58-556: Ernest Lawrence Thayer ( / ˈ θ eɪ ər / ; August 14, 1863 – August 21, 1940) was an American writer and poet who wrote the poem "Casey" (or " Casey at the Bat "), which is "the single most famous baseball poem ever written" according to the Baseball Almanac , and "the nation’s best-known piece of comic verse —a ballad that began a native legend as colorful and permanent as that of Johnny Appleseed or Paul Bunyan ". Thayer
116-478: A baseball game, the poem was later popularized by DeWolf Hopper in many vaudeville performances. It has become one of the best-known poems in American literature . A baseball team from the fictional town of "Mudville" (the home team) is losing by two runs in its last inning. Both the team and its fans, a crowd of 5,000, believe that they can win if Casey, Mudville's star player, gets to bat. However, Casey
174-659: A broad Irish accent, in 1893; an 1898 cylinder recording of the text made for the Columbia Graphophone label by Hunting can be accessed from the Cylinder Preservation and Digitization Project at the University of California, Santa Barbara Library. DeWolf Hopper 's more famous recorded recitation was released in October 1906. In 1946, Walt Disney released a recording of the narration of
232-603: A close tracking of his vaudeville career—did not find Kelly claiming to have been the author. "Casey at the Bat" was first published in The Daily Examiner on June 3, 1888. A month after the poem was published, it was reprinted as "Kelly at the Bat" in the New York Sporting Times . Aside from omitting the first five verses, the only changes from the original are substitutions of Kelly for Casey, and Boston for Mudville. King Kelly , then of
290-607: A diminutive bat as striker and endeavors to make a 'home run.'" In 1889, Hopper became founding president of the Actors' Amateur Athletic Association of America. Back in 1886, besides organizing a regular ball team among actors, he played in a benefit game for a demented playwright. The following year, he helped organize an actor's benefit for a sick young actress. In the first inning, someone presented him with an eight-inch sunflower. Also in 1889, Bell, Hopper and fellow McCaull Comic Opera Company actor Jefferson De Angelis were doing
348-467: A long trail of six wives and countless mistresses in his wake, he became known by the nickname "The Husband of His Country." Hopper also appeared in several silent motion pictures , two examples being Don Quixote (1915) and Casey at the Bat (1916). Hopper also appeared in a few short sound films , including one in 1923 when he actually recites Casey at the Bat in an experimental sound film produced by Lee De Forest 's Phonofilm process. Hopper
406-435: A muffled roar, like the beating of the storm-waves on a stern and distant shore. "Kill him! Kill the umpire!" shouted someone on the stand; and it's likely they'd have killed him had not Casey raised his hand. With a smile of Christian charity great Casey's visage shone; he stilled the rising tumult; he bade the game go on; he signaled to the pitcher, and once more the spheroid flew; but Casey still ignored it, and
464-571: A record $ 10,000 for him. He had a personality that fans liked to cheer or jeer. After the 1887 season, Kelly went on a playing tour to San Francisco. Thayer, who wrote "Casey" in 1888, covered the San Francisco leg for the San Francisco Examiner . Thayer, in a letter he wrote in 1905, mentions Kelly as showing "impudence" in claiming to have written the poem. The author of the 2004 definitive biography of Kelly—which included
522-594: A recorded version on phonograph record in 1906, and recited the poem in a short film made in the Phonofilm sound-on-film process in 1923. It was in The Black Hussar that Hopper first incorporated a baseball theme that drew notice in the sporting press. To accompany a song with a baseball stanza, "Mr. Hopper enacts the pitcher, Mr. [Digby] Bell, with a bird cage on his head and boxing gloves on his hands, plays catcher, while Mme. [Mathilde] Cottrelly handles
580-415: A relatively short poem apparently dashed off quickly (and denied by its author for years), "Casey at the Bat" had a profound effect on American popular culture. It has been recited , re-enacted, adapted , dissected, parodied, and subjected to just about every other treatment one could imagine. Of the many parodies made of the poem, some of the notable ones include: There are three known translations of
638-477: A review in 1893 of a variety show he was in, the Indianapolis News said, "Many who attended the performance had heard of Kelly's singing and his reciting, and many had heard De Wolf Hopper recite 'Casey at the Bat' in his inimitable way. Kelly recited this in a sing-song, school-boy fashion." Upon Kelly's death, a writer would say he gained "considerable notoriety by his ludicrous rendition of 'Casey at
