Mickey, Duke, or Willie?
New York baby boomers bled for the centerfielder trio.
Mickey, Duke, and Willie played the game with zesty baseball brio.
Their homers and great catches were the magic of our days.
Could 50s kids have better idols that Mantle, Snider, Mays?
Joe D was gone; no lonely eyes would turn to him.
Ted Williams still was hitting great, but the Red Sox didn’t win.
Stan was still the Man, but Saint Loo was way far west.
So we all were sure “the City’s” “8s” were better than the rest.
Yes, Hank and Banks had started strong, but weren’t yet sublime.
Killer and Clemente? They were young’uns as were Matthews and Kaline.
If pitching was your pleasure, Newk or Ford might turn you on.
Or Roberts, Feller, Pierce, or Wynn, or maybe Warren Spahn.
Yog and Campy were our awesome “2s” both three times MVP,
But didn’t have charisma like the centerfielders three.
Tremendous power and blazing speed were skills possessed by Mick
Whose tape-measure blasts and winning looks made him the favorite pick.
The Duke of Flatbush and Brooklyn’s King was Edwin Donald Snider.
So many loved the Silver Fox, a consistent run provider.
Basket catches and hatless hustle were the marks of Say Hey Mays,
Whose showmanship wowed many fans making Willie quite the craze.
To sum things up, it would have been an error, very silly
To choose a baseball hero not named Mickey, Duke, or Willie.
- Joe Carriero
