"Casey at the Bat"

Some of you have wondered where the name "Mudville Mom" came from, so I figured I'd post the legendary poem that inspired the name.  The poem and the background information that precedes it were taken from baseballalmanac.com.  I hope you enjoy it as much as I did the first time I read it, back when I was in high school.

Casey at the Bat by Ernest Thayer It all started in 1885 when George Hearst decided to run for state senator in California. To self-promote his brand of politics, Hearst purchased the San Francisco Examiner. At the completion of the election, Hearst gave the newspaper to his son, William Randolph Hearst. William, who had experience editing the Harvard Lampoon while at Harvard College, took to California three Lampoon staff members. One of those three was Ernest L. Thayer who signed his humorous Lampoon articles with the pen name Phin. In the June 3, 1888 issue of The Examiner, Phin appeared as the author of the poem we all know as Casey at the Bat. The poem received very little attention and a few weeks later it was partially republished in the New York Sun, though the author was now known as Anon. A New Yorker named Archibald Gunter clipped out the poem and saved it as a reference item for a future novel. Weeks later Gunter found another interesting article describing an upcoming performance at the Wallack Theatre by comedian De Wolf Hopper - who was also his personal friend. The August 1888 show (exact date is unknown) had members from the New York and Chicago ball clubs in the audience and the clipping now had a clear and obvious use. Gunter shared Casey at the Bat with Hopper and the performance was nothing short of legendary. Baseball Almanac is pleased to present the single most famous baseball poem ever written.

"Love has its sonnets galore. War has its epics in heroic verse. Tragedy its sombre story in measured lines. Baseball has Casey at the Bat." - Albert Spalding

Casey at the Bat by Ernest Lawrence Thayer © Published: The Examiner (06-03-1888) 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, 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 - We'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 the bat. But Flynn let drive a single, to the wonderment of all, And Blake, the much despis-ed, 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 5,000 throats and more there rose a lusty yell; It rumbled through the valley, it rattled in the dell; It knocked upon 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 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 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 its likely they'd a-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 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 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. "Phin"

There you have it!  Isn't it great?

Now a brief summary of last night's action:  The Nationals lost to the Phillies thanks to brilliant pitching by Cliff Lee; the Orioles lost a heartbreaker to the Yankees in 10 innings; the Rockies took both games of a double-header against the Mets; the Rays beat the Twins in 10 innings after the Twins placed Joe Mauer on the disabled list because of "leg weakness;" and the Astros won over the Padres in what had to be a boring game (the final score was 1-0).  Today is Jackie Robinson day in the Majors, so all the players will be wearing #42 and there will be different tributes at all the ball parks.  I hope you get to watch some baseball this weekend, whether it's MLB, minor-league ball, or your kids' t-ball game.  I'll be back on Sunday evening to wrap up the action from the weekend!

It's Opening Day (again!)!!!

While Major League baseball season has been in full swing for a couple of weeks now, last night was the home opener for our local minor league team, the Orioles-affiliate Frederick Keys.  Despite the one-hour rain delay, they did get the game in, which unfortunately was won by the Myrtle Beach Pelicans by a score of 4-3.  If you have not been to a minor-league baseball game, I recommend that you make it a point to go to one.  There are over 100 minor league teams across the country, most of them affiliated with one Major League team or another.  The ballparks are more intimate, the tickets are WAY cheaper, and there are usually a lot of extra things going on besides the actual game, like different contests and activities between innings, team mascots that love to entertain the kids (ours is the incomparable "Key-ote"), decent giveaways (my favorite has been the free loaf of bread that we all got on our way out of the park one year), and midway-type rides and attractions for the kids.  Even if you don't really like baseball, it's a good thing to do with the family and a good opportunity to get an overpriced hot dog and warm beer.  So whether your local team is the Mighty Miracles, the River Rats, or the Mad Cows, you may want to consider a trip to your nearby minor-league park.

Speaking of miracles, did you see who is tied for second place in the National League East with the Florida Marlins?  Why, the Washington Nationals, of course!  They beat the first-place Phillies last night 7-3, in a well-pitched game by Liván Hernandez.  Tonight it's Roy Halliday against John Lannan - just let us bask in the glory of last night's game for a few more hours before we get our asses kicked tonight!  The Nats and Phillies face each other 18 times this year, so at least we can say that we weren't swept!

