Week of Oct. 11-17, 2009 by Dennis Mammana on Creators.com

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Week of Oct. 11-17, 2009

One of my favorite comedy routines is Abbott and Costello's "Who's on First?" You remember how it goes: Who's on first, What's on second, I Don't Know's on third...

Even after all these decades, I can't listen to this brilliant four-and-a-half-minute skit without doubling up from laughter. If you've never heard it, you really should check it out here: nocryinginbaseball.com/who.html.

I guess baseball's on my mind right now because the Major League playoffs are in full swing. So what does baseball have to do with stargazing, you might ask.

Plenty. Let me show you.

High in the eastern sky after dark right now, we can see four equally bright stars that form what astronomers know as the Great Square of Pegasus. A baseball fan, of course, might prefer to see it as the Great Baseball Diamond.

Highest in this square — er, diamond — we see a star marking home plate. Moving counterclockwise around the diamond, we encounter first, second and third bases. With some imagination, we might even spot the pitcher, catcher, umpire, on-deck batter and third-base coach along the way.

Way too many outfielders, though.

Now, while you're gazing up at this all-star baseball game, you may be tempted to ask, "Who's on first?" Well, the answer is Alpheratz.

On second base, you'll find Algenib; on third is Markab. Batting at home plate is Scheat, and right behind is the catcher named Matar.

These stars are more classically associated with the front and mid-sections of Pegasus, the great winged horse of antiquity who flew to Mount Helicon in Boeotia where the nine muses lived. Upon landing, one of its hooves ripped open a spring of gushing water that became known as the Hippocrene or The Horse's Fountain. It was said that drinking its water conferred on one the gift of verse and, ever since, the figure of Pegasus has been a symbol of poetry and the creative arts.

Interesting story, but trying to imagine a horse among these stars is another matter altogether. Not only is it a flying horse, but it appears upside down. And if that weren't confusing enough, there's only half of an upside-down flying horse in the sky. Any wonder we have trouble making it out?

Nah, I'm a pretty simple guy. Give me a celestial baseball diamond any day, even if I have to repeatedly answer the question "Who's on first?"

To find out more about Dennis Mammana and read features by other Creators Syndicate writers and cartoonists, visit the Creators Syndicate website at www.creators.com.