McCue Grateful for Notes received in Hospital

John McCue, founder of McCue Systems, Burlingame, California, who sold his company to NetSol Technology and remains on their board of directors, McCue remains in intensify care, room 314A, at Cal Pacific Med Center Castro at 45 Castro (at Duboce), San Francisco, California. He has form of a pneumonia virus that was consuming his lung tissue, but anti-biotics are helping. He is not taking visitors at this time.

He appreciates the emails sent to him:

"Thank you so much for your lovely write-up on my behalf in Leasing News. It had spurred on a string of warm notes from so many people who I have worked with over the years and had lost touch with. I think that is a testament to how broadly and deeply your publication is read.

"I appreciate all the sentiments, and am working hard at hitting the next phase of my recovery.

"Warmly,"

John ---

His email address is: dustyhmb@comcast.net

Story: http://www.leasingnews.org/#NetSol

Classified Ads---Controller

Boca Raton, FL CPA w/ Sarbanes Oxley/ 15 years management exp. as CFO/ Controller/5 yrs w/ PWC Extensive exp providing accounting/ tax guidance for the equipment lease industry. Willing to relocate. Email: bltushin@hotmail.com

Chicago, IL experienced in lease accounting, operations, management, and Sarbanes-Oxley. Seeking position with equipment lessor. Would consider contract assignments or relocating. Email: leasecontroller@comcast.net

Southeastern, MI Controller & Management experience w/ equip lessors &broker. MBA, CPA w/ extensive accounting, management, securitization experience with public and private companies. Willing to relocate. Email: Leasebusiness@aol.com

For a full listing of all "job wanted" ads, please go to:
http://www.leasingnews.org/Classified/Jwanted/Jwanted.htm

Gallo's Form Blue Bridge Financial, LLC.

John Gallo, who was president of M&C Leasing, West Seneca, New York, who sold his company to Evans Bank Hamburg, New York, and was involved in the running of the division, has resigned from Evans Bank several months ago to open his own company with his son Brian Gallo: Blue Bridge Financial, LLC, Williamsburg, New York. A web site is up, but "under constructions."

It assumed Blue Bridge Financial will be entering the small ticket market place. Leasing News was told they are not accepting business yet, and plan to make an announcement soon of their structure. The Gallo's are veterans in the business

MC Leasing was purchased by Evans Bank on December 31, 2004: "In the early 1970s as success within its local markets drew national attention, the Company expanded further into equipment leasing for the Home Healthcare industry, covering all 50 states by mid 1980s. With its reputation for excellence building nationwide, the Company began partnering with key vendors in industries outside the Healthcare market. During the mid 1990s, the Company introduced a Broker program, which met a critical demand for lease funding, followed by other innovative programs such as a new Referral Program in 2000."
http://www.evansnationalleasing.com/history.htm

Evans Bank, Hamburg, New York was one of the first to exit the marketplace doing business with independent leasing brokers, then at the first of the year exited leasing entirely.

David J. Nasca
President and Chief Executive Officer
Evans Bancorp

"As we disclosed in the first quarter this year, based upon delinquency and charge-offs in our national lease portfolio we have made the decision to exit that business and market our lease portfolio for sale," said David J. Nasca, President and CEO of Evans Bancorp.

JGallo@bluebridgefinancial.com
Blue Bridge Financial, LLC
5500 Main Street, Suite 260
Williamsville, NY 14221
Office: 877-439-1534 | 716-204-9467
Fax: 877-660-5756 | 716-204-8472
Direct Line: 716-204-8470
www.bluebridgefinancial.com
(Under construction)

Evans Bank Portfolio for Sale
http://leasingnews.org/archives/August%202009/08-14-09.htm#Evans_bank

CHG-MERIDIAN purchases El Camino Resources Intl.

Once one of the largest independent leasing companies, 1300 employees with over $50 million a month in originations with more than $1.3 billion in assets installed on four continents, El Camino Resources International, was sold to CHG-MERIDIAN Group Weingarten, Germany. Founder Dave Harmon at one time was the richest man in leasing. In the year 2000 the El Camino's bank lines were pulled with the company being forced into liquidating at any costs to repay the lines. Harmon was able to repay the obligations and was successful in doing so without totally closing the company. February, 2001 GATX announces purchase of portfolio, making ATEL Capital largest independent owned leasing company in the world. Today Dean Cash "is the primarily stock holder after A.J.Badt retired. Cash has been with the firm for 25 years.

