1. You’ve Got to Be a Green Bay Packer
2. Batter Up

1. You’ve Got to Be a Green Bay Packer

You’ve got to be a Green Bay Packer
To be the best in the NFL,
You’ve got to handle frozen tundra that’s cold,
Or you will get rolled
By the old Green and Gold.
The Pack is back in all its teamwork
For Matt and all the fans as well.
You’ve got to be a Green Bay Packer
To be the best in the NFL!

You’ve got to be a Green Bay Packer
To be the best in the NFL,
You’ve got to have a little depth on the bench
To throw monkey wrench
In Viking defense.
You’re representing dear Wisconsin
And all the farmers in the dell.
You’ve got to be a Green Bay Packer
To be the best at the gentle
Physical and mental
Challenge
Of the NFL!

Lyrics (c) 2021, Dan Eumurian
Music: “You Gotta Be a Football Hero,, by Al Sherman, Buddy Fields and Al Lewis, 1933

Batter Up

Dan Eumurian

There's Ignorance in left field, Hypocrisy in right,
Apathy in center, spoiling for a fight,
Pride, Greed and Violence, Shame and Evil all around.
They've got the bases covered, and the Devil's on the mound.
Batter up!

Materialism doubles, but is tagged out in a steal.
Humanism pops to short--it doesn't see what's real.
Morality is safe at first, but can't advance.
Superstition swings away, but doesn't have a chance.
Batter up!

Who will lead the rally? What will be the cry?
Where are all the heroes? How can we know Why?
The fans are getting desperate; the Head Coach is ignored.
When will people realize the answer? The answer?

The game's as good as over; the Closer's throwing strikes.
Half the team is giving in, hanging up their spikes,
When off the bench, a quiet Voice says, "Fellas, could I try?"
He stretches out, stands in, and looks the Pitcher in the eye.

In hateful recognition, the Hurler winds to start.
All he's got is on the ball; he aims it for the heart.
The Batter's down. He's up! on base! Takes second, third, the trip!
The Bender has been broken' he's lost his deadly grip.

Now Hope is coming to the plate; Justice is on deck.
The stadium rocks as Righteousness and Liberty connect.
Truth and Beauty single; Grace and Mercy take ball four,
And back again, the Star drives in the pennant winning score!

Who will lead the rally? What will be the cry?
Where are all the heroes? How can we know Why?
Someone picked the lumber up and blew the game sky high!
Someone picked the lumber up and blew

The game

Sky high!

Batter up!

Play ball!

One night in 1995, my wife and I were going to bed.
I told her, "Everything seems to be going wrong.
I think the devil is throwing curve balls at us."
Then I asked myself, "What could Jesus do with a curve ball?"
I grabbed a piece of paper and began to write.

Shortly afterwards I called the Milwaukee Brewers and told them I had written a baseball poem. Their chaplain, Rev. Ralph Mierow, gave us his tickets to a game. We went to a large room underneath the stadium. Rev. Mierow told the approximately 25 players and coaches, "God is your Number One Critic. He's watching you not just when you're on the field, but during batting practice, when you're with your family--all the time. But he's also your Number One Fan."

Then I read "Batter Up." I remember that Brewers legend Robin Yount, half of the famed "The Bat Man and Robin," was there. Star first baseman Kevin Seitzer told me, "There's more than just human inspiration in that poem."

We went to the stadium. It was my first (and so far only) major league baseball game. We were in the mesh-covered area behind home plate. We met a man named Bobby who had played for the Milwaukee Braves. I bought a Brewers sweatshirt.

That day the Brewers broke a five game losing streak and beat the Baltimore Orioles, including Cal Ripken, Jr. In the ninth inning, as the last Orioles player was up to bat, the crowd was on its feet clapping in rhythm. The umpire found a pitch that was close enough to be called a strike, and the game went into the record books.

http://www.baseball-almanac.com/teamstats/schedule.php?y=1995&t=MIL

I don’t believe I had heard “The Ball Game,” by Sister Wynona Carr,
before I wrote “Batter Up,”
but I want to mention that delightful song.
I heard it on “Baseball’s Greatest Hits,”
a 22-cut CD.
“The Ball Game” presents a baseball analogy similar to my “Batter Up” story.

I hope to publish "Batter Up"
along with my sailing song,
my horse racing song,
my fishing story,
my football songs
and more.

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Thank you!

(c) 2022, Daniel J. Eumurian

(c) 2022,
Daniel J. Eumurian