Ancient battles

Theseus played for the Athens nine;
The Minotaur pitched for Minos that day
Old time Giants were taking the field,
As aroma of incense filtered down
From the Olympian concession stand.
The chorus were all seated
For a contest without rival
For the reputation of this Minotaur
Was such that all of Greece
Expected goose eggs that afternoon,
But the sun shone sweetly on all equally
And the bravery of the Athenian
Was undisputed in the antique marketplace.

"Play ball," called out the ancient bard
And the contestants then took the field
The sheen of the pristine grass shown brightly
In the heat of the afternoon sun.
As the Minotaur took his warmup tosses,
Theseus strode forward, swinging his tool
And a roar from the chorus arose
From the throats of each member
No one would expect a less
Than classical result
When Theseus and the Minotaur
Took their respective places
On either end of the diamond.

And thus it began, as the Minotaur
Reared his head back and roared
As let loose the historic first pitch
But Theseus feigned sleepy indifference
As the ball made its way to the mitt.
"Strike one" cried the referee
And the chorus bellowed disapproval
But Theseus would have none of this
And waved off the crowd's haranguing.

The Minotaur shook his bullish mane
Reared back again and let loose the pill
A second pitch so hard and fierce
As to shake the Corinthian columns
Of the ancient, marble stadium
But Theseus seemed to see nothing amiss
As "strike two" found sanctuary in the catcher's glove
The wind blew out in harmony from the Athenian chorus
As Theseus offered the assemblage a knowing smile.

So the Minotaur finally took a confident twirl
And hurled the ball once more from the hill
But the weapon of choice of that ancient hero
Gave impetus to meeting of ball and bat.
The ball took flight toward Olympian heights
As the bard licked his pen and mythologized
In the marble temple their names are now enshrined
As the beast of Minos and the nimble hero
Who laid wood to ball and sent that spheroid
To float away toward Alcatraz
From the ink-stained blackness of McCovey's cove.