Gershon Wolf Poet Name

Notes About The Poem

Wilt 'the Stilt' Chamberlin was arguably the greatest basketball player of his generation.  He set recoreds that will never be broken, including scoring 100 points in a single game and averaging an eye-popping 50.4 ponts over an 82-season.  Seemingly jealous of his height (7 feet, 2 inches) and his incredible athleticism, and prejudiced against him as an aggressive black man in the conservative 1950's, fans booed Chamberline mercilessly, much as they might boo the 'villain' in a professional wrestling match.

Wilt 'The Stilt' Chamberlin

W   as there ever a player so hated
 I    n the prime of a great career
 L    ooked on as the Devil Incarnate 
 T    ormented by boos and by jeers

 T    he man set all kinds of records
 H    e excelled at whatever he tried
 E    gged on by a fierce, wounded pride

 S    cored one-hundred points in a game
 T    fans hissed at him all the same
 I     f he had to do it over again
 L    ord Have Mercy, he'd have scored 110!
 T    hough he'd have traded every point for one friend

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Michelle Faulkner July 16, 2019 at 3:21 PM I have of course heard of Wilt Chamberlin but didn't really know his story - this is instructive as well as an entertaining read! Gershon Wolf July 16, 2019 at 7:07 PM Thanks for the feedback on this one. I guess you're my lone sports fan on the Soup...Wilt was also known as the Big Dipper, as he used to just kind of pour or ladle the ball down into the basket from about 5 feet away. A real star he was back in the day. Thanks again, Michelle. ~ gw