to drive.
The next ball thrown is one he likes;
He swings to keep his team alive.

The ball skips past the pitchers mound
With legs enough to be a hit-
Alas, though seeming right field bound,
It finds the second baseman's mitt.

Then four-six-three, a double play,
The side is out, the game no more.
But Ted, in his unwitting way,
Now takes his place in baseball lore.

Though Schreiber's deed will never match
Those Giant feats that built this park
(Like Thompson's shot and Willie's catch)
He nonetheless has left his mark.

For no ballplayer after Ted
Will swing a bat on this green field
Nor on these base paths ever tread;
The great arena's fate is sealed.

No more sweet ash-on-horsehide sounds
Nor cheers as home runs clear the wall.
The next swings at the Polo Grounds
Will be those of the wrecking ball.

- - - - - - - - - - - -

A footnote on this Wednesday blue:
The Mets once more give up the chase,
For in their Polo Grounds adieu,
With nine games left, they clinch last place.

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