The rain postponed the Orioles-Yankees game last night, but the Angels-Indians game was played, with the Angels snapping Cleveland's 8-game winning streak (Angels' pitcher Dan Haren pitched a 1-hitter to take the victory).  Cleveland fans haven't been this excited since Bob Feller helped his team win the World Series in 1948!  The Indians are managed by former Nationals manager Manny Acta, who seems like a nice guy even though my husband never liked the fact that he was a "mouth breather".  In other baseball news, last year's American League MVP, Josh Hamilton of the Texas Rangers, will be out for 6-8 weeks with a shoulder injury.  I think the Rangers will be OK though; their pitching is top-notch and everyone else in their division kind of stinks.

So tonight I'll be watching the Nationals/Phillies game, while keeping an eye on the Marlins/Braves game, while trying to watch "American Idol," while helping my oldest finish a school project.  This is what being a baseball fan mom is all about, and I love every ounce of it!  :-)

...and the rivalry continues...

Yesterday I had the pleasure of watching the Boston Red Sox hosting the New York Yankees - the biggest rivalry in sports dating back to the early 1900s.  It's always fun watching these two teams play each other - my only visit to the old Yankee Stadium was for a Yankees/Red Sox game with my friend Stephen back in 1992, and I had more fun watching the die-hard fans than I did watching the actual game.  And then there was Roger Clemens, who went from the Red Sox to the Yankees via a stint with the Toronto Blue Jays.  Every time Roger pitched at Fenway Park while wearing Yankee pinstripes, the fans would yell "RO-GERRR!  RO-GERRR!," especially after Clemens had been involved in a bench-clearing fiasco when the Sox were visiting Yankee Stadium.  In yesterday's game, I enjoyed watching my favorite Yankee have a great game.  Yes, even I, the Yankee Hater, have a favorite Yankee.  No, it's not Derek Jeter, and no way is it A-Rod; my favorite Yankee is Robinson Canó.  Born in the Dominican baseball town of San Pedro de Macorís, Canó was named after baseball great Jackie Robinson.  He earned the gold glove last year for his excellence at second base, and he has been consistent and dependable since he started with the Yankees in 2005.  In yesterday's game, he went 3 for 5 with a double and a home run, and he had a few good defensive plays as well.  The Yankees won that game 9-4, which made me feel bad for the slumping Red Sox, but at least it was a good game to watch.

Speaking of Dominican players, baseball enigma Manny Ramirez failed yet another drug test, and instead of facing the 100-game suspension that he would have received, he decided to abruptly retire.  I don't have much to say regarding Manny's retirement; I never cared for him, never paid any attention to his antics, and didn't miss him when he was out during last year's 50-game suspension.  He has made his choices and now has to live with his mistakes (as well as with the shunken and shriveled testicles that come with extensive steroid use).  See ya, Manny, and don't let the door hit you on the way out!

Let's see...what's goig on today?  Oh, the Nationals are playing the Mets in the rubber game of that series (Carlos Beltrán hit two home runs for the Mets yesterday - I guess he's OK playing right field this year and his knees are doing OK), and the red-hot Orioles, who split a double-header with the even redder-hotter Texas Rangers, will play each other again today too.  Cole Hammels will pitch for the Phillies as they take on Derek Lowe and the Braves, and the Red Sox/Yankees series wraps up tonight with CC Sabathia pitching against Josh Beckett.  It should be an interesting afternoon, though I wish the Red Sox and Yankees would wear their last names on the back of their jerseys.  I know it's tradition and both teams have gone with their uniforms pretty much unchanged since the beginning of time, but some of us like knowing who is playing where, and we don't have everyone's numbers memorized.  Something else I would like to change when I become commissioner!

A New Curse?

Forget the pending shutdown of the Federal government - Boston baseball fans have way more important things to worry about.  Their beloved Red Sox are 0-6, with the dreaded Yankees coming into town this weekend.  I lived in Massachusetts back in the days of Clemens, Boggs, Evans and Rice; back when the "Curse of the Bambino" was at its peak.  For those of you unfamiliar with the Curse, it was long ingrained in baseball folklore that because the Red Sox sold Babe Ruth to the Yankees back in 1918, the Red Sox were destined for eternal failure, misery, and doom.  That curse was broken in 2004, when the Red Sox, led by pitchers like Derek Lowe, Pedro Martinez, Tim Wakefield and Curt Schilling (bloody sock and all), won the World Series over the St. Louis Cardinals.  Names like Varitek, Garciaparra, "Manny" and "Big Papi" were the names of heroes - guys who were scrappy, never washed their hair, and played some hard contact baseball.  That brought the Curse to an end, and in 2007 the Red Sox repeated with another World Championship.  So now what?  The Curse has been broken, their players are overpaid, their ballpark is old, and fans are left kind of hanging.  Should they come up with a new Curse?  Should the Sox get a new ballpark?  Should Dustin Pedroia learn to bat left-handed?  Will more modern-looking uniforms help?  Something better happen, because if the Red Sox continue to lose, their fans are going to be (even more) unbearable.