Harmon built up his company again, starting in Mexico, and then more into Latin America. El Camino specializes in technology, looking for companies that are dependent on it.

CHG-MERIDIAN Group is one of the world's leading manufacturer and bank independent providers of financing solutions and services in the field of information and communications technology, according to their press release.
http://www.chg-meridian.com/3527.htm

"CHG-MERIDIAN Group ...acquired the leasing businesses of El Camino Resources International Inc. in the USA and Canada together with its 50 percent shareholding of El Camino SAPI DE CV in Mexico. Following the acquisition, the CHG group is now represented in a total of 18 countries worldwide.

"This step beyond European borders has put CHG-MERIDIAN in a position to offer our customers within the CHG-MERIDIAN group even better international solutions at a national level" CEO Jürgen Mossakowski explained. "The national corporations in the USA and Canada, and our major shareholding in El Camino in Mexico form an important basis for the ongoing development of our business operations in North and Central America" Mossakowski continued.

"Head of Sales Dirk Stobbe added: "El Camino's foothold in Mexico will help CHG-MERIDIAN take the jump from Central to Southern America in the short term. In combination with our established presence in Europe and the cooperation agreed last year with ORIX Rentec Corporation in Japan, China, Korea and Singapore the CHG-MERIDIAN group continues to secure its position as a global player. And we will continue our strategy of global market coverage with the aim of fulfilling our international customers' needs" Stobbe concluded.

"El Camino also welcomes the takeover. David Lopez, General Director of the Mexican corporation, is excited to have a shareholder that can offer strong financial support with innovative solutions while providing new impetus to operations in Mexico and for the future in Central and Southern America.

"The acquisitions will be managed under the CHG group name and integrated into the group."

As to who has the title today to world's richest leasing person, it probably still belongs to Steven Udar-Hazy, head of International Lease Finance Corporation, unfortunately part of the AIG Corporation.

Udvar-Hazy holds onto richest person in Leasing Title
http://www.leasingnews.org/archives/September%202008/09-17-08.htm#udvar

New Hires---Promotions

Jennifer Belcher joins Graphic Savings Group LLC, Brooklyn, New York, as Major Account Manager, focusing on vendor business in the Central and Southwest Regions, as well as managing relationships with key National Accounts. She has 12 years of experience in the equipment finance industry at Bank of America Leasing, most recently as an Assistant Vice President, where she managed a 16-state territory. She is currently pursuing a degree in Business Administration and Marketing. She lives with her husband, Jeffrey, and two sons Nicholas, 4, and Ethan, 7, in Michigan.

Joe Pitch was named Managing Director for Marine-Finance.Com LLC, Bradenton, Florida, Dallas Texas, Island Park, New York. He will continue to operate from Dallas, TX, expanding the company's presence in the Gulf of Mexico and other southern states. A 30 year veteran of the equipment leasing/finance industry he has financed more than $1B in equipment. He began his career with as a finance representative for Allis Chalmers Credit, a captive finance group. He then was with Citicorp Industrial Credit and Manufacturers Hanover Leasing Corporation (later folded into The CIT Group). In May of 1997, he was recruited by The Associates Commercial Corporation to start a national capital markets/middle market direct equipment finance/leasing operation. This group became the Associates Commercial Marine Group, and with the acquisition of Associates by Citigroup, the business was renamed CitiCapital Commercial Marine Group (CMG). The marine group and its portfolio were acquired late in 2006 by GE Capital. In February of 2007 Joe was named Vice President and Regional Sales Manager for North Texas maintaining involvement in GE Capital's marine business.

He is a graduate of Seton Hall University with a Bachelor of Business Administration with a concentration in Finance. He is a past member of the American Waterway Operators (AWO), the Offshore Marine Services Association (OMSA) and an affiliate member of the Passenger Vessel Association (PVA).

(This ad is a "trade" for the writing of this column. Opinions contained in the column are those of Mr. Terry Winders, CLP)

Placard---On President Ronald Reagan's Desk

(Fernando calls "Inglourious Basters" a "must see… highly recommended! The trailers are quite misleading (Brad Pitt and the soldiers are actually only part of a large ensemble of characters, not the main characters), but I thought it was such a compelling movie that I didn't mind. His review follows. Editor:)

Fernando's View
By Fernando F. Croce

"Inglourious Basterds" is this week's must-see for theatergoers, while DVD watchers can choose from a trio of solid sleepers ("State of Play," "Sin Nombre," "Sugar").

