Casey at the Bat

"Casey at the Bat" (subtitled "A Ballad of the Republic") is a poem on the subject of baseball, written in 1888 by Ernest Thayer. It was first published in the San Francisco Examiner on June 3, 1888 but was popularized by DeWolf Hopper in many vaudeville performances; Hopper gave the poem's first stage recitation on August 14, 1888 at New York's Wallack Theatre in the presence of the Chicago and New York baseball teams, the White Stockings and the Giants; August 14, 1888 was also Thayer's 25th birthday.

Other adaptations, as well as sequels

A month after the poem was published, a parody, "Kelly at the Bat," was published in the Sporting Times. The only changes from the original are substitutions of Kelly for Casey, and Boston for Mudville. Mike "King" Kelly, then of the Boston Beaneaters, was one of baseball's two biggest stars at the time (along with Cap Anson).

Related Topics:
Parody - Boston - Mike "King" Kelly - Boston Beaneaters - Cap Anson

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

In 1897, 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."

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Based on Thayer's original, there have been two animated films by Walt Disney: Casey at the Bat (1946), which is a direct adaptation, and Casey Bats Again (1954), in which his daughters redeem his reputation. A parody of the original, replaying the same events from the perspective of the opposing team, was written by Garrison Keillor,

Related Topics:
Animated film - Walt Disney - 1946 - 1954 - Garrison Keillor

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Several other parodies exist: one where Casey gets revenge the next season with the same pitcher (see Casey's Revenge), one including Casey coming to the plate 20 years later getting his revenge, and one taking place in Russia which ends with "Kasey" in a gulag prison.

Related Topics:
Casey's Revenge - Russia - Gulag - Prison

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

In 1988, on the 100th anniversary of the poem, Sports Illustrated writer Frank DeFord constructed a fanciful story (later expanded to book form) which posited Katie Casey, the subject of the song Take Me Out to the Ball Game, as being the daughter of the famous slugger from the poem.

Related Topics:
1988 - Sports Illustrated - Frank DeFord - Take Me Out to the Ball Game

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~