Tuesday,
July 20,2004 Headlines--- Correction: ASA “Asset
Control” Classified
Ads---Sr. Credit officer/ Sr. Management NorVergence
“Application Only” Quagmire NorVergence
Leasing Portfolio: “Other things to go wrong.” Norvergence
Customer Legal Co-op Announcement Alexa
Ranks Leasing Association Web Sites Fitch
Affirms Toronto-Dominion Outlook to Stable From Negative ######## surrounding the article denotes it is a “press
release” ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Correction:
ASA “Asset
Control” “Several days ago
you put out a news release stating Asset Control was no longer performing
services for companies other than Textron and you cited a reliable source.
This is incorrect,
the fact is, AC is still performing appraisals and inspections for other
parties, the only services discontinued, to other parties, were the
recovery and remarketing of assets. In the future, a call to the subject
you are reporting on may serve you better and enhance the credibility
of your news releases. Please correct your past news release.” Leasing News did
attempt to reach ASA as we received this from a reliable source: “AssetControl is laying off at least half the staff today (July 1).
They are not going to process any more third party business, only Textron.
I hear that Textron is getting back into the leasing business.” Mr. DiBerardino explained
“Process,” however, we requested clarification on the reduction in staff
and change: “Did you cut your
staff by half? Did you cut your staff at all? “The statement is what I just gave
you. You need to correct your previous release. Your well known source
obviously did not know what has taken place.” Classified
Ads--- Senior
Credit Officer/Senior Management Senior Credit Officer: experienced in middle-market leasing; structured, vendor and 3rd party to the fortune 1000. Proactive team builder, originations capable with strong work ethic. Email: kyletrust@hotmail.com
Senior Management:
Baltimore, MD 25 year veteran of commercial and equipment leasing seeking a senior management position with leasing or asset based financing company in the southeast (Florida preferred) Email: kellogg_md@yahoo.com
Senior Management: Denver, CO. Fortune 500 GM/SVP wants to team up with aggressive lender looking for Western expansion mid-market equip. finance/leasing. 20+ years experience within Rocky Mountain/Southwest and Ca markets. Email: legal@csotn.com Senior management:
Hope, NJ. 25 years in optimizing
call center operations, collections, billing, and back end revenue generation.
Experienced in $7 + billion dollar portfolios. Verifiable achievements.
E-mail: cmate@nac.net Senior Management:
Irvine, CA. Credit executive, portfolio manager and syndication facilitator. Extensive business building experience in small and mid-ticket operations. Highly innovative. Fortune 100 audit and technology skills. Bottom-line manager. Email: lenhubbard@bigfoot.com
Senior Management:
Long Island, NY Degree Banking/Finance. 13 years leasing exp. Now prez young leasing company where promises were not met. Interested in joining established firm with future. Email:
bob33483@yahoo.com Senior Management:
New York, NY, NJ, Ct Tri-State Top Exec. middle
and big ticket, top skills treasury, funding, ops,transaction detail,
syndication, ready to max profit, help build quality operation. right
now! E-Mail: leasefinance@optonline.net Senior Management: Portfolio Management Consultant; 25+years experience in Collections, Customer Satisfaction, Asset Management, Recoveries, Continuous Process Improvement, Back end Revenue Generation, Cost per Collection Analysis. $5+Billion Portfolio expertise. Email: efgefg@rogers.com
Senior Management: San Francisco, CA., 25 years experience w/global leasing company, sales,marketing,business dev., P&L responsibility, asset mgmt, brokering and re-marketing. Interested in joining an est. firm with a future. Email: rcsteyer@yahoo.com
full listing of all classified “job wanted”
ads: http://64.125.68.90/LeasingNews/JobPostings.htm ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Economic
Events This Week Today July 20 Housing Construction:
June Thursday July 22 Leading Indicators:
June Weekly Jobless Claims
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ NorVergence
“Application Only” Quagmire by Christopher Menkin It should have been
no surprise when Qwest postponed their turn-off for NorVergence
users. No firm date has not been made, although many believe
it will be in two weeks. While this may be
considered benevolent in postponing cutting off current NorVergence
