Flatten the Curve(ball)
The outlook wasn’t brilliant for the ABQ nine that day: The ticket revenue wasn’t possible, fans had to keep away And then when home games died at first, and promotions did the same, A pall-like silence fell upon empty stands, the Governor faced the blame.
A straggling few ushers got up in despair. Their services academic Clung to hope fans would return upon end of this pandemic They thought, “If only vaccines could open the gates with impunity, We’d make honest money now, mass vaccinations for herd immunity.”
But Pfizer preceded Moderna, as did other hopeful lot And the former meant a double and the latter a single shot So upon that stricken multitude grim melancholy sat, For there seemed but little chance of fans live for any home at-bat.
But clinical trials produced an antidote to the wonderment of all, And Big Pharma, the much despised, promised doses by the fall And when COVID numbers shifted, the ’Topes wondered what it’d mean There was Sandoval getting better and Bernalillo thinking “Green.”
Then from Isotope fans and more there rose a masked cry; It rumbled through Rio Grande valley, it rattled the ‘Big I’; It pounded on the Sandias and recoiled upon this rhyming For baseball, mighty baseball, was returning to the diamond.
There is ease in baseball’s manner stretching spring to chile roasting There was pride in baseball’s bearing a sort of patriotic boasting And when hearing silent cheers, baseball goes on AAA prime No stranger in an empty crowd could doubt fans return was past time.
And now the physical distance felt much longer than just 90 feet As fans pined for live action baseball not until COVID is beat. Close by frontline workers struggled, over 3,500 New Mexicans dead “That ain’t my style,” said baseball. “Stay home,” the virus said.
With a smile of human charity great baseball’s visage shone It stills the rising tumult; with radio and TV megaphone; the satellites in Orbit provide everyone a signal boostin’ Or you could steal a signal, but that only works in Houston.
“Fraud!” cried the maddened thousands, and an echo answered “Fraud!” But one scornful look at case numbers and the audience was cowed. The fans knew that 182,000 cases was nothing to hear and chafe And they knew what baseball knows; if you’re not out you’re safe.
Oh, everywhere in this enchanted land the sun is shining bright, The band is playing Zoom shows, and somewhere hearts are light; And somewhere men are laughing, school kids home because Corona But there is no joy in Isotopes Park, the ’Topes are in Arizona.