The Outfielder Was a Poet

March 22, 2011 11:01 PM

Chicago Cubs outfielder Fernando Perez has published his poems in Poetry and The Southern Review. He studied creative writing at Columbia, just like James Franco. He is into Robert Creeley. He has a twitter feed. His career batting average is .234 but he's hitting only .161 in the Cactus League and might not make the big league club. Spring Training is the cruelest month.
posted by escabeche (15 comments total)

Metafilter's own! (prev)
posted by kmz at 11:05 PM on March 22, 2011 [4 favorites]

Go Perez! I hope you make it to the big leagues!
posted by spinifex23 at 11:10 PM on March 22, 2011

Go Fred!
posted by mwhybark at 11:19 PM on March 22, 2011

Love Robert Creeley.

For friendship
make a chain that holds,
to be bound to
others, two by two,

a walk, a garland,
handed by hands
that cannot move
unless they hold.
posted by Wolof at 3:44 AM on March 23, 2011 [1 favorite]

The Mendoza Line
Looms large for this young poet.
Good luck, Fernando.
posted by Cool Papa Bell at 4:03 AM on March 23, 2011 [2 favorites]

Alright! Finally an idol for the kid in little league facing the wrong direction and singing to himself in the outfield.
posted by Nanukthedog at 4:06 AM on March 23, 2011 [8 favorites]

Very cool!

I thought to myself, "I can't imagine there have been many baseball players drafted out of Columbia." Turns out, there aren't many, but there's a few, including some guy named Lou Gehrig. Who knew?
posted by dixiecupdrinking at 4:58 AM on March 23, 2011

"urself to ouch"

Poetic double play?
posted by chavenet at 5:00 AM on March 23, 2011

Who plays at first base?
Oh, I see you are confused.
I ask the man's name.
posted by Bromius at 6:06 AM on March 23, 2011 [3 favorites]

As a former resident of the South Side of Chicago, let me be the first to say that this man's talents would be wasted on the largely illiterate Cub fans.
posted by Bulgaroktonos at 6:11 AM on March 23, 2011 [4 favorites]

Hu is sometimes on first.
posted by A dead Quaker at 6:12 AM on March 23, 2011

If I know anything about careers in poetry, I know that the following is true:

He shouldn't quit his day job.
posted by whimsicalnymph at 7:03 AM on March 23, 2011

He has been my most important poet, because I can take him anywhere, like oranges

That's a fantastic turn of phrase.
posted by hue at 8:08 AM on March 23, 2011

As a Cubs fan and a lover of athletes who read, write, sing, etc., I am rooting hard for this guy. Go Fernando!
posted by statolith at 8:32 AM on March 23, 2011

I hope he makes it! I'm a huge Cubs fan, and he's pretty awesome.
posted by jnaps at 1:52 PM on March 23, 2011 [1 favorite]