Sometimes Life Throws You a Curve Ball: a poem by Leo Hartshorn

Sometimes life throws you a curve ball
A fast one just hit me in the head
I’m still staggering from the blow
Disoriented, befuddled, reeling

This is not the first time I’ve been hit
Early on in my career I was playing the game
In my home stadium when a curve ball smacked me
And I was out of commission for three years

At one point I got tired of my old team, the SoBs
And decided to get a fresh start with a team called the Peacemakers
It didn’t take long for a curve ball to hit me right in the crotch
I still bend slightly when I walk

In ’96 I made a big move across the country
And played for a local team that fit like a stiff glove
I ended up leaving the team, which later disbanded
For the last seven years I have been coaching

Sometimes I wonder why the Umpire
Lets all these curve balls hit players and coaches
I’ve argued with him about the problem for decades
And have wondered sometimes if he’s really in charge of the game

As a coach you still have to watch out for curve balls
I’m getting older and they get harder to endure
This latest curve ball hit me hard between the eyes
I feel like it’s time to retire from baseball