users, the move may be viewed as lacking the technical
ability of actually “turning off” 7,000 accounts, plus covering
all legal bases, and business wise: the opportunity to obtain “new”
customers. What will happen
to the alleged 7,000 NorVergence Qwest customers or the reported other
3,000 to 4,000 users serviced by other “telephone” companies is yet
to be seen. Remember, users
mean “companies,” not individuals. Telecom Agent Associations
states there are “11,000 Norvergence
customers.... who need new long distance, T-1s, 800 numbers and cell
phones.” The Chapter 7 first
creditor’s committee meeting will be held on August 27,2004. The form for creditors to fill out may not
be complete, meaning
all the claims and creditors may not be able to report actual
facts for the first meeting. http://www.two.leasingnews.org/loose_files/NorVengence_court_docs.pdf Third party contract
holders may take up to sixty days to realize they are involved
in a “credit dispute” that may or may not involve NorVergence (depends
on which side you are on---lessor, lessee, creditor, employee, insurance,
government(s), and this more than likely will be much
larger than recent bankruptcies such as Commercial Money Center, or
alleged fraud, such as RW Professional Leasing. It appears that these
dollar amounts are small in comparison to Enron, Worldcom,
and others, to the media, but perhaps when this gets to the
$100 million mark it will be more than a local New York-New Jersey
television news story. Deborah Monosson,
president of Boston Financial & Equity sent an e-mail that we will
include in our next group, but her first comments on NorVergence were”
Collateral. Collateral. Collateral.”
Her company has a long term history of “high risk” transactions.
Not that they are an equipment “hock shop,” but simply Boston
Financial understands the full spectrum
of the transaction. “Collateral, collateral,
collateral, “she said. “ If leasing companies had actually looked at
the collateral perhaps this would not have gone as far as it did.” representations,
as per their contract. I personally received
many calls from bankers, some in charge of large banks, but
mostly, smaller community banks across the country, who
thought these leases were “good credit” situations to purchase. They did not understand the situation. The trend has been toward “scoring” and “application
only.” It has been said
by many leasing companies, “ If the credit is very good, we will
lease them ice.” Allowing high
“soft costs” has become common, following
the trend of the value of what is being leasing
in the technology field. The
question regarding these transactions
were rarely personal or business credit. Several of the banks
who were mentioned in NorVergence press releases, as
lenders, and as customers, were contacted, including those who
gave endorsements in advertisements, such as on ELT News
for the Equipment Leasing Association. None wanted to talk
about their lending, or even if they were using the telecommunication
equipment. There certainly will
be major repercussions in the financial community when the
reality of NorVergence hits the desk of many banking and
financial institution president’s desks. The zeal for new
business may be more costly than originally assumed. The actual
bankruptcy filings will list the claims. The full repercussions
may not be available until the first of the year. One thing can be
learned now, which is commonly practiced in by Municipal credit
desks: the value and use of the equipment by the lessee. In their decisions, the annual cancellation
of the contract exists. Will the debtor need the equipment to keep for the three
years of the contract, or five years? Will the equipment
become so obsolescent it is cheaper and easier to cancel
the contract? Instead of giving
a text book on municipal loan decisions, as most credit officers know,
the decision really is in asset control or loan quality, not the
credit department. The decision
of accepting equipment, seller,
manufacturer, should not be
made with the view of putting more business on the books to meet or
exceed quota’s, but what will come
back to bite us before the end of the term. Leasing companies
have a long history of booking business because
it came from a so-called “trusted source” or one-dimensional
credit decision. In my thirty-three
years in the leasing business,
my major problems came from vendors I had known
for years, trusted sources who had changed direction,
taken on a new partner, gone in a new direction, or