Hey, did you see the Nationals finally won last night?  They're now 2-4, and do NOT have the worst record in the Majors (I just told you the Red Sox did).  Both Jayson Werth and Adam LaRoche hit home runs, and they won 5-3 in 12 innings.  The Orioles won too, beating the Tigers 9-5.  The darn Phillies beat the Mets 11-0, the Texas Rangers remain undefeated, and the Yankees beat the Twins 4-3.  Mariano Rivera already has 4 saves (whatever!), and Derek Jeter is up to 2,931 hits.

It should be an interesting weekend, with the Yankees visiting the Red Sox at Fenway Park.  I hope the Red Sox take 2 of the 3 games (no sense in being greedy!), and I hope Jeter gets 4 more hits.  Here's to an action-packed, baseball-filled weekend!  Enjoy!

"I got it!"

In most team sports, communication between teammates is so important that it can affect the outcome of the game.  In volleyball, for example, players are constantly yelling to each other in order to determine who is going to set, pass, or get the ball over the net.  It is common to hear players yelling "Mine!" or "I got it!", or "Mía!", which is what I'm used to hearing in Spanish (I bet you Roberto Clemente yelled "Mía" more than once in his career).  In baseball, it is extremely important (especially for outfielders) to communicate when trying to catch a fly ball.  Once a player "calls it," other players need to back off and let that player catch the ball.  Otherwise, you end up with two or three guys running into each other and getting all tangled up, while the ball is falling and the guy who hit it is running around the bases.  In the tenth inning of last night's game between the Nationals and Marlins (sorry to keep talking about the Nats, but it was the only game on TV last night), Danny Espinosa called Donnie Murphy's fly ball, but bazillionnaire Jayson Werth got greedy and decided to go for the ball himself.  That miscommunication caused the ball to drop, and since the bases were loaded, a runner scored and the Marlins won the game.  The Nationals are now 1-3, and I hope Mr. Werth feels like absolute crap for being such an idiot.  This is why a recent study showed that Washington, DC baseball fans are the most depressed (really, someone did actually do a study on this!).  On the bright side, both the Yankees and Phillies lost last night, and that's enough to not make me need a Zoloft.

On the other side of the beltway, the Orioles are off to their best start since 1998, with a record of 4-0.  I know it's a long season (162 games in all), but it's nice to see a usually-in-last-place team full of young guys (plus Vladimir Guerrero) get off to a good start.  Let's hope Brian Roberts can stay injury-free and concussion-free, and that their young pitching staff doesn't fizzle out.  Now if they could only stop playing "Thank God I'm a Country Boy" during the seventh-inning stretch, I may actually go to a game or two at Camden Yards this year.

Take me Out to the Ballgame!

The day I'd long been waiting for finally arrived!  My husband and I left Frederick around 9:45 this morning and got to the Washington, DC Navy Yard around 10:45.  We parked there for free since we have a car sticker to get onto any military base, and we walked a little less than a mile to Nationals Park.  By the time we got there, they had just opened the center field gate, and we were able to watch batting practice.  Even though the Nationals were practicing, the Braves' Derek Lowe came out to do some "light tossing" in between starts (he was the opening day starter for the Braves last Thursday).  It was impressive watching him throw to the bullpen catcher, who stood over 200 feet from Lowe.  The Nats had some good hits, but nothing like watching Adam Dunn take BP last year.  We walked around for a while until we got to our seats, which were the best ones we've had so far (just two rows up from George Will).  I loved eating ball park food, enjoyed all the action, and basked in the glory of having had Iván Rodriguez wave at me (he had to; I was the loud lady in the seventh row yelling and frantically waving a Puerto Rican flag every time he returned to the dugout at the end of an inning).  After two years of trying, I finally got Iván to acknowledge my craziness!

