The Old Rooter

I saw them open yesterday, the Giants and their foemen,
I saw them field and hit and run, the fast men and the slow men;
The sky was just as blue above, the sod as green beneath
As when the old-time Giants used to frisk around the heath.
  But Billy Gilbert wasn't there,
    Old Second Baseman Billy,
  Who used to pluck 'em from the air
    And drive the bleachers silly.

I saw them open yesterday, I heard the turnstile clicking;
I heard the popcorn venders' cry and heard the tickers ticking.
The field was smooth as desert land, the multitude was shouting,
And to the heavens rose the sound of clouting, clouting, clouting.
  But Michael Donlin wasn't there,
    The Mike they used to cheer for.
  “Come on, Mike, clout!” was all the shout
    We used to have an ear for.
The Giants opened yesterday, an April day and sunny;
They played before a New York crowd of fashion, fun and money.
Grandstanders cheered, the young fans jeered; the crowd was standing, swaying,
It made me sigh for days gone by, when first I saw them playing.
  But Dan McGann has gone away
    And Dahlen with his science;
  Mertes and Seymour couldn't stay—
  The Giants opened yesterday
    But not the old-time Giants.
The Old Rooter

by William F. Kirk, 1910