just became “desperate.” Any of the experienced
loan or credit officers realized the problems of the NorVergence
leases, but their guidelines were both this company
and situation were acceptable as long as the credit
was good. Those with experience with information
technology, or items such as ATM machines, vending machines,
and types of equipment heavily dependent on maintenance or
service to function. “Application Only”
has not been good for the equipment leasing industry as it has grown
from the original concept of making a “good consumer credit decision”
to a business decision. It has
made the industry lazy, soft, and an easy target for sellers of equipment
and salesmen after their commission. ------------------------------------------------------------------------- If you cannot read this message, please click: http://elistpros.bm23.com/x/preview.php?m=27413&k= 29f44274&sid=6423063&esid=eZN7
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- NorVergence
Leasing Portfolio: “Other things to go wrong.” by Christopher Menkin Skip Bayless, sports
columnist for the San Jose Mercury News, stated players can’t hide
their activities as they have done in the past as “the internet has
a thousand eyes.” This is also
true to the leasing industry, where NorVergence
users have formed “listserve” groups, communicating via
Yahoo, among others, and openly are telling others to stop making
the lease payments and join them in a class action suit. Here is one: http://norvergenceowes.proboards12.com One of the most popular, and easy to use is: norvergence@yahoogroups.com
Here
is a typical question: “ Does anyone in this group have CIT as their leasing
company? I would like to hear
from other Norvergence clients that have a lease with CIT. We can share
strategies, and maybe bring action to invalidate these leases together. “Also, Has anyone discussed the leases with their attorney? Does anyone have
any good legal theories to get out of these leases?” or: “I am in the same
boat like everyone hoping to join someone who will be ready to take
action against these scumbags. I have to still pay $20,400 out of $
23,400. “We were told by
Norvergence people, that the Matrix Box will do all this magic, but now
everything is nothing but tragic. “I do not know where
to go? “I have the lease
company 'LakeLand Bank'. “Please let me know
if anyone can help.” Some claim they have
$100,000 left on their leasing contract. Others send out advice
to join together to make it
akin to Leasecomm, such as: http://www.two.leasingnews.org/loose_files/NorVergence _Court_case_getting_out_of_leases.htm Others are watching
the victory that Dale Washington is having with “hell and high
water” contacts: http://www.leasingnews.org/Conscious-Top%20Stories/Dale_wins_case.htm More importantly,
the internet has become an inexpensive, immediate means for users to
gain information seemingly to their financial advantage against
major banks and other funders of NorVergence leases. This Yahoo site has 500 messages
along: http://finance.groups.yahoo.com/group/TheAberdeenKid/ In addition, the Telcom Agent is
actively organizing, creating a “legal co-op” If you cannot read this message, please click: http://elistpros.bm23.com/x/preview.php?m=27481&k= 85e28697&sid=6423063&esid=eZN7
Barry Dubin, a very
well-known attorney with Cooper-White-Cooper made an observation over
twenty years ago that has been included in many of our placards: “When something goes wrong at the beginning,
other things will go wrong until the end.” ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Classified
Ads---Help Wanted
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ ### Press Release
################################ Fitch
Affirms Toronto-Dominion Bank, Revises Outlook to Stable From Negative Fitch Ratings-Chicago-
Fitch Ratings has revised the Rating Outlook on Toronto-Dominion Bank's
(TD) 'AA-/F1+' ratings to Stable from Negative. Fitch has also affirmed
all of TD's other ratings. The Rating Outlook applies to TD's long-term
ratings. A complete list of ratings follows at the end of this release. The ratings affirmation
and Outlook revision to Stable reflects TD's meaningful progress in
reducing its credit risk profile and bolstering capital. Management
has worked through the non-core lending portfolio at TD Securities faster
than Fitch had anticipated, and actual loss experience appears to be
well within management's original expectations. At April 30, 2004, this
portfolio has been reduced to just $2.6 billion ($5 billion total commitments).
