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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.

Larry Vaincourt's classic poem was first published in his 1987 Remembrance Day newspaper column. There are several incorrect versions of this poem circulating the web; below you'll find the original text. JUST A COMMON SOLDIER (A Soldier Died Today) He was getting old and paunchy and his hair was falling fast, And he sat around the Legion, telling stories of the past. Of a war that he had fought in and the deeds that he had done, In his exploits with his buddies; they were heroes, every one. And tho' sometimes, to his neighbors, his tales became a joke, All...

Just A Common Soldier, also known as A Soldier Died Today, is one of the most popular poems on the Internet. Written and published in 1987 by Canadian veteran and columnist A. Lawrence Vaincourt, it now appears in numerous anthologies, on thousands of websites and on July 4, 2008 it was carved into a marble monument at West Point, New York. This year marks the poem’s 25th anniversary. Please enjoy this tribute to the Soldiers, Sailors, Marines, and Airmen who have given so much for our country.

Dear Diary: Some people look like their dogs; some like their spouses. You see they belong together, and you smile. This subway rider looked like, and belonged to, his thick book. Ginger hair, pulled back in a tail away from his ruddy baby face, matching his scruffy beard. Youthful and burly, rustic and earthy, dressed for the outdoors in a jacket and a pale red flannel shirt. Not yet spoiled by city life, innocent, unadventured, but poised to begin, clutching his treasured story in readiness. What was that book to him? Fiction? History? Autobiography? No clue from his silent eyes,...

Paleo is my shepherd, I shall not want carbs It maketh me to lie down with leafy greens, it leads me to drink gallons of water it refreshes my gut flora It guides me along nutritional paths for health’s sake Even though I walk through the valley of chocolate I will fear no eclair For thou art with me thy whey protein and thy reduced portions they comfort me You prepare a table before me in the presence of my trainers You anoint my head with fish oil my cup overflows. Surely glucagon and Omega-3s will follow me all the...

I see the bodies pile high, young girls that squirm and twist, And still the ignorant soccer moms chirp at me “Coexist!” Well, some beliefs are just plain evil, some ideas just don’t rise To any kind of standard that free people cheer and prize. I will not smile while people die, with Liberals grinning dumb I will stand up and shout aloud when monsters drooling come And sadder still than murderous beasts are you who simply stand Foundationless, with no beliefs beyond the shifting sand Like Chamberlain, and weak-willed fools who let vile Hitler grow You will refuse with...

Two-Hundred and Thirty-eight years ago today They signed their names and history was on its way To be forever set anew upon a pathway none yet "knew". And for the Founders of America fair -- So promising, so hopeful: a dream not yet dared -- Determined to give us Guiding Light, They turned to GOD to guide us right And when in prayer they bent their knee, To seek His wisdom, His guidance be The way to govern our land so fair They turned to Providence, Who is always there. And so a Tribute, to them and to thee For...

Obviously this is Photoshopped, you can tell by the hair on his chest. Sorry for the visual right before you go out with your loved ones. Well, not really... ;-P

Palestinian Media Watch (PMW) has reported that on three different occasions, Palestinian Authority TV has broadcast children reciting a poem that includes the words "my enemy, Zion, is Satan with a tail." Last week during a performance given in the PA, the Egyptian writer of the poem, Hesham El-Gakh, recited this and other poems, after which the PA Minister of Culture, Anwar Abu Eisheh, and PA District Governor of Ramallah, Laila Ghannam, awarded him a plaque of honor. The event was broadcast on official Palestinian Authority TV Live. To warm up the audience, a young girl recited a small section...

MAY MY HEART NOW ENCLOSE YOUR HEART Come dwell in my humble heart, my Love Tonight may I enclose yours in mine So that our repose turns humanly divine I long to be your romantic lover to hear each your heart beat Which my echoing heart chambers readily repeat My Beloved, this day has spent without you, it seems For my soul walks and walks along a mindless stream Which begins from unknown source and flows, aimless While my whole being has longed to feel yours But your presence has fleeted, or just my spirit lost For it has no...

Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid on Thursday said “anarchists” have taken over Congress. Reid (D-Nev.) said Tea Party Republicans are preventing progress on an energy efficiency bill by offering amendments on ObamaCare and other unrelated issues. “We’re diverted totally from what this bill is about. Why? Because the anarchists have taken over,” Reid said on the Senate floor. “They’ve taken over the House and now they’ve taken over the Senate.

TOUCH BY HIS CHARM Long for Union of oneness, He and you together Touching your heart, His Heart so tender, Deeply you sigh the Love so deep As He expresses Himself through you to His sheep Your charm, His grace together souls are caressed Relations changed, heart converted, prayers implored Do tenderly as your whole soul can While you commemorate His last fortnight His Life spent to preserve your sparkling light See Him in all to think of His saving sacrifice The habit so sublime, the sight so divine bliss Love is not if not eager to serve Service is...

MY POETRY IS SACRIFICIAL PRAYER Lord, true poetry to me is loving You, the art of a lifetime; Expression of my affection is merely a prolonged longing and remembrance. Burden of love burdens my heart. I just want to live love fully expressed but remain unexpressed, But Your Will be done, O Lord, Your Will be done, receive my poetic prayers in loving. Lord, I shall do utmost to take Your words to capture souls To bring them joy, peace, tranquility, faith, hope, and most, YOU. It is my greatest desire is for You to them, greater than the desire...

ENCOUNTER HIM ALONG THE ROAD Lord, I once longed to see you face to face; Now I know loving by seeing is less than loving by longing and contemplating. I want to love you with my whole being, with my heart, my eyes, and my mind. I want to see you in me, the deepest and most private of me, and in others. You give them to me to make our love more tender As serving them, I express my most vivid sweetness toward my Beloved. I am fulfilled when I fill your heart with kindness and care. To pass...

SERENITY Christ’s peace permeates, encloses, Covers her in the balming Shadow; In divine Presence she rests. Opinions cease, anxiety vanishes, noises suppressed. Lean on the Lord’s bosom; Trace His footsteps which lead you to safe haven, Like hardships of life scarred on sand Being smoothed over by Grace-ous oceantide. So judge not yourself except in the intensity of desire To never doubt on His immense affection, Witnessed profoundly by the Spirit. Your thought, your inspiration, your will, your goodness, All come from within and without, Could you find cause for anything but humble? Seize every opportunity to be silent With...

REFLECTION ON SUNDAY READINGS ON THE FEAST OF THE MOST HOLY TRINITY READING 2: Roman 5:1-5 Therefore, since we have been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have gained access by faith to this grace in which we stand, and we boast in hope of the glory of God. Not only that, but we even boast of our afflictions, knowing that affliction produces endurance, and endurance, proven character, and proven character, hope, and hope does not disappoint, because the love of God has been poured out into our hearts through...

A YouTube video that features a teenage girl delivering a poem about why homosexuality is not God’s design for relationships has gone viral, while also meeting opposition from homosexual advocates who have criticized the production. The video, entitled Rated T for Tolerance, was posted last Summer, but for an unknown reason, has suddenly garnered a significant amount of attention. In the short, two-minute production, a teenage girl is seen standing in a wooded area sharing a spoken word production on the issue of homosexuality from a Christian viewpoint. “Don’t propagate your hate because I have a higher standard on who...

With the debate over gun control heating up, a retired volunteer at a University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign made a timely find. Ernie Gullerud, a former professor of social work at the university, came upon a previously unpublished poem by Carl Sandburg titled "A Revolver," which addresses the issue of guns and violence.