The League Of Long Ago
They've got me sitting on the bench--I knew it had to come--
Kid Casey subbed for me at third the day I broke my thumb;
My thumb got better fast enough, but when I wanted back,
"The Kid is stinging them a mile," says good old Captain Mack.
"The Kid is running bases like a Murray or a Cobb,
The Kid does this, the Kid does that, the Kid is on the job."
And so I'm sitting on the bench, my spirits sort o' low,
And playing memory ball games in the League of Long Ago.
I'm pulling for Kid Casey, and I hope he makes a mint,
I help him every way I can, from cussword down to hint;
He knows that I am for him, too--'twas only yesterday
He says to me, "Old leaguer, you've got ten more years to play."
But I know that he knows better, and I know just what I'm worth--
A man can't last forever in the swiftest game on earth.
And so I'm sitting on the bench, my spirits sort o' low,
And playing memory ball games in the League of Long Ago.
I played with Old Buck Ewing just before Buck blew the game,
I played with Jimmy Ryan in the days of Anson's fame.
Then I was just a fresh young kid, and they were getting old,
But not one slur they gave me when I broke into the fold.
That's why I like Kid Casey, and I'll plug like sin for him,
I told Mack only yesterday my eyes were getting dim.
And so I'm sitting on the bench, my spirits sort o' low,
And playing memory ball games in the League of Long Ago.
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The Longest Hit On Record
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Cricket And Baseball