Gross Impaired Loans (GILs) have declined from 2% of loans at fiscal
year-end 2002 to a very manageable 0.75%. Loan loss reserves cover GILs
1.6 times. TD has strengthened its capital position by reducing risk-weighted
assets in a targeted manner and through earnings retention. Overall,
TD has delivered consistent earnings performance since reporting sizeable
goodwill writedowns and restructuring charges in the second quarter
of 2003. Over the last year, TD's tier 1 capital ratio has improved
from 8.8% to 11.90%, now highest of the six largest Canadian banks.
Tangible common equity to risk-weighted assets has increased from 5.7%
to 8%, while tangible common equity (common equity less total intangibles,
gross of future tax liability) to tangible assets remains comparatively
low at 2.42%. In addition, TD's
retail market shares have generally stabilized. The considerable strength
provided to TD by its retail franchise underlines the importance of
this factor. TD captures about 22.5% of personal core deposits. In terms
of overall risk profile, TD is approaching its desired business mix
of 80% retail, 20% wholesale. While this significantly reduces the firm's
exposure to the perceived higher risk corporate sector, it also reduces
its revenue and business diversification. Contact: Doris Hoffmann
+1-312-368-2057, Chicago or Sharon Haas +1-212-908-0362, New York. ### Press Release
################################ News
Briefs--- At Riggs Bank, a
Tangled Path Led to Scandal http://www.nytimes.com/2004/07/19/business/19BANK.final.html Venture-Backed Companies
Expanding http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A63244-2004Jul20.html Q2 ’04 IPO Activity National Venture Capital Association http://www.nvca.org/pdf/IPO_release_Q2_2004_FINAL.pdf States With Largest
Venture-Backed Jobs http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A63245-2004Jul20.html Net access via satellite
a tough sell—Still Too Expensive http://www.boston.com/business/technology/articles/2004/07/19/ net_access_via_satellite_a_tough_sell/ Ask Jeeves searches
for profits, gets results http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?file=/chronicle/archive /2004/07/19/BUGOJ7ME751.DTL&type=business Apple Sings Sweeter,
Longer Tunes http://www.internetnews.com/bus-news/article.php/3383191 ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Sports
Briefs--- Report: George rejects
Titans' latest offer, asks for release http://www.usatoday.com/sports/football/nfl/titans/2004-07-19-george-offer_x.htm Pats reach agreement
with first round pick Wilfork http://www.theredzone.org/news/showarticle.asp?ArticleID=1288 ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ California
Nuts Brief--- Governor's gibes
stall budget, Dems say 'Girlie men' remark
infuriates lawmakers, delays compromise http://sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2004/07/20/BUDGET.TMP ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- “Gimmie
that Wine” Industry group Wine
Vision hosting two-day SR conference on broadening state wines' appeal http://www.pressdemocrat.com/business/news/19winevision_d1d01_biz_d1prerund.html Next big wine may
be a blend of the very best http://www.modbee.com/columnists/moran/story/8861092p-9749390c.html Archaeologists Uncover
What May Be the Oldest U.S. Wine Cellar http://www.winespectator.com/Wine/Daily/News/0,1145,2540,00.html Wineries continuing
to sprout up in New York state http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?file=/news/archive /2004/07/18/financial0205EDT0001.DTL ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- This
Day in American History 1591- Anne Marbury was baptized
in Alford, England. America's first female religious leader, Anne Marbury
Hutchinson was the daughter of an outspoken clergyman silenced for criticizing
the Church of England. Better educated than most men of the day, she
spent her youth immersed in her father's library. At
twenty-one, Anne Marbury married Will Hutchinson and began bearing the
first of their fifteen children. She became an adherent of the preaching
and teachings of John Cotton, a Puritan minister who left England for
America. http://memory.loc.gov/ammem/today/jul20.html 1848-
the Seneca Falls Convention convened for a second day. On the previous
day, convention organizer Elizabeth Cady Stanton had read the "Declaration
of Sentiments and Grievances." In the process of reviewing a list
of attached resolutions, a group united across the boundaries of gender
and race to demand women's right to vote in the United States. (second
part of: http://memory.loc.gov/ammem/today/jul20.html
) 1858-
Approximately 1,500 baseball fans were charged 50 cents each to watch
a baseball game between the New York All-Stars and a Brooklyn team at
Fashion Race Course on Long Island.
