Dodgers’ winning season prompts his turn to verse

Forget the Ice Bucket Challenge. This kid Scully, so fond of reciting the classic ode “Tinker to Evers to Chance,� recently issued a poetry challenge: Can someone pen some similar tribute to this year’s Dodgers, awash as they are in larger-than-life characters?

As they say: Careful what you fish for.

So with apologies to Franklin Pierce Adams, here’s my salute to this year’s colorful and charismatic Dodgers. If this cheeseball homage isn’t one for the ages, at least Vinny is.

“GO BLUE OR GO HOME�

Pardon our syntax,

forgive us our rhymes,

these Dodgers of late,

bring back the good times.

Kershaw’s their leader,

other teams overpowered,

reminds us of Koufax

and the actor Ron Howard.

Dee Gordon? He’s scrappy,

and quick as a bird,

forget second base,

he’s now rounding third.

For Puig words do fail us,

we’re not even lying,

he’s headed for Cooperstown,

just keep him from drivin’.

Kemp, Ethier, Ellis

and Crawford play hard,

they load up the bases,

then Gonzo goes yard.

Uribe runs funny,

a big pregnant penguin,

at third base he nests,

they’ll never replace him.

Misfits and castoffs,

mixed in with head cases.

Look, Hanley Ramirez,

he’s still going places.

Yep, the DL keeps growing,

Ryu even blew out his butt,

if these injuries mount,

can they still make the cut?

Well, we have Donnie Baseball,

he won’t panic or scream,

on some nights his kids

bring a bubble machine.

Amid doubles and flubbles

and triples and dingers,

the other teams scream,

“Hey, Commish, they’re all ringers!�

To the playoffs they’re going,

turning opponents to fools,

after they whip you

they’ll splash in your pools.

Like P-Diddy we’ll party,

the streets full of confetti,

tell your bartender, “Sir,

send that bill to Colletti!�

And when it’s all over,

a season worthy of poems,

Dodgers fans will all scream:

“Hey, Go Blue or go home.�

Follow Chris Erskine on Twitter @erskinetimes