In Theaters:

Inglourious Basterds (The Weinstein Company-Universal): Quentin Tarantino ("Pulp Fiction") shows once again why he's one of modern cinema's most singular voices with his highly anticipated, smashingly satisfying World War II epic. Set in France during the Nazi occupation, the plot follows several characters as they come together in a plan to overthrow Hitler. There are the "basterds" of the title, a group of guerilla soldiers (led by a hilariously gruff Brad Pitt) who specialize in terrorizing the enemy, but there's also a young Jewish girl (Melanie Laurent) who's planning revenge for the murder of her family at the hands of an SS officer (Christoph Waltz). Beautifully combining dialogue and action, humor and suspense, this is the kind of genre-mixing opus that only a passionate movie lover like Tarantino could deliver.

Thirst (Focus Pictures): Known for his stylish and brutal tales of vengeance ("Oldboy," "Sympathy for Lady Vengeance"), Korean maverick Chan-wook Park tackles the horror genre in this one-of-a-kind vampire tale. Sang-hyeon (Kang-ho Song) is a devoted priest who returns to his small town after a failed medical experiment leaves him with a taste for blood. Previously mired in despair, Sang-hyeon slowly comes to realize that his new affliction may not be a bad thing, as it frees him from his responsibilities as a normal person. But will he be able to hold on to his humanity as he becomes involved with a young woman (Ok-vin Kim)? Park uses cinematic creativity and humor to turn what could have been a gloomy story into an exhilarating love story. With subtitles.

New on DVD:

Netflix tip: To avoid longer waits for requested movies, schedule your movie-watching earlier in the day so that you can send discs back before the last mail delivery in the afternoon. It greatly diminishes lines, especially with the more recent releases.

State of Play (Universal): A top-drawer cast makes this intriguing conspiracy yarn fly. The suspenseful plot takes off as two brutal, seemingly unrelated incidents put brash newspaper reporter Cal (Russell Crowe) on the trail of an ambitious U.S. Congressman (Ben Affleck). The closer the reporter comes to the truth behind the events, the more disturbing secrets he uncovers, and the more dangerous his mission becomes. Is a news coup worth placing your life in the risky arena of corrupt politics? With direction by Kevin MacDonald ("The Last King of Scotland") and a screenplay by Tony Gilroy ("Michael Clayton"), the film's urgency should come as no surprise. Rachel McAdams, Robin Wright Penn, Jeff Daniels and Helen Mirren also shine.

Sin Nombre (Focus Pictures): Writer-director Cary Fukunaga makes a blistering feature debut with this powerful drama set in the volatile zones between the U.S. and Central America. The complex yet vivid story follows several characters, from the Honduran teen (Paulina Gaitan) who rides a train out of the country in hopes for better things, to the young gang member (Edgar Flores) who meets her in Mexico City. The plot of crime and survival in the big city seems hardly original since "City of God" hit theaters, yet the movie is made with such furious energy and unexpected compassion that it manages to soar above its flaws. An eye-opening picture, occasionally brutal, often scary, and consistently engaging. With subtitles.

Sugar (Sony Classics): Anna Boden and Ryan Fleck, who directed Ryan Gosling's Oscar-nominated performance in "Half Nelson," return with this sympathetic account of ball players and their dreams. Miguel "Sugar" Santos (Algenis Perez Soto) arrives from the Dominican Republic to follow the American Dream in the baseball field. Determined to raise himself and his family out of poverty, he goes through auditions, meetings, and games, all while trying to avoid exploitation and make sense of this new land. Making excellent use of naturalistic performances, location shooting and realistic subplots, the picture manages to create a tough and emotional baseball drama that's as engaging as "The Natural" or "Field of Dreams" but much more brutally honest.