This is the first record “commercial” game of baseball. In a
preclude to the next century, New York beat Brooklyn 22-18. 1874
-- General George
Custer and first official exploring expedition enters Black Hills with
110 wagons and 1,000 men, in direct violation of treaty of 1868 that
barred whites from sacred hills. He was out to make a name for himself in
history. 1885-Birthday
of Theda Bara, early Hollywood star whose blatant sexuality (for the
time) as a "vamp" (a woman who uses men and throws them away
instead of being used and thrown away) was the subject of many a Sunday
church sermon. She made more than 40 silent films. http://www.classicimages.com/1996/july/theda.html http://www.tartcity.com/thedabara.html http://silentladies.com/PBara1.html http://www.bombshells.com/gallery/bara/theda_bio.php known for his Count Basie arrangements Died June 5, 1999 http://www.harlem.org/people/wilkins.html. http://elvispelvis.com/erniewilkins.htm 1930
- The temperature at Washington D.C. soared to an all-time record of
106 degrees. The next day Millsboro reached 110 degrees to set a record
for the state of Delaware. July 1930 was one of the hottest and driest
summers in the U.S., particularly in the Missouri Valley where severe
drought conditions developed. Toward the end of the month state records
were set for Kentucky with 114 degrees, and Mississippi with 115 degrees. 1934---
118ø F (48ø C), Keokuk, Iowa (state record) 1939-Birthday
of Judy Chicago, artist who encourages women to
do what she did, assimilate female imagery into their art work. She
established educational programs for women, was one of the founders
of the Los Angeles Feminist Studio Workshop which, among other things,
opened the Woman's Building, and creator of a number of exciting woman-related
images and sculptures. http://www.indiana.edu/~scsweb/jchicago/chicago_cu2.jpg http://www.npr.org/programs/atc/features/2002/oct/chicago/ 1940-The
first pop music record charts for single songs were published by the
music grade newspaper “Billboard.” The first Number on was Tommy Dorsey’s “ I’ll
Never Smile Again,” sung by Frank Sinatra. 1944
President Franklin D. Roosevelt nominated for an unprecedented 4th term
at the Democratic convention. Harry S. Truman of Missouri was nominated
for vice-president.
In June the allied landed in Normandy and the Russian front was in
full battle, but in mid-June the Germans introduced a new weapon, the
V-1 pilot less bombs; they launched
it against London and other British cities.
In September they followed it with the V-2, a supersonic rocket
causing great destruction. The
end of June the Republican National Convention nominated Thomas
E. Dewey, governor of New York for the presidency, and Gov. John W.
Bricker of Ohio for the vice-presidency. Dream - The Pied
Pipers The More I See You
- Dick Haymes Sentimental Journey
- The Les Brown Orchestra (vocal: Doris Day) Stars and Stripes
on Iwo Jima - Bob Wills 1950-
the “Arthur Murray Party” premiered on television. This ballroom dancing
show appeared on all four networks (ABC, Dumont, CBS and NBC) and was
hosted by Kathryn Murray, wife of famed dance school founder Arthur
Murray. “Arthur Murray taught me to dance in a hurry. “ He is the uncle
of our
good friend Bob Teichman (Murray
dropped his middle name for as
Teichman did not rhyme with very many things.) 1953---Top
Hits Song from Moulin
Rouge - The Percy Faith Orchestra April in Portugal
- The Les Baxter Orchestra I’m Walking Behind
You - Eddie Fisher It’s Been So Long
- Webb Pierce 1958-
During the first game of a doubleheader Tiger Jim Bunning no-hits the
Red Sox, 3-0. The future Hall of Famer will become the first modern
pitcher to toss a no-hitter in both leagues when throws a perfect against
the Mets in 1964. 1961---Top
Hits Tossin’ and Turnin’
- Bobby Lewis The Boll Weevil Song
- Brook Benton Yellow Bird - Arthur
Lyman Group Heartbreak U.S.A.