The game itself was a blowout - the Braves beat up on the Nationals 11 to 2.  You know how I've said before that there are a lot of exciting things about baseball that I love?  Well, there are also stupid things, and the balk rule is one of them.  In baseball, if a player makes an "illegal move," it is considered a "balk."  With pitchers, there are many many things that can be considered illegal, but most balks are called when the pitcher starts his windup but doesn't go through with the pitch.  In that case, any player who is on base gets to move up a base just because.  In today's game, Nationals' pitcher Brian Broderick was making his Major League debut.  He had the bases loaded, and when Iván (his catcher) called the pitch, he made some sort of gesture with his hand that apparently confused Broderick after he had started his windup.  So instead of getting rid of the ball, he just hung on to it, therefore committing a balk.  That made the runners all move up a base, so he basically balked in a run.  There were also misjudged balls by Ian Desmond (no surprise!) at shortstop (he'll never be an Ozzie Smith!) and Danny Espinosa at second, and it was just not a good game for the Nationals.  But I had a great time, and I can't wait to go back.

In other games today, the Tigers beat the Yankees 10-7 (yeay!!!), the Mets beat the Marlins 9-2 (thus putting the Nationals in last place), Kansas City beat the Angels 12-9 (Alex Gordon went 4 for 6), and the Orioles beat the Rays 5-1.  That means the Orioles are 3-0, which is great.  Roberts went 1 for 5 and Markakis went 2 for 4.

I can't end today's post without giving a big shout out to "Luis," the Cuban season-ticket-holder who gave me fresh batteries for my camera.  Muchas gracias, amigo!  I hope to see you again at Nationals Park real soon!

Two future Hall of Fame-ers - Iván Rodriguez and Chipper Jones!

My husband asked me to wave - I don't know why!

Yes, it's HIM!!!

"Corre, corre!"

One of the reasons I started this blog is to expose non-baseball fans to many of the fun and exciting aspects of America's Pastime.  I have already explained many of them in previous posts - the double play, the assisted out at home, the stolen base (and the "caught stealing") - and there are many more plays out there that will hopefully happen frequently during the season so I can talk about them here.  In yesterday's opening game between the Orioles and Rays, I got to watch Brian Roberts hit a triple.  The triple is so exciting, because the player is running as fast as he can, while the fielders are frantically scrambling to try and get him out.  I always yell "Corre!  Corre!", which is Spanish for "Run, Forrest; run!"  In last night's game, Roberts' triple caused two runs to score, while the "Village Idiot," Johnny Damon, caught the ball, fell down, and flipped the ball in hopes that someone would catch it.  Rick Markakis also had 2 RBIs, and the Orioles won 4-1.  What I didn't understand was why O's pitcher Jeremy Guthrie, who pitched 8 innings of 3-hit ball, wasn't allowed to pitch in the ninth to get a complete game.  I don't know what his pitch count was - don't get me started on pitch counts; that's a whole other topic of discussion!  But being in the American League, where the pitcher wouldn't potentially be batting in the next inning, I saw no reason why they couldn't keep in there for three more outs.  The funny thing was that the game was 4-0 when Guthrie left, and the first pitch that the reliever thew was hit for a home run (that's why the final score was 4-1).  If I was Guthrie, when the other pitcher returned to the dugout, I would have said "Thanks a lot, you jerk!"  I enjoyed watching this game because Jim Palmer was not doing the color commentary like he usually does.  Sorry Jim, but you bore me with your "back when I played" stories!

In other opening-day games yesterday, the White Sox beat the Indians 15-10.  What makes this interesting is that former Nationals first baseman Adam Dunn hit a hone run and a double, and had 4 RBIs.  In his past two years as a National, Dunn always had a slow April and didn't start batting well until mid-May.  Also yesterday, the Phillies beat the Astros 5-4, with Jimmy Rollins and Ryan Howard having two hits each.  Roy Halliday pitched OK, with 6 strikeouts in 6 innings.  In other games, the Red Sox lost to the Rangers, the Pirates beat the Cubs, and the Marlins beat the Mets.  This puts the Mets and Nationals in last place in the NL East at 0-1, with the Braves, Phillies and Marlins at 1-0.

Interesting note from Opening Day:  In Thursday's game between the Cardinals and Padres, Cards' outfielder Matt Holliday (yes, there is a Halliday and a Holliday) went 3 