Free Republic

The poem, Casey at the Bat, by Ernest Lawrence Thayer, was first published in The San Francisco Examiner on this date in 1888: Casey at the Bat by Ernest Lawrence Thayer The outlook wasn't brilliant for the Mudville Nine that day;the score stood four to two, with but one inning more to play.And then when Cooney died at first, and Barrows did the same,a sickly silence fell upon the patrons of the game. A straggling few got up to go in deep despair. The restclung to that hope which springs eternal in the human breast;they thought, if only Casey could...

Viewers may better understand this clip if you knew the original poem upon which this is based.

Viewers may better understand this clip if you knew the original poem upon which this is based - "Casey at the Bat" by Ernest Thayer - often considered one of baseball's greatest writings.