- Kitty Wells 1963-Jan
and Dean's "Surf City" tops the singles chart just two weeks
after its release. 1965-Bob
Dylan's "Like a Rolling Stone" is released by Columbia records.
The disc turns out to be his biggest hit ever climbing to number two
on the U.S. pop chart and number four in the U.K. 1965-Kama
Sutra Records releases the Lovin' Spoonful's first record, "Do
You Believe in Magic." It will reach #9 on the pop chart. 1965-
Yankee pitcher Mel Stottlemyre hits an inside the park grand slam against
the Red Sox en route to a 6-3 victory. 1968-One
thousand mentally retarded athletes competed in the first Special Olympics
at Solider Field, Chicago, Il. Today
more than one million athletes from 156 countries compete at the local,
national and international level.
1968- Cream's "Wheels Of Fire" LP enters the chart. It hits #1 and features the single "White Room." 1969---Top
Hits In the Year 2525
- Zager and Evans Spinning Wheel -
Blood, Sweat and Tears Good Morning Starshine
- Oliver I Love You More Today
- Conway Twitty 1973- White Sox pitcher Wilbur Wood loses both ends of a doubleheader to the Yankees. 1975-Miami" Steve Van Zandt performs for the first time in concert as a member of Bruce Springsteen's E Street Band in Providence, Rhode Island. 1977---Top
Hits Da Doo Ron Ron -
Shaun Cassidy Looks like We Made
It - Barry Manilow I Just Want to Be
Your Everything - Andy Gibb It was Almost like
a Song - Ronnie Milsap 1985 - Treasure hunters began removing $400 million in coins and silver ingots from the ocean floor in the biggest underwater treasure hunt in history. The money came from the Spanish galleon, "Nuestra Senora de Atocha," which sunk in 1622, 40 miles off the coast of Key West, Florida. 1985-Sting's solo debut, "The Dream of the Blue Turtles" enters the album charts. The LP features the hits, "If You Love Somebody Set Them Free" and "Fortress Around Your Heart." 1985---Top
Hits A View to a Kill
- Duran Duran Raspberry Beret -
Prince and The Revolution Everytime You Go
Away - Paul Young Dixie Road - Lee
Greenwood 1986
- The temperature at Charleston, SC, hit 104 degrees for the second
day in a row to tie their all-time record high. 1988—The Democratic National Convention nominated Gov. Michael S. Dukakis of Massachusetts for president and Sen. Lloyd M. Bensten,Jr., of Texas for Vice-President. 1988 - The temperature at Redding, CA, soared to an all-time record high of 118 degrees. Showers and thunderstorms produced much needed rains from New England to southern Texas. Salem, IN, was deluged with 7.2 inches of rain resulting in flash flooding. 1989 - Showers and thunderstorms in the Middle Atlantic Coast Region soaked Wilmington, DE, with 2.28 inches of rain, pushing their total for the period May through July past the previous record of 22.43 inches. Heavy rain over that three month period virtually wiped out a 16.82 inch deficit which had been building since drought conditions began in 1985. Thunderstorms in central Indiana deluged Lebanon with 6.50 inches of rain in twelve hours, and thunderstorms over Florida produced wind gusts to 84 mph at Flagler Beach. 1991-Tom Petty and The Heartbreakers' "Into The Great Wide Open" LP enters the chart. Baseball
Poem
(Suggested by post-game
broadcasts)
Fanaticism? No. Writing is exciting
and baseball is like writing.
You can never tell with either
how it will go
or what you will do;
generating excitement--
a fever in the victim--
pitcher, catcher, fielder, batter.
Victim in what category?
Owlman watching from the press box? To whom does it apply?
Who is excited? Might it be I?
It's a pitcher's battle all the way--a duel--
a catcher's, as, with cruel
puma paw, Elston Howard lumbers lightly
back to plate. (His spring
de-winged a bat swing.)
