Detroit evening times. (Detroit, Mich) 1921-1958, 1943-02-09
Mighty Casey
Strikes Out
For Last Time
BY JACK CUDDY
United Press stan Correspondent

BY JACK CUDDH
United Pres. stan Correspondent
NEW YORK, Feb. 9.-The
death Of Dan Casey-hero Of
Casey at the Bat" baseballs
best known poem-remindS us
emphatically that color and sit
uations in the national pastime
have had far more to do with the
popularity of the sport than bat
ting averages or won-and-lost
figures.
The poem about mighty
Casey was written in jest in
1888 by Ernest l.. Thayer.
Thayer apparently knew little
about Casey when ne penned his
piece, for Casey, a southpaw
pitcher. never had been mighty"
at bat. In fact. old Dan often
admitted in later years that he
was about as impotent in WELD
ing the wagon-tongue as the
current Lefty Gomez. Casey
hatted about 200.
THEN HOPPER GOT 1T
Any way. Thayer was visiting
on the Pacific Coast the follow
ing winter and contributing oc-
casional poems TO the newspa-
pers there. He sent Casey at
1.-THE Bat" TO San Francisco
paper. which published it under
his initials. +. L. T.
The poem attracted considerable
attention and in May. 1888, De
Wolf Hopper, star of the musical
comedy Prince Methusaiem" at
Wallack's Theater in New York,
launched it upon the path to i'm
mortality. On special baseball
night at Wallack's. young Hopper
read it during the second act of
"MethuSalem."
His recitation was given thun-l
dering ovation. After that, Hopper
recited Casey hundreds of times.
BECAME IMMORTAL
Meanwhile, Casey. the somewhat
flabbergasted hero of the poem
found himself lifted to baseballI
Immortality on a strike-out prob
ably the only man in the games.
history TO make such fight.
He became n target for much.
good-natured bantering among his.
pals before the close Of his playing
career. which included mound
work with Wilmington. Ipdianapo-
lis, Detroit, Philadelphia and,
finally. Albany, n. Y.
Casey often wondered why
Thser had made him the hero of
tho famous Midwife" game in.
Philadelphia. His only possible
explanation was that he had broken
up a game the week before in.
Boston with a home run. one of
the few of his career, and the.
Philadelphia fans were looking for
a repeat against the Giants.
Tim keefe of the Giants was
pitching against Casey in the old
Philadelphia ball park. 1t was the
last of the ninth. New York was
leading, 4-3; two men were out;
runners were on second and third i
.it was CaSey's turn al bat. The
fans were yelling for a homer as
pitcher Keefe wound up and
threw.
"Close by the sturdy batsman
the ball UNDECIDED sped.
THAT amt my style said
Casey.
"'strike one the umpire
said"
Casey always admitted that the
umpire was correct in calling that
first pitch and tho second one
Strikes He had miSjudged them
thinking them balls The poem
SAYS tho fans did not agree with
the umpire. They yelled fraud,
But a scornful look from
Casey and the audience
WAS awcd."
This line in the poem always
made Casey laugh heartily He
insisted that tho audience wasn't
awcd bat that he was scared TO
death.
And nov the pitcher holds
the ball, and now he let's
N 20,
And now the air il shattered
nv the force OF CaSeys
blow
ooh somewhere i'm this ia
yored land. the sun II
shining bright.
The band i playing some
where, and somewhere
hearts are light;
And somewhere men are
laughing, and somewhere 4
children shout.
But there il no JOY In Mud
Vil.e-mighty Casey has
struck out"
Yes. In Washington. y c..
mighty Casey AZ 81 struck out
last night Bsf he ltf the nation