The Scranton tribune. [volume] (Scranton, Pa.) 1891-1910, 1895-06-01
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CASEY AT THE BAT:

CASEY AT THE BAT:
1t looked extremely rocky for the Boston
nine that day;
The score stood two to four, with but an
inning left to play.
So, when Cooney died at second, and Bur-
rows did the same,
A pallor wreathed the features OF the pa
irons of the game.
A struggling few got up to go. leaving
there the rest,
With that hope that springs eternal within
the human breast,
For they thought: "If only Casey could
get whack at that"
They'd put up even money now, with
Casey at the bat.
But Flynn preceded Casey, and likewise
so did Blake,
And the former was n pudd'n'. and the
latter was Il fake,
SO on that stricken multitude deathllke
silence sat.
For there seemed but little chance of
Caseys getting to the bat.
But Flynn let drive n Single" to the won
derment of all,
And the much-despised Blakey tore the
cover off the ball"
And when the dust had lifted. and they
saw what had occurred,
There was Blakey safe ut second and
Flynn a-huggin' third.
Then, from the gladdened multitude went
up II joyous yell,
1t rumbled in the mountain tops. 1t ratified
in the dell;
1t struck upon the hillside and rebounded
on the fiat;
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 Il
smile on Caseys 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 when the wrthing pitcher ground
the ball into his hip.
Defiance glanced in Casey's eye, a sneer
curled Casey's lip.
And now the leather-covered sphere came
hurling through the air,
An Casey stood a-watchin' it in naughty
grandeur there.
Close by the sturdy batsman the ball un-
needed sped:
THAT amt my STYLE" said Casey. Strike
one," the umpire said.
From the benches, black with people, there
went up muffled roar
Like the beating of storm waves on the
stern and distant shore:
XIII him! kill the umpire!' shouted some
one 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 Wage shone;
He stilled the rising tumult, he made the
game go on;
He signalled to the pitcher, and once more
the spheroid flew,
But Casey still ignored 1t. and the umpire
said Strike two."
"Fraud!' cried the maddened thousands,
and the 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
the ball 30 by again.
The sneer is gone from Casey's lips, his
teeth are clenched In hate,
He pounds with cruel vengeance his bat
upon the plate;
And now the pitcher holds the ball. and
now he let's 1t 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 some
where hearts are light;
And somewhere men are laughing, and
somewhere children shout,
But there Is no joy in Boston: mighty
Casey has struck out.
Something Is going to be done to
change the losing streak of the Scran-
ton club. Manager Barnie refrains
from discussing the matter further
than saying that the club will be made
to win. He says that II necessary.
there will be n complete shake-up on
the team, but when asked to specify the
proposed changes he declined to do so
for many reasons.
Rumor says that the directorate real
lies that the clubs lost games have
been due to poor batting and only fair
pitching, and that the team will be al
most completely reorganized If change
for the better doesn't appear soon. The
players have fielded sufficiently we'll to
be safely among the leaders, and 1t
seems hard to believe that such good
ones as Brady, Johnson, Ward, White
head, Radford. Clark and Rogers will
be replaced by new material Yet, II
there Is anything in rumors these play
ers, or some of them, are to be included
in the shake-up Rumor, however,
should take notice that there Is such u
thing AS luck In base ball as in other
things, and In this particular Scranton
may have got the worse of 1t. A weeks
time viii tell. II the club Is not then
playing winning ball a sweeping change
In the makeup of the team may be ex-
pectcd.
A Scranton pitcher who has not had
an opportunity to show his best PAGES
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