-League-

It’s beautiful when it’s right

And it happens at the beginning.

That’s when you whack the dirt

At the circle from your spikes
With the cup of the bat

And draw the Cross in the dust
With the knob, lingering so Jesus won’t miss it.

So what if you’re small of stature?

So what if you can’t hit a liner over the infield?

Coach sets himself off the third base line,
Drops a glove on the right side of his box;

Pinches the brim of his cap with his fingers;

Touches his nose with a graceful fingertip,
His chin, both sides of his cheeks;

Sweeps the Holy Rosary name across his jersey

From left to right with the palm of his hand,
Rubs both his sleeved arms down,
Flashing signs like the Big Leaguers do

And through it all, through the lightning

Subterfuge of the active signs,

His right foot stands like a stone behind the glove

Directly at your line of sight from the plate.
Glove, then foot.

That’s bunt.

It’s what you do best.

Nothing else matters. Glove, then foot behind it.

Gino Dinucci, coach of the Holy Rosary
Baseball team of the CYO League of Fall River
Cuts a beautiful figure at the box on third

As he flashes his signs.

So what if the skin of his face
Looks like sandpaper?
So what if his belly drapes over his belt?

So what if you're small of stature?

So what if you can’t hit a liner over the infield?

It's you and coach in the poem of baseball
Where the sign says bunt.

And maybe if Jesus sees the sign in the dust
From the on deck circle, you'll beat it out.

                                               Quequechan