Sports serve as muse for Weinberg’s poetry

Date: 1/29/2015

WILBRAHAM – James Weinberg, a resident for 24 years, published his first book of sports poetry and prose on March 29, 2014, entitled “Baseball Strong,” which focuses on the history and enduring popularity of America’s pastime sport. Now, Weinberg is working on his second follow-up sports poetry book – “Football Strong.”

Weinberg, 59, told Reminder Publications part of the inspiration for Baseball Strong came from his youth, growing up in Brooklyn, NY, at the corners of Caton Avenue and Ocean Parkway, three blocks from Prospect Park.

When he was kid, Weinberg said every kid in his neighborhood would play stickball in the streets. He said two major historic sports events that shaped his childhood were the New York Mets’ “miraculous” victory in the 1969 World Series and the New York Jets winning the Super Bowl that same year.

“[Baseball Strong] is poetry/ prose,” he added. “I wanted it to be something of interest to people of all ages, something that a parent would enjoy sitting and reading to their kids about sports. There’s some poems there about the Negro Leagues and some famous players and I wanted to bring attention to the influence of the Negro Leagues to American baseball.”

There are references to famous Negro League baseball teams such as the Pittsburgh Crawfords, the St. Louis Stars, the Kansas City Monarchs, as well as players, including Jackie Robinson, Oscar Charleston, James “Cool Papa” Bell, and LeRoy “Satchel” Paige.

One poem, “Jackie Robinson #42” on page 42 of the 102-page book of poetry and prose, reads,

“The man, the leader, the first.
To be a leader in such times
Took so much only he could
Measure this strength.
The people of a great nation stood
Up and took notice no matter
Which side their feelings came
Down on.
Leading ones people and leading ones
Nation into the future so few can do,” (lines 1-10).

Weinberg said every major modern American baseball team is represented either through poetry or prose throughout the book. Another poem, “Boston Red Sox,” on page one is a recounting of the night the Red Sox won the 2004 World Series at Fenway Park in Boston. There are a total of 99 poem and prose pieces in the book.

Several pieces also reflect Weinberg’s childhood in Brooklyn; these include “Family Fun” and “Great Fun” on pages 34 and 35, respectively.

“Baseball as a kid
Little League fun.
Jimmy and Marshall on the Royals,
Good hits in the sun.
Time flies and baseball too,
Now the big games on the tube.
Past ones on fields and streets.
Brooklyn stick ball and against
the school wall, curb ball too.
All over coast to coast the game
gets played,”  (lines 1-11 on page 35).

Weinberg said Baseball Strong was published through CreateSpace, a self publishing company, and the prose and poetry for the book was compiled during more than a decade. Football Strong is anticipated to be published in approximately three months. Weinberg is also working on a non-fiction book that focuses on the life of baseball legend Babe Ruth.

“It took about a year, on and off [to complete Baseball Strong],” he added. “Some of [the poems] are 15 to 20 years old, but most of them are more recent written in the past few years.”

The poems make note of the technical elements of baseball but area also used as metaphors for the overcoming of struggles in daily life, Weinberg said.

“You’re going to strike out every now and then,” he added. “So there’s a poem about striking out. There’s also a poem about hanging in there, fouling pitches back, and being tough and hanging in there.”

Baseball Strong is available for purchase at www.amazon.com/Baseball-Strong-James-Michael-Weinberg/dp/149488254X. To contact Weinberg, email james@thesportpoet.com.