Classified ads-Finance/Human Resources

Finance: Chicago, IL Experienced in big ticket origination, syndication, valuation and workout. Twenty five years, MBA, CPA, JD, LLM (Tax), structuring specialist. Inbound and outbound transactions. Email:pal108381@comcast.net Transaction Summary | The Lechner Group Website: www.tlgattorneycpa.com	Finance: Naperville, IL Your guide to the right questions and answers in finance. Expert in capital raising, GAAP, acquisitions, lease economics. CPA. MBA. E-mail: m.willow@ameritech.net
Finance: Charlotte, NC 15 Years of Equipment Leasing Experience and Recruiting with Business Aviation niche. Visit us at www.turningpointgrp.com E-mail: info@turningpointgrp.com	Human Resource Consultant: New York, NY Employee Relations, Recruiting, Benefits, employee customer surveys, plus payroll administration "ON-LINE" services-- AND IN PERSON at your location Please visit: www.adviceonhr.com
Information System: North Detroit, MI INFOLEASE EXPERT - 18 years experience.  Since being downsized in 2002, working as a consultant for several leasing companies. Seeking consulting projects nationwide. email: darwint@prodigy.net

All "Outsourcing" Classified ads (advertisers are both requested and responsible to keep their free ads up to date:
http://www.leasingnews.org/Classified/Outsourcing/Outsourcing.htm

### Press Release ##########################

FDIC-Insured Institutions Lost $3.7 Billion in the Second Quarter of 2009
Total Reserves of the Deposit Insurance Fund Stood at $42 Billion

Commercial banks and savings institutions insured by the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC) reported an aggregate net loss of $3.7 billion in the second quarter of 2009, a decline of $8.5 billion from the $4.8 billion in profits the industry reported in the second quarter of 2008. Insured institutions earned $424 million in net operating income during this latest quarter even after a special assessment of $5.5 billion to bolster the FDIC's insurance fund. However, one-time losses and other items totaling $4.1 billion pulled the industry results into negative territory.

"While challenges remain, evidence is building that the U.S. economy is starting to grow again," said FDIC Chairman Sheila Bair. "Banking industry performance is -- as always -- a lagging indicator. The banking industry, too, can look forward to better times ahead. But, for now, the difficult and necessary process of recognizing loan losses and cleaning up balance sheets continues to be reflected in the industry's bottom line."

Chairman Bair went on to say, "The FDIC was created specifically for times such as these. No matter how challenging the environment, the FDIC has ample resources to continue protecting depositors as we have for the last 75 years. No insured depositor has ever lost a penny of insured deposits...and no one ever will."

Provisions for loan losses totaled $66.9 billion in the quarter, an increase of $16.5 billion (32.8 percent) over the second quarter of 2008. Extraordinary losses stemming from "writedowns" of asset-backed commercial paper totaled $3.6 billion, compared to extraordinary losses of $366 million a year earlier. Noninterest expenses were $1.7 billion (1.7 percent) higher, primarily due to increased FDIC deposit insurance premiums.

Indicators of asset quality continued to worsen during the second quarter. Both the quarterly net charge-off rate and the percentage of loans and leases that were noncurrent (90 days or more past due or in nonaccrual status) reached the highest levels registered in the 26 years that insured institutions have reported these data. Insured institutions charged off $48.9 billion in uncollectible loans during the quarter, up from $26.4 billion a year earlier, and noncurrent loans and leases increased by $40.4 billion during the second quarter. At the end of June, noncurrent loans and leases totaled $332 billion, or 4.35 percent of the industry's total loans and leases.

"Deteriorating loan quality is having the greatest impact on industry earnings as insured institutions continue to set aside reserves to cover loan losses," Chairman Bair noted. "Of all the major earnings components, the amount that insured institutions added to their reserves for loan losses were, by far, the largest drag on industry earnings compared to a year ago."

All told, more than 28 percent of all insured institutions reported a net loss in the second quarter, compared with 18 percent a year earlier.

Financial results for the second quarter and first half of 2009 are contained in the FDIC's latest Quarterly Banking Profile, which was released today. Also among the major findings:

Net interest margins improved in the quarter. The average margin (the difference between the average yield on interest-earning assets and the average interest expense of funding those assets) rose to 3.48 percent from 3.39 percent in the first quarter and 3.37 percent in the second quarter of 2008. More than half of all institutions reported higher margins than in the first quarter. Net interest income totaled $100 billion in the quarter, up from $96.6 billion a year earlier.

Net interest margins improved from the previous quarter at community banks and at larger institutions. "This is good news for community banks, since three-fourths of their revenues come from net interest income," Chairman Bair said.

Total assets of insured institutions declined by $238 billion. A $125.5 billion decline in loan and lease balances accounted for more than half of the decline in total assets of insured institutions during the second quarter. The 1.8 percent decline in industry assets followed a $303.2 billion decline in the first quarter of 2009. Banks' balances with Federal Reserve banks fell by $99.4 billion (20.4 percent) during the quarter, and assets in trading accounts declined by $65.5 billion (7.9 percent). The industry's investment securities portfolio increased by $130.6 billion (5.9 percent).

