Take Me Out to the Ballgame

The Stadium

For me, it was Bill Meyer Stadium in Knoxville, TN,

Built downtown in 1953, demolished in 2003,

The sights, sounds and smells of a minor league baseball park,

Stirs memories of us arriving there an hour or two before dark,

As a child, the experience was like a dream come true,

The fold-up wooden seats stuck to my bare legs like glue,

The parking lot was covered in gravel; I remember it well,

The entrance had a freshly-popped popcorn smell,

The air was filled with excitement and anticipation,

For me, it was a Disney vacation,

The cinder block walls were painted with a fresh coat of paint,

The concrete steps were daunting, but without complaint,

We sat along the first-base line, beside the dugout,

We heard the players’ chatter, and their coaches shout,

Before the umpire behind the plate could yell “batter up”,

Many of them were chewing tobacco and spitting in a cup,

The on-deck player with a weighted bat or two,

Adorned in a helmet, watched the pitcher as he threw,

People yelled “head’s up” when a fouled ball came our way,

Prompting some to scramble to retrieve the illusive stray,

On occasion the ball was fouled out to the parking lot,

Causing spectators to gasp, as to whether their car was hit or not,

The concession employees strode the stadium, each selling their ware,

Hot dogs, soda, popcorn, but nothing could compare,

To the snow cone at the ballpark on a hot summer’s eve’,

It was colorful and cold, usually giving me a brain freeze,

The umpire yelled out balls and strikes; the scoreboard was magically kept,

And when he took out his tiny broom, the plate was nicely swept,

Each inning was announced with precise detail: runs, hits, errors, men left on,

At the seventh inning stretch was a familiar song:

“If they don’t win, it’s a shame!”

“For it’s one, two, three strikes you’re out, at the old ballgame!”

Tammy Harvey

Written:  2/27/2019

Bill Meyer Stadium