They have that killer instinct;
yet Elston--whose catching
arm has hurt them all with the bat--
when questioned, says, unenviously,
"I'm very satisfied. We won."
Shorn of the batting crown, says, "We";
robbed by a technicality.
When three players on a side play three positions
and modify conditions,
the massive run need not be everything.
"Going, going . . . " Is
it? Roger Maris
has it, running fast. You will
never see a finer catch. Well . . .
"Mickey, leaping like the devil"--why
gild it, although deer sounds better--
snares what was speeding towards its treetop nest,
one-handing the souvenir-to-be
meant to be caught by you or me.
Assign Yogi Berra to Cape Canaveral;
he could handle any missile.
He is no feather. "Strike! . . . Strike two!"
Fouled back. A blur.
It's gone. You would infer
that the bat had eyes.
He put the wood to that one.
Praised, Skowron says, "Thanks, Mel.
I think I helped a little bit."
All business, each, and modesty.
Blanchard, Richardson, Kubek, Boyer.
In that galaxy of nine, say which
won the pennant? Each. It was he.
Those two magnificent saves from the knee-throws
by Boyer, finesses in twos--
like Whitey's three kinds of pitch and pre-
diagnosis
with pick-off psychosis.
Pitching is a large subject.
Your arm, too true at first, can learn to
catch your corners--even trouble
Mickey Mantle. ("Grazed a Yankee!
My baby pitcher, Montejo!"
With some pedagogy,
you'll be tough, premature prodigy.)
They crowd him and curve him and aim for the knees. Trying
indeed! The secret implying:
"I can stand here, bat held steady."
One may suit him;
none has hit him.
Imponderables smite him.
Muscle kinks, infections, spike wounds
require food, rest, respite from ruffians. (Drat it!
Celebrity costs privacy!)
Cow's milk, "tiger's milk," soy milk, carrot juice, brewer's yeast (high-potency--
concentrates presage victory
sped by Luis Arroyo, Hector Lopez--
deadly in a pinch. And "Yes,
it's work; I want you to bear down,
but enjoy it
while you're doing it."
Mr. Houk and Mr. Sain,
if you have a rummage sale,
don't sell Roland Sheldon or Tom Tresh.
Studded with stars in belt and crown,
the Stadium is an adastrium.
O flashing Orion,
your stars are muscled like the lion.
From
The Complete Poems of Marianne Moore. Copyright © 1961 Marianne
Moore, © renewed 1989 by Lawrence E. Brinn and Louise Crane, executors
of the Estate of Marianne Moore. Another
Poem by Marinne Moore
I, too, dislike it: there are things that are important beyond
all this fiddle.
Reading it, however, with a perfect contempt for it, one
discovers in
it after all, a place for the genuine.
Hands that can grasp, eyes
that can dilate, hair that can rise
if it must, these things are important not because a
high-sounding interpretation can be put upon them but because
they are
useful. When they become so derivative as to become
unintelligible,
the same thing may be said for all of us, that we
do not admire what
we cannot understand: the bat
holding on upside down or in quest of something to
eat, elephants pushing, a wild horse taking a roll, a tireless
wolf under
a tree, the immovable critic twitching his skin like a horse
that feels a flea, the base-
ball fan, the statistician--
nor is it valid
to discriminate against "business documents and
school-books"; all these phenomena are important. One must make
a distinction
however: when dragged into prominence by half poets, the
result is not poetry,
nor till the poets among us can be
"literalists of
the imagination"--above
insolence and triviality and can present
for inspection, "imaginary gardens with real toads in them,"
shall we have
it. In the meantime, if you demand on the one hand,
the raw material of poetry in
all its rawness and
that which is on the other hand
genuine, you are interested in poetry.
From
The Complete Poems of Marianne Moore. Copyright © 1961 Marianne
Moore, © renewed 1989 by Lawrence E. Brinn and Louise Crane, executors
of the Estate of Marianne Moore.
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