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#1732790836133696-517: A sickly silence fell upon the patrons of the game. A straggling few got up to go in deep despair. The rest clung to that hope which springs eternal in the human breast; they thought, if only Casey could get but a whack at that – they'd put up even money, now, with Casey at the bat. But Flynn preceded Casey, as did also Jimmy Blake, and the former was a lulu and the latter was a cake, so upon that stricken multitude grim melancholy sat, for there seemed but little chance of Casey's getting to
754-658: A velvet carpet. He was rotten. Casey at the Bat " Casey at the Bat: A Ballad of the Republic, Sung in the Year 1888 " is a mock-heroic poem written in 1888 by Ernest Thayer . It was first published anonymously in The San Francisco Examiner (then called The Daily Examiner ) on June 3, 1888, under the pen name "Phin", based on Thayer's college nickname, "Phinney". Featuring a dramatic narrative about
812-423: Is a corker, but when I say big I mean big morally and intellectually. Why, he goes up to the baseball [Polo] grounds at One Hundred and Fifty-fifth street after the matinees on Saturday, and he travels this six miles simply to see, perhaps, the two final innings, and any one can imagine the rapidity with which he must scrape off the makeup and get into his street clothes in order to secure even this much. But he says
870-462: Is great; a comic ballad obviously must be judged by different standards. One doesn’t criticize a slice of superb apple pie because it fails to taste like crepes suzette . Thayer was only trying to write a comic ballad, with clanking rhymes and a vigorous beat, that could be read quickly, understood at once, and laughed at by any newspaper reader who knew baseball. Somehow, in harmony with the curious laws of humor and popular taste, he managed to produce
928-437: Is scheduled to be the fifth batter of the inning, and the first two batters (Cooney and Barrows) fail to get on base. The next two batters (Flynn and Jimmy Blake) are perceived to be weak hitters with little chance of reaching base to allow Casey a chance to bat. Surprisingly, Flynn hits a single, and Blake follows with a double that allows Flynn to reach third base. Both runners are now in scoring position and Casey represents
986-495: The Boston Beaneaters , was one of baseball's two biggest stars at the time (along with Cap Anson ). In 1897, the magazine Current Literature noted the two versions and said, "The locality, as originally given, is Mudville, not Boston; the latter was substituted to give the poem local color." DeWolf Hopper gave the poem's first stage recitation on August 14, 1888, at New York's Wallack Theatre as part of
1044-623: The Cincinnati Pops Orchestra . On a 1997 CD set with memorable moments and stories from the game of baseball titled Take Me Out to the Ball Game produced by Jerry Hoffman and Douglas Duer, a Vincent Price oration of the poem is a slightly altered version of the original. In 1998, actor Sir Derek Jacobi recorded the poem with composer/arranger Randol Alan Bass and the National Symphony of London, with
1102-486: The authorship , from which I have tried to keep aloof, has certainly filled me with disgust. Ernest Thayer Thayer's last piece for the Examiner , dated June 3, 1888, was a ballad entitled "Casey" ("Casey at the Bat") which made him "a prize specimen of the one-poem poet " according to American Heritage . It was not until several months after the publication of the poem that Thayer became famous for it, since he
1160-484: The comic opera Prinz Methusalem in the presence of the Chicago White Stockings and New York Giants baseball teams; August 14, 1888 was also Thayer's 25th birthday. Hopper became known as an orator of the poem, and recited it more than 10,000 times (by his count—some tabulations are as much as four times higher) before his death. "It is as perfect an epitome of our national game today as it
1218-512: The nation 's best-known piece of comic verse —a ballad that began a native legend as colorful and permanent as that of Johnny Appleseed or Paul Bunyan . Martin Gardner, American Heritage 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,
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#17327908361331276-414: The Bat,' with which he concluded his 'turn' [act] at each performance." During the 1980s, the magic/comedy team Penn & Teller performed a version of "Casey at the Bat" with Teller (the "silent" partner) struggling to escape a straitjacket while suspended upside-down over a platform of sharp steel spikes. The set-up was that Penn Jillette would leap off his chair upon finishing the poem, releasing
1334-494: The Examiner, I put out large quantities of nonsense, both prose and verse , sounding the whole newspaper gamut from advertisements to editorials. In general quality "Casey" (at least in my judgment) is neither better nor worse than much of the other stuff. Its persistent vogue is simply unaccountable, and it would be hard to say, all things considered, if it has given me more pleasure than annoyance. The constant wrangling about
