Buying Baseball Cards
Me and Pat walked to Marv's Liquors
jeans ripped from sliding into second
until our shins bled
Marv watched us like a cleanup hitter
follows the spin of a curve
Ten packs for a sweat-soaked buck
We never picked the ones on top
everybody knows good cards
hide on the bottom
Didn't want no doubles or belly itchers
liked A's most of all
doubles was ok if they was
Reggie, Rollie, Blue Moon
I had four Dave Duncans
till I traded one to Pat for six Giants
cause he thought he looked like him
Stood by the Black velvet girl
under the Two Minors at a Time sign
carefully peeled waxy wrappers
Maybe Catfish Hunter's green cap shone
in the Budweiser glow
like the gold ticket Charlie found
in the Willy Wonka chocolate bar
Pat got Joe Rudi
'Oh man, I'll trade you'
'No way Jose unless you give me a whole pack'
I pouted
said 'You're lucky'
didn't trade
Cheeks stuffed with bubble gum
to look like major leaguers
only difference between gum and cards
is the gum doesn't have a picture
Cards split in four stacks
twenty five cards in a pocket
makes walking hard
if you don't want wrinkles or bent cards
We stopped to read the backs:
'Joe Pepitone is in the hair-styling business'
Me and Pat in my room
surrounded by posters and pennants
tried to swap three lousy players
for two good ones
argued like real general managers
Play by play voice faster than Lou Brock
Men faking flu cheered from the bleachers
Our world a big baseball
laced with little boys
--Scott Rhoades
