Tino

5’4” is not an ideal height for a basketball player.

235 pounds on a 5’4” frame does not describe LeBron James.

Slow, with a vertical leap of  9.5”,

Tino was not an offensive juggernaut.

His understanding of  English was limited

And he needed suspenders to keep his shorts up.

Still, he had a singular defensive ability

That almost offset his limitations.

Tino could bite.

Sometimes amid the giants

Fighting for control of a rebound

You might hear “aihee” screamed in high C.

Such a scream confirmed Tino was in the game

And an opposing player,

With hands crossed below the waist,

Was going to spend time on the bench.

Alas, Tino’s career  was cut short,

When he arrived under the basket

Too late to exercise his defensive genius,

But just in time to receive Lebron’s 265 pounds on his head.

If there need be a moral to Tino’s story.

It might be that little fat guys,

Who need to employ suspenders,

Might want to consider poker as their game.