The number of institutions on the FDIC's "Problem List" rose. At the end of June, there were 416 insured institutions on the "Problem List," up from 305 on March 31. This is the largest number of institutions on the list since June 30, 1994, when there were 434 institutions on the list. Total assets of "problem" institutions increased during the quarter from $220.0 billion to $299.8 billion, the highest level since December 31, 1993.

Total reserves of the Deposit Insurance Fund (DIF) stood at $42 billion. Just as insured institutions reserve for loan losses, the FDIC has to provide for a contingent loss reserve for future failures. To the extent that the FDIC has already reserved for an anticipated closing, the failure of an institution does not reduce the DIF balance. The contingent loss reserve, which totaled $28.5 billion on March 31, rose to $32.0 billion as of June 30, reflecting higher actual and anticipated losses from failed institutions. Additions to the contingent loss reserve during the second quarter caused the fund balance to decline from $13.0 billion to $10.4 billion. Combined, the total reserves of the DIF equaled $42.4 billion at the end of the quarter.

Chairman Bair distinguished the DIF's reserves from the FDIC's cash resources, which included $22 billion of cash and U.S. Treasury securities held as of June 30, as well as the ability to borrow up to $500 billion from the Treasury. "A decline in the fund balance does not diminish our ability to protect insured depositors," Chairman Bair concluded.

Full 30 page report:
http://leasingnews.org/PDF/Quarterly_Banking_Profile.pdf

(Leasing News provides this ad "gratis" as a means to help support the growth of Lease Police)

### Press Release ##########################

De Lage Landen Reports Increase in Credit Portfolio but Drop in Net Profit

De Lage Landen Reports Increase in Credit Portfolio but Drop in Net Profit - Net profit for the first half of 2009 is down 58% to €47 million - Credit portfolio is up, to €23,3 billion - Margin on new contracts is increasing - De Lage Landen readies itself for post-recession period

"Given the current circumstances, De Lage Landen really can't complain," says CEO Ronald Slaats. "We have our costs under control, new business volume is looking good and new business margins are in general good; however, the recession does impact De Lage Landen. There has been a significant deterioration in the second-hand car market, and the price of risk is high. This negatively impacts our results. However, I am confident that we have implemented the right measures to see us through. Going forward, we will be focusing more on expanding our presence in emerging economies such as Eastern Europe and Asia. We will invest time and money in standardizing our processes and systems to ensure that our clients receive the same level of quality all over the world. Good risk management has always been at the forefront of our business, but we will sharpen this capability wherever possible. To put it simply: we will step it up now in order to be in a better position when the economy recovers."

Core activities despite the global recession, De Lage Landen was able to achieve good commercial results from its Vendor Finance activities. The new business volume the company has generated is in line with estimates and the margin on new business exceeds expectations. Athlon Car Lease was able to win a number of key new clients and increase the profitability of new business. However, results from Athlon Car Lease are suffering the effects of the deterioration in the second-hand car market. On the Dutch market De Lage Landen is helping the Rabobank Group towards its goal of becoming the market leader for consumer finance by means of the online brand Freo. Freo emerged from the ongoing customer satisfaction survey conducted by Independer -an independent online financial advisor- as the best credit provider of 2009.

Full Report here:
http://leasingnews.org/PDF/DeLageLaden_09MidYear.pdf

$6-million Leasing Ponzi scheme targeted mobile home parks
http://www.latimes.com/business/la-fi-mobilehome-fraud28-2009aug28,0,4727944.story?track=rss

'Blood Oath' Sealed Stanford Deal, Court Is Told
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/08/28/business/28stanford.html?ref=business

Banks 'Too Big to Fail' Have Grown Even Bigger
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/08/27/AR2009082704193.html

FDIC: 60% of Georgia banks are unprofitable
http://www.bizjournals.com/atlanta/stories/2009/08/24/daily83.html">http://www.bizjournals.com/atlanta/stories/2009/08/24/daily83.html">http://www.bizjournals.com/atlanta/stories/2009/08/24/daily83.html

Bernanke personal bank account struck by ID theft
http://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/article/ALeqM5gCE_XZbRKPEvxxtlIjPX7LBMrlnAD9ABHUK00

