Thomas Porky McDonald is a poet and writer who often comments on both baseball and life. � His first six poetry collections, each of which contained five smaller volumes, spanned the 1990's on into the early 21st Century. �Ground Pork: Poems 1989-1994, Downtown Revival: Poems 1994-1997, Closer to Rona: Poems 1997-1999,Still Chuckin': Poems 1999-2002, In the Cameo Shade: Poems 2002-2005andVespers at Sunset: Poems 2005-2007, all presented a writer whose work was often distinguished by the use of baseball and the ballpark venue. � Other previously published poetry came in the form of two thematic volumes,Diamond Reflections, Baseball Pieces For Real Fans, which takes the most vibrant… baseball-related poems of the chronological collections from the many other life-related pieces contained in each five-book set, andDem Poems: The Brooklyn Collectionborn of verses written from 1985-2005, two decades when the writer's jobsite was based in the Borough of Churches. � His book on poetic process,Does the Toy Cannon Fire Still at Night?cited 62 poems from his first three collections, giving the actual story behind each piece. � Beyond the poetry landscape, his most recent book,the skipper's scrapbook, was inspired by his own Queens upbringing and told the tale of two men and the journey they took together through the final season of their home ballpark, Shea Stadium. � McDonald has also releasedSeries Endings: A Whimsical Look at the Final Plays of Baseball's Fall Classic, 1903-2003, a distinctly different view of baseball's World Series than most mainstream histories,At a Loss to Eternity: Baseball Teams of Note That Didn't Win it Alla celebration of great, non-Series winning teams,Never These Men: One Man's Look at Baseball's Creatively Cultured Characters, a biting rebuttal to the pervading need of the media to brand people for life andWhere the Angels Bow to the Grass: A Boy's Memoir, which is taken mainly from the writer's childhood days of the 1960's and 70's, describing the bond between McDonald and his father, Bill "The Chief" McDonald. He has also published a three-part anthology series, which includesAn Irishman's Tribute to the Negro Leagues,Over the Shoulder and Plant on One: An Irishman's Tribute to Willie MaysandHit Sign, Win Suit: An Irishman's Tribute to Ebbets Field.Each volume contains short stories, historical material and a small dose of McDonald's trademark baseball poetry. � McDonald has also published a book of short stories,Paradise Ovaland his singular New Yorkers' take on 9/11,The Air That September. � Born in St. Albans Naval Hospital in Queens, McDonald has lived in nearby Astoria his entire life.