Man of Character

Ozzie Smith, Yazstremski, Dave Stieb and Robin Yount these men were of a special group It's one I'm proud to count There's players who achieve a goal While others just achieve They set a standard for the rest In their heart they just believe The game is full of heroes Men depended on each game They all have certain attributes And we all know them by name Kaline, Ripken, and Wade Boggs The Carters, Joe and Gary They're men who inspire us They have a reputation tough to carry To be a man of character You must be better than the rest You have to be a leader If you screw up, you must confess Baseball doesn't make you one For character's within You just learn how to channel it Bring it out from where it's been Now, Cobb, Ruth and McLain Were characters as well But, not the kind of characters That we are here to tell They had a reputation One that is not lost upon the game But, to say that they had character Then you would not speak their names Tom Seaver and Clemente Thurmon Munson, Sparky too Were men who set examples Of exactly what to do To build a reputation One that shows character and heart Is something time consuming It's built of many parts To do the right thing once Is not the thing I want to see But to do it right consistently That defines character to me There are so many examples Of players in this group But there are ten times as many Who miss the homer with a bloop Baseball brings it out in you It doesn't put it there You show what you are made of By definition....to be fair Williams, Maris, Dimaggio Robinsons, Jackie and Frank They played with an integrity You could take it to the bank If you want to be a winner Please do this if you can Be a man of character Not a character of a man.