Ruthless pricks

[Theoldmole]

In New Orleans to attend my granddaughter's graduation from Tulane (summa cum laude!). The commencement ceremonies began with representatives of the different colleges entering the Superdome bearing gonfalons. And you may wonder what this has to do with baseball, but I'm getting to it. The only context in which I had ever head that word was the classic bit of doggerel that, want to or not, I have by heart in my consciousness:

These are the saddest of possible words,
Tinker to Evers to Chance.
Trio of Bear Cubs and fleeter than birds,
Tinker to Evers to Chance.

Ruthlessly pricking our gonfalon bubble,
Turning a Giant hit into a double,
Words that are heavy with nothing but trouble,
Tinker to Evers to Chance.

And I had always assumed "gonfalon" was some sort of weird adjective, but in the middle,of the ceremony it hit me -- he means that the dream of seeing a pennant flying over the Polo Grounds has been cruelly punctured.

[Edgy MD]

It used to be my sig line: "Stop ruthlessly pricking my gonfalon bubble!"

[Zvon]

When you were sitting there did you shout:"Eureka!"



OE: because I woulda

[seawolf17]

That's awesome, Mole. I had assumed the same that you did.

[Frayed Knot]

I always associated it with 'Granfaloon' even though I knew the words were not connected as the latter one was a made-up word used by Kurt Vonnegut.

[Theoldmole]

Almost "Eureka!" I poked my daughter in the armed said, "My God, I just realized what it means!"

[Zvon]

TheOldMole wrote: Almost "Eureka!" I poked my daughter in the armed said, "My God, I just realized what it means!"

lol. That's the extended version.

[Vic Sage]

Frayed Knot wrote: I always associated it with 'Granfaloon' even though I knew the words were not connected as the latter one was a made-up word used by Kurt Vonnegut.

Floating in the summer sky
99 granfaloons go by