Beckett's Limerick Blunder

As I said yesterday, I thought I had a shot of winning Beckett's poem contest on their blog. I didn't win. But that isn't the point. I don't mind that I didn't win, but what bothers me is what did win.

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Those Peterson prices are spiking,
which you’d think would be much to my liking,
but looking again
I have found with chagrin
that my card’s of the Bear — not the Viking

That is a funny piece. I actually like this choice as a winner.

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So I pull what I think’s a great card
Of a guy who hits the ball hard
I wanted to check it
So I looked in the Beckett
@*&$, he’s an unlisted star.

Beckett plans to publish these yet they pick a winner that has an expletive? I'm confused.

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His rookie cards were so hot
So all of my money they got
Then he juiced like a horse
I’ve got buyers remorse
And now my investment is not!

Why is Beckett so obsessed with knocking the guys caught doing steroids?

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I by no means thought my poem was the best of the bunch, but I feel several other poems were far better than the last two winners.

Here are some that I thought were very good pieces.

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Long ago, baseball cards were a joy
I collected them very much as a boy
I still do today
But not in the same way
$5 packs with wrinkled cards really annoy!

Whatever happened to Donruss and Fleer
Those fabulous baseball cards from yesteryear?
Fleer is gone
Donruss moved on
But I really wish that they were still here!

What of the gum that dried in the packs?
Or wrappers that were sealed with wax?
One ruined card each package would hold
But for a quarter, no complaint was told
And to the bulletin board they went with thumb tacks!

What is happening to all the good shows?
One this month?-Hardly anyone knows!
Local card shops getting rarer each day
Making up for that, I turn to ebay!
I certainly hope that doesn’t close!

Problems we have
and problems will be
I still love this hobby for all that it’s given me

30 years later and still I relate
Uncle Ed started it all when I was eight
Buying 10 packs of whatever was in season
For he saw the joy in my eyes-to him the only reason!
I’d rush in the house for our monthly trip
Into the brown paper bag I would rip
No bigger concern than completing my team during the season!

When I want to whine and complain
I think back to how it began
A smile on my lips and a gleam in my eye

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Sean Burroughs did me in
And with him, he took my hobby
His keen hand eye coordination
His robust plate discipline
His sweety lefty swing
Hitting and driving his rookie cards above the ten dollar plane
Only to watch your lack of power
Suffocate them all
In the San Diego atmosphere,
Into the warning track of semi-star singles

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Is it too soon, to mention the over production boom?…
The sawdust smell of sweet card board slats
The engaging photos and the intriguing stats (lets take a trip down memory lane…)
Walter Ioss Jr. photo shoots, Team USA,
Skybox and NBA Hoops
Upper Deck Locker Collection,
1990 leaf / and error cards with no correction
The hottest cards of the year!
Brought to you by Donruss and Fleer!
The cards that would bring Fortune and Fame!
Griffey’s Smiling mug, Mutumbo had Game,
Eric Lindros UD (not his body) What a shame -
Teemu Selanne would save Hockey!
Jason Isringhausen, now there’s a jockey!
Giants and the A’s / ‘89 Battle of the Bay!
Jim Kelly, Barry Sanders and Emmit Smith
Joe Montana and Dan Marino along with…
…some foresight, future planning and Knowledge
With these Rookie Cards I’ll put the kids through college!
Juan Gonzalez 1990 Rev Neg, Mark McGuire’s white triangle
Under his leg!
Billy Ripkens famous Bat - Rickey Henderson Destroys Lou Brocks stat
~Dennis Eckersley was king of the mound
Jeff Bagwells Sitting stance seemed unsound
The Black and white Bo Jackson was the coolest card around
PHIL NEVIN Rookie! He was surely Hall of Fame Bound!!~
Ahhh, the sundry sunny days, of home runs and pop fouls in play
In stark contrast to the highlights on the hard court
The Nike Empire and Air Jordan’s Flying Sport
Or the true grit of the Buffalo Bills
The Giants win! Oh, the football thrills!
Sadly though…
The greats are gone, and so seems the collecting phenomenon…
$100.00 a box, for a game used card of frank Thomas’ Socks?
No thanks…
Could you send me a beckett subscription?
No big deal, pick me as one off the three, it’s not too hard,
I just need to look up all my worthless crappy cards

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Just my two cents about Beckett's contest. I usually don't have a beef with them, but this time I think they messed up a little bit.