12-19-11: An Ode to the Boys of Summer

The poet Ogden Nash moved to Baltimore as a young man, bringing with him a love of baseball that lasted whole life.  He adopted Baltimore, and the Orioles, with a passion …  a passion reflected in an ode to baseball greats he published in 1949.

That poem, Lineup for Yesterday, has just been published as a picture book, illustrated by CF Payne, with background on the players by Ogden Nash’s daughter, Linell Nash Smith (who, speaking of family ties, is the mom-in-law of our Tom Hall).

Sheilah talks with Ms. Smith about the book.  She also had a conversation with the book’s illustrator, C. F. Payne, which you can listen to here in its entirety:

Near the end of the interview, Linell Nash Smith read the verse her father, Ogden Nash, wrote in 1954, when the American League relocated the St. Louis Browns to become the new Baltimore Orioles.   The poem recalls Orioles greats who had died decades earlier.

“You Can’t Kill an Oriole”
Wee Willie Keeler
Runs through the town,
All along Charles Street
In his night gown,
Belling like a hound dog,
Gathering the pack:
“Hey, Wilbert Robinson!
“The Orioles are back!
“Hey, Hughie Jennings!
“Hey, John McGraw!
“I got fire in my eye,
“And tobacco in my jaw!
“Hughie, hold my halo,
“I’m sick of being a saint;
“Got to teach the youngers
“To hit ‘em where they ain’t!”

In Baltimore, Lineup for Yesterday is carried by The Ivy Bookshop and the Baltimore Museum of Art.

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