{"id":32427,"date":"2017-04-03T10:21:04","date_gmt":"2017-04-03T14:21:04","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/libapps.libraries.uc.edu\/liblog\/?p=32427"},"modified":"2017-04-03T10:21:04","modified_gmt":"2017-04-03T14:21:04","slug":"celebrating-april-with-poetry-and-baseball","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/libapps.libraries.uc.edu\/liblog\/2017\/04\/celebrating-april-with-poetry-and-baseball\/","title":{"rendered":"Celebrating April with Poetry and Baseball"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"Casey<\/a>
\nApril is National Poetry Month and the start of baseball. With today being opening day in Cincinnati, what better poem to read than the classic “Casey at the Bat” by Ernest Lawrence Thayer. And check out this illustrated version<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Casey at the Bat<\/span><\/h2>\n
By Ernest Lawrence Thayer<\/a> <\/span><\/div>\n
\n
A Ballad of the Republic, Sung in the Year 1888<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
\n
\n
\n
\n
The outlook wasn\u2019t brilliant for the Mudville nine that day;<\/div>\n
The score stood four to two with but one inning more to play.<\/div>\n
And then when Cooney died at first, and Barrows did the same,<\/div>\n
A sickly silence fell upon the patrons of the game.<\/div>\n
<\/div>\n
A straggling few got up to go in deep despair. The rest<\/div>\n
Clung to that hope which springs eternal in the human breast;<\/div>\n
They thought if only Casey could but get a whack at that\u2014<\/div>\n
We\u2019d put up even money now with Casey at the bat.<\/div>\n
<\/div>\n
But Flynn preceded Casey, as did also Jimmy Blake,<\/div>\n
And the former was a lulu and the latter was a cake;<\/div>\n
So upon that stricken multitude grim melancholy sat,<\/div>\n
For there seemed but little chance of Casey\u2019s getting to the bat.<\/div>\n
<\/div>\n
But Flynn let drive a single, to the wonderment of all,<\/div>\n
And Blake, the much despised, tore the cover off the ball;<\/div>\n
And when the dust had lifted, and men saw what had occurred,<\/div>\n
There was Jimmy safe at second and Flynn a-hugging third.<\/div>\n
<\/div>\n
Then from 5,000 throats and more there rose a lusty yell;<\/div>\n
It rumbled through the valley, it rattled in the dell;<\/div>\n
It knocked upon the mountain and recoiled upon the flat,<\/div>\n
For Casey, mighty Casey, was advancing to the bat.<\/div>\n
<\/div>\n
There was ease in Casey\u2019s manner as he stepped into his place;<\/div>\n
There was pride in Casey\u2019s bearing and a smile on Casey\u2019s face.<\/div>\n
And when, responding to the cheers, he lightly doffed his hat,<\/div>\n
No stranger in the crowd could doubt \u2019twas Casey at the bat.<\/div>\n
<\/div>\n
Ten thousand eyes were on him as he rubbed his hands with dirt;<\/div>\n
Five thousand tongues applauded when he wiped them on his shirt.<\/div>\n
Then while the writhing pitcher ground the ball into his hip,<\/div>\n
Defiance gleamed in Casey\u2019s eye, a sneer curled Casey\u2019s lip.<\/div>\n
<\/div>\n
And now the leather-covered sphere came hurtling through the air,<\/div>\n
And Casey stood a-watching it in haughty grandeur there.<\/div>\n
Close by the sturdy batsman the ball unheeded sped\u2014<\/div>\n
\u201cThat ain\u2019t my style,\u201d said Casey. \u201cStrike one,\u201d the umpire said.<\/div>\n
<\/div>\n
From the benches, black with people, there went up a muffled roar,<\/div>\n
Like the beating of the storm-waves on a stern and distant shore.<\/div>\n
\u201cKill him! Kill the umpire!\u201d shouted some one on the stand;<\/div>\n
And it\u2019s likely they\u2019d have killed him had not Casey raised his hand.<\/div>\n
<\/div>\n
With a smile of Christian charity great Casey\u2019s visage shone;<\/div>\n
He stilled the rising tumult; he bade the game go on;<\/div>\n
He signaled to the pitcher, and once more the spheroid flew;<\/div>\n
But Casey still ignored it, and the umpire said, \u201cStrike two.\u201d<\/div>\n
<\/div>\n
\u201cFraud!\u201d cried the maddened thousands, and echo answered fraud;<\/div>\n
But one scornful look from Casey and the audience was awed.<\/div>\n
They saw his face grow stern and cold, they saw his muscles strain,<\/div>\n
And they knew that Casey wouldn\u2019t let that ball go by again.<\/div>\n
<\/div>\n
The sneer is gone from Casey\u2019s lip, his teeth are clinched in hate;<\/div>\n
He pounds with cruel violence his bat upon the plate.<\/div>\n
And now the pitcher holds the ball, and now he lets it go,<\/div>\n
And now the air is shattered by the force of Casey\u2019s blow.<\/div>\n
<\/div>\n
Oh, somewhere in this favored land the sun is shining bright;<\/div>\n
The band is playing somewhere, and somewhere hearts are light,<\/div>\n
And somewhere men are laughing, and somewhere children shout;<\/div>\n
But there is no joy in Mudville\u2014mighty Casey has struck out.<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

April is National Poetry Month and the start of baseball. With today being opening day in Cincinnati, what better poem to read than the classic “Casey at the Bat” by Ernest Lawrence Thayer. And check out this illustrated version.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[31,13],"tags":[22,544,35,420],"class_list":["post-32427","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uc","category-uclibraries","tag-didyaknow","tag-fun-facts","tag-just-interesting","tag-poetry"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/libapps.libraries.uc.edu\/liblog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/32427","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/libapps.libraries.uc.edu\/liblog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/libapps.libraries.uc.edu\/liblog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/libapps.libraries.uc.edu\/liblog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/libapps.libraries.uc.edu\/liblog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=32427"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/libapps.libraries.uc.edu\/liblog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/32427\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/libapps.libraries.uc.edu\/liblog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=32427"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/libapps.libraries.uc.edu\/liblog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=32427"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/libapps.libraries.uc.edu\/liblog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=32427"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}