Mortgage rates barely moved in Bankrate's weekly survey.
http://www.bankrate.com/finance/mortgages/mortgage-rates-inch-upward8-130206.aspx

U.S. to ban most 'robocalls'
http://www.upi.com/Business_News/2009/08/27/US-to-ban-most-robocalls/UPI-35641251418886/

Brett Favre: Fitting in with Vikings a 'work in progress'
http://www.usatoday.com/sports/football/nfl/vikings/2009-08-27-brett-favre_N.htm

Breaking down Michael Vick's plays
http://www.philly.com/philly/sports/eagles/Breaking_down_Vicks_plays.html

500 Homes Urged to Flee LA Suburb Near Fire
http://www.nytimes.com/aponline/2009/08/28/us/AP-US-California-Wildfires.html?_r=1

Homes evacuated as fire burns outside Soledad
http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/n/a/2009/08/27/state/n205509D10.DTL&tsp=1

Timeline in the Kidnapped Jaycee Lee Dugard case
http://www.sacbee.com/latest/story/2144352.html

Kidnap suspect avoided cops' prying eyes
http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2009/08/27/BA0Q19EMR7.DTL

Girl grew up locked away in backyard sheds
http://www.cnn.com/2009/CRIME/08/27/california.kidnap.shed/

Full Story of Kidnapped Girl
http://www.mercurynews.com/topstories/ci_13214564?nclick_check=1

Governor to rescind furloughs for CHP dispatchers
http://www.sacbee.com/static/weblogs/crime/archives/2009/08/governor-to-res.html

Prison bill gutted by state Assembly
http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2009/08/27/BA3P19ELN4.DTL&tsp=1

Toyota to halt production at Nummi, major blow to No. Calif.
http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2009/08/27/BU6919EL3P.DTL&tsp=1

Napa valley winery attributes sales increase in 2009 to direct to consumer efforts
http://www.winebusiness.com/news/?go=getArticle&cms_preview=true&dataid=67053

Tasting wines with ice
http://www.chicagotribune.com/features/food/chi-tc-food-wine-list-0821-0826aug26,0,7824091.story

California wine industry started with Chinese workers
http://www.dailyherald.com/story/?id=316300&src=141

American Airlines Recycling Wine Corks
http://www.environmentalleader.com/2009/08/25/american-airlines-recycling-wine-corks/

The time was ripe for a wine club
http://www.latimes.com/business/la-fi-himi23-2009aug23,0,1087463.story

1963- "I Have A Dream"--- More than 250,000 people attended this Civil Rights rally at Washington, D.C. , at which Reverend Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., made his famous, " I have a dream" speech. One of the three Emancipation Days of Respect that highlights the three key principles of the American Civil Rights Renaissance of the 1960s. Wearing black and white shows respect for Peoplehood in the Spirit of WAO (WeAreOne) on the anniversaries of three historic events: the Aug 28, 1955, kidnapping/lynching of 14-year-old Chicagoan Emmett Till that prompted the first March on Washington after 600,000 viewed his remains and ignited the Civil Rights Renaissance of the 60s; the Aug 28, 1963, March on Washington led by Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., that prompted the passage of the Civil Rights Bill of 1964.

Baseball: a Poem by Nancy Pham

Baseball is a simple game,
It's hard to find someone who does not know the name,
of Ruth or Gehrig or Mays
baseball can go back to the days
of horse drawn, up to horsepower
an amusement used to pass the hours
and minutes, and days, through a lifetime
like mine
the wonderful joy of horsehide on cowhide
the bat on the ball
spikes on the bag
dirt in your palms
grass under your feet
the white of the lines
the black on the plate
the mound, that's just there
the cap on your head
the wood in your hands
the perfect throw from center to home
from third to first
or that little flip from short to second
to complete
the most beautiful thing in the game
the double play
one…then two
perfection
like 90 feet in a faultless diamond
or 60 feet 6 in between
it's exciting,
the rundown
the homer
the triple
or triple play
the double down the left field line
the stolen base
or pickoff
it's boring,
the walk
the force play
the infield fly rule,
the ground-rule double
it's the stuff dreams are made of
Game 7
Bottom of the 9th
2 outs
bases loaded
and you hit the game winning homer
nothing
nothing
nothing
is better than that
nothing is better than baseball
a pure pastime
a childhood memory
a grown passion