National Pastime Radio: Dick Flavin on Wait Wait

The “poet laureate”/PA announcer for the Red Sox was the guest for the “Not My Job” segment of last week’s Wait Wait Don’t Tell Me, which was broadcast from the Wang Theater in the City Performing Arts Center in Boston. You can read the transcript or listen to Flavin — along with host Peter Sagal, emcee Bill Kurtis, and panelist Faith Salie — here

An example of Flavin’s work:

Carl Yastrzemski, he wore number eight.
In the bat, in the field and at bat, my God he was great.
For 23 years he carried the load.
A player like that deserves his own ode.
But here is the rub, Yastrzemski won’t rhyme
with any word I’ve been able to find.
I’ve lain awake nights, I’ve done the research,
but found not one rhyme. I am left in the lurch.
There just is no rhyme to go with Yastrzemski,
and take that from one who has made the attemptski.

While doing a little research, I came across The Great Fenway Park Writers Series. Who knew? According to the organization’s website:

The Great Fenway Park Writers Series is the only literary series sponsored by a professional sports team – ever. That the Boston Red Sox are the team behind such a sponsorship should come as no surprise.

(Well, Peter Sagal did preface the NMJ segmentby saying “Everybody knows the…Red Sox are unique — in that they have the most pretentious, literary fans in all of baseball. Sure, the Yankees may have more World Championships, but only Red Sox fans routinely compare their team to the tragic heroes of Greek Drama.”)

More about Mr. Flavin:

Here he reads one of his poems to the “crowd” at Fenway after the Sox won the 2013 World Series.

And here’s a 45+ minute video of Flavin addressing the City Club of San Diego:

Tagged as: Boston Red Sox, Dick Flavin, NPR, Peter Sagal, Wait Wait Don't Tell Me