1392-552: The Garrison finishes are worth it, and he is perfectly right. Hopper always was a baseball crank, long before the public knew anything about it." Bald from childhood (he had alopecia ), Hopper wore wigs both on and offstage. In later years, a reaction to harsh medicines that he took for throat problems gave his skin a bluish tinge. Regardless, his powerful voice and great sense of humor seemed an attraction to women all his life. With an insatiable appetite for young actresses, he left
1450-469: The Giants and Chicago Cubs the day his friend, Baseball Hall of Fame pitcher Tim Keefe had his record 19-game winning streak stopped, August 14, 1888. Hopper helped make the comic poem famous and was often called upon to give his colorful, melodramatic recitation, which he did about 10,000 times in his booming voice, reciting it during performances and as part of curtain calls, and on radio . He released
1508-562: The Mudville Nine. The team reverted to the Mudville Nine moniker for the 2000 and 2001 seasons. The Visalia Rawhide , another California League team, currently keeps Mudville alive playing in Mudville jerseys on June 3 each year. Despite the towns' rival claims, Thayer himself told the Syracuse Post-Standard that "the poem has no basis in fact." The poem has been adapted to diverse types of media: For
1566-408: The Mudville described in the poem. Residents of Holliston, Massachusetts , where there is a neighborhood called Mudville, claim it as the Mudville described in the poem. Thayer grew up in nearby Worcester, Massachusetts , where he wrote the poem in 1888; his family owned a wool mill less than 1 mi (1.6 km) from Mudville's baseball field. However, residents of Stockton, California —which
1624-401: The appeal of baseball, including the involvement of the crowd. It also has a fair amount of baseball jargon that can pose challenges for the uninitiated. This is the complete poem as it originally appeared in The Daily Examiner . After publication, various versions with minor changes were produced. No one imagines that 'Casey' is great in the sense that the poetry of Shakespeare or Dante
1682-560: The ball to Bell as catcher just as Hopper makes a big slide for home base. The slider tumbles Bell, and when he rises from the somersault all three yell out to the audience for judgment [a ruling], and go off kicking like Anson and [New York captain Buck] Ewing. It is a rich gag and takes immediately", the Brooklyn Eagle said. That year, Bell called Hopper "the biggest baseball crank that ever lived. Physically, of course, he
1740-401: The bat. But Flynn let drive a single, to the wonderment of all, and Blake, the much despised, tore the cover off the ball; and when the dust had lifted, and the men saw what had occurred, there was Jimmy safe at second and Flynn a-hugging third. Then from five thousand throats and more there rose a lusty yell; it rumbled through the valley, it rattled in the dell; it knocked upon
1798-438: The competing claims of two towns to such renown: Stockton, California , and Holliston, Massachusetts . On the possible model for Casey, Thayer dismissed the notion that any single living baseball player was an influence. However, late 1880s Boston star Mike "King" Kelly is likely as a model for Casey's baseball situations. Besides being a native of a town close to Boston, Thayer, as a San Francisco Examiner baseball reporter in
Ernest Thayer - Misplaced Pages Continue
1856-625: The composer conducting. This work, titled "Casey at the Bat", has been recorded by the Boston Pops Orchestra, Keith Lockhart conducting. In 2013, Dave Jageler and Charlie Slowes , both radio announcers for the Washington Nationals , each made recordings of the poem for the Library of Congress to mark the 125th anniversary of its first publication. A rivalry of sorts has developed between two cities claiming to be
1914-476: The following skit for their third encore in Boccaccio. Bell returns "with a bat in his hand, followed by DeWolf Hopper and De Angelis. The latter has a ball, and as Hopper takes the bat in hand and Bell acts as catcher the former goes through the customary contortion act in pitching, and as Hopper hits the ball he runs off the stage, as if running the bases, and presently returns chased by De Angelis, who passes
1972-554: The mountain and recoiled upon the flat, for Casey, mighty Casey, was advancing to the bat. There was ease in Casey's manner as he stepped into his place; there was pride in Casey's bearing and a smile on Casey's face. And when, responding to the cheers, he lightly doffed his hat, no stranger in the crowd could doubt 'twas Casey at the bat. Ten thousand eyes were on him as he rubbed his hands with dirt; five thousand tongues applauded when he wiped them on his shirt. Then while
2030-407: The name "Casey" after a non-player of Irish ancestry he once knew named Daniel H. Casey; it is open to debate whom, if anyone, he modeled the character after. It has been reported that Thayer's best friend Samuel Winslow , who played baseball at Harvard , was the inspiration for Casey. Another candidate is National League player Mike "King" Kelly , who became famous when Boston paid Chicago
