The quotes in the poem are from Arthur Ashe’s memoir, Days of Grace, co-authored by Arnold Rampersad.
While the Brewers were winning over a dozen in a row,
The Giants found themselves eating fetid dead crow.
Days after Milwaukee hammered Paul Skenes,
San Francisco meekly lost fourteen of fifteen.
As Wisconsin’s George Webb fed each fan a free burger,
NorCal fans lost appetite for baseball’s sweet fervor.
The Brew Crew’s confidence grew like a waxing moon.
With condolences, the Gigantes’ season waned too soon.
Tennis great Arthur Ashe brilliantly said,
In sports and in life, it’s all in your head.
Playoff-bound teams who remain in the chase
May find inspiration in Ashe’s Days of Grace.
“Momentary lapses of confidence . . . often prove disastrous.”
So do what it takes . . . get angry, stay focused, feel free to cuss!
“A few falling pebbles build into an avalanche.”
Just hit that ball with a bat lathed from a branch.
“Soon, victory is utterly out of one’s reach.”
Self-belief is a law one must never ever breach.
“One simply must not despair, even for a moment.”
For momentum is an elixir, powerful and potent.