2088-416: The off-season of 1887–88, covered exhibition games featuring Kelly. During November 1887, some of his reportage about a Kelly at-bat has the same ring as Casey's famous at-bat in the poem. A 2004 book by Howard W. Rosenberg, Cap Anson 2: The Theatrical and Kingly Mike Kelly: U.S. Team Sport's First Media Sensation and Baseball's Original Casey at the Bat, reprints a 1905 Thayer letter to a Baltimore scribe who
2146-468: The orchestra. It has since been performed more than 800 times by nearly every major and Metropolitan orchestra in the U.S. and Canada. In 1980, baseball pitcher Tug McGraw recorded Casey at The Bat—an American Folk Tale for Narrator and Orchestra by Frank Proto with Peter Nero and the Philly Pops . In 1996, actor James Earl Jones recorded the poem with arranger/composer Steven Reineke and
2204-477: The plate. And now the pitcher holds the ball, and now he lets it go, and now the air is shattered by the force of Casey's blow. Oh, somewhere in this favored land the sun is shining bright; the band is playing somewhere, and somewhere hearts are light, and somewhere men are laughing, and somewhere children shout; but there is no joy in Mudville—mighty Casey has struck out. Thayer said he chose
2262-556: The poem at a Harvard class reunion in 1895. During the mid-1890s, Thayer contributed several other comic poems for Hearst's newspaper New York Journal and then began overseeing his family's mills in Worcester full-time. Thayer relocated to Santa Barbara in 1912, where he married Rosalind Buel Hammett and retired. He died in 1940, seven days after his 77th birthday. The New York Times' obituary of Thayer on August 22, 1940, p. 19 quotes comedian DeWolf Hopper , who helped make
2320-520: The poem by Jerry Colonna , which accompanied the studio's animated cartoon adaptation of the poem (see below). In 1973, the Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra commissioned its former Composer-in-Residence, Frank Proto , to create a work to feature Baseball Hall-of-Famer Johnny Bench with the orchestra. The result "Casey At The Bat – an American Folk Tale for Narrator and Orchestra" was an immediate hit and recorded by Bench and
2378-421: The poem famous: Thayer indubitably wrote "Casey," but he could not recite it.... I have heard many others give "Casey." Fond mamas have brought their sons to me to hear their childish voices lisp the poem, but Thayer's was the worst of all. In a sweet, dulcet Harvard whisper he implored "Casey" to murder the umpire, and gave this cry of mass animal rage all the emphasis of a caterpillar wearing rubbers crawling on
Ernest Thayer - Misplaced Pages Continue
2436-660: The poem into a foreign language, one in French, written in 2007 by French Canadian linguist Paul Laurendeau, with the title Casey au bâton , and two in Hebrew. One by the sports journalist Menachem Less titled "התור של קייסי לחבוט" [Hator Shel Casey Lachbot], and the other more recent and more true to the original cadence and style by Jason H. Elbaum called קֵיסִי בַּמַּחְבֵּט [Casey BaMachbayt]. Casey Stengel describes in his autobiography how his original nickname "K.C." (for his hometown, Kansas City, Missouri ) evolved into "Casey". It
2494-418: The potential winning run. Casey is so sure of his abilities that he does not swing at the first two pitches, both called strikes. On the last pitch, the overconfident Casey strikes out swinging , ending the game and sending the crowd home unhappy. The text is filled with references to baseball as it was in 1888, which in many ways is not far removed from today's version. As a work, the poem encapsulates much of
2552-417: The rope which supported Teller, and send Teller to a gruesome death if Teller had failed to free himself by that time. Jillette enhanced the drama of the performance by drastically accelerating the pace of his recital after the first few stanzas, greatly reducing the time that Teller had left to work free from his bonds. The first recorded version of "Casey at the Bat" was made by Russell Hunting , speaking in
2610-488: The set depicted Paul Bunyan , John Henry , and Pecos Bill . DeWolf Hopper William DeWolf Hopper (March 30, 1858 – September 23, 1935) was an American actor, singer, comedian, and theatrical producer. A star of vaudeville and musical theater , he became best known for performing the popular baseball poem " Casey at the Bat ". Hopper was born William D'Wolf Hopper in New York City,
2668-532: The son of John Hopper (born 1815) and Rosalie D'Wolf (born 1827). His father was a wealthy Quaker lawyer and his mother came from a noted Colonial family . His paternal grandfather Isaac Hopper was a Philadelphia Quaker, and conductor of the Philadelphia station of the Underground Railroad . Though his parents intended that he become a lawyer, Hopper did not enjoy that profession. Hopper
2726-413: The umpire said: "Strike two." "Fraud!" cried the maddened thousands, and Echo answered "fraud!"; but one scornful look from Casey and the audience was awed. They saw his face grow stern and cold, they saw his muscles strain, and they knew that Casey wouldn't let that ball go by again. The sneer is gone from Casey's lip, his teeth are clenched in hate; he pounds with cruel violence his bat upon
2784-419: The writhing pitcher ground the ball into his hip, defiance gleamed in Casey's eye, a sneer curled Casey's lip. And now the leather-covered sphere came hurtling through the air, and Casey stood a-watching it in haughty grandeur there. Close by the sturdy batsman the ball unheeded sped— "That ain't my style," said Casey. "Strike one," the umpire said. From the benches, black with people, there went up
2842-466: Was Old Bill in The Better 'Ole (1919). Known for his comic talents, Hopper popularized many comic songs and appeared in a number of Gilbert and Sullivan comic "patter" roles from 1911 to 1915, including The Mikado , Patience , and H.M.S. Pinafore . A lifelong baseball enthusiast and New York Giants fan , he first performed Ernest Thayer 's then-unknown poem " Casey at the Bat " to
2900-660: Was a part of the Triangle Film Corporation , which he described as “the first great flourish” of a “prattling, infant industry”. He made a Broadway appearance in White Lilacs (1928). He then did Radio City Music Hall Inaugural (1932), and played Dr. Gustave Ziska in The Monster (1933). At the time of his death, he was in Kansas City, Missouri , making a radio appearance. His funeral was at
2958-470: Was asking about the poem's roots. In the letter, Thayer named Kelly (d. 1894), as having shown "impudence" in claiming to have inspired it. Rosenberg argues that if Thayer still felt offended, Thayer may have later denied Kelly as an influence. Kelly had also performed as a vaudeville actor, and recited the poem dozens of times. The first public performance of the poem was on August 14, 1888, by actor De Wolf Hopper , on Thayer's 25th birthday. Thayer recited of
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#17327908361333016-552: Was born in Lawrence, Massachusetts , and raised in nearby Worcester . He graduated magna cum laude in philosophy from Harvard University in 1885, where he had been editor of the Harvard Lampoon and a member of the theatrical society Hasty Pudding . William Randolph Hearst , a friend from both activities, hired Thayer as humor columnist for The San Francisco Examiner 1886–88. During my brief connection with
3074-466: Was called Willie as a child, and then Will or Wolfie, but when he set out on an acting career he chose his more distinguished middle name as his stage name. It was modified to "DeWolf" because of the frequency that it was mispronounced "Dwolf". He made his stage debut in New Haven, Connecticut , October 2, 1878. Originally, he wanted to be a serious actor, but at 6' 5" (196 cm) and 230 pounds, he
3132-539: Was hardly the boastful type and had signed the June 24 poem with the nickname "Phin" which he had used since his time as a writer for the Harvard Lampoon . Two mysteries remain about the poem: whether Casey and Mudville were based on a real person or place, and, if so, their actual identities. On March 31, 2007, Katie Zezima of The New York Times wrote an article called "In 'Casey' Rhubarb, 2 Cities Cry 'Foul!'" on
3190-497: Was influenced not just by the name of the poem, which was widely popular in the 1910s, but also because he tended to strike out frequently in his early career so fans and writers started calling him "strikeout Casey". On July 11, 1996, the United States Postal Service issued a commemorative stamp depicting "Mighty Casey." The stamp was part of a set commemorating American folk heroes . Other stamps in
3248-466: Was known for a time as Mudville prior to incorporation in 1850—also lay claim to being the inspiration for the poem. In 1887, Thayer covered baseball for The Daily Examiner —owned by his Harvard classmate William Randolph Hearst —and is said to have covered the local California League team, the Stockton Ports . For the 1902 season , after the poem became popular, Stockton's team was renamed
3306-656: Was too large for most dramatic roles. He had a loud bass singing voice, however, and made his mark in musicals, beginning in Harrigan and Hart's company. He achieved the status of leading man in The Black Hussar (1885) and appeared in the hit Erminie in 1887. Eventually, he starred in more than thirty Broadway musicals, including Castles in the Air (1890), Wang (1891) , Panjandrum (1893) , John Philip Sousa 's El Capitan (1896), and Reginald De Koven 's Happyland . The role that he remembered with greatest pleasure
3364-410: Was when every player drank his coffee from a mustache cup . There are one or more Caseys in every league , bush or big, and there is no day in the playing season that this same supreme tragedy , as stark as Aristophanes for the moment, does not befall on some field." On stage in the early 1890s, baseball star Kelly recited the original "Casey" a few dozen times and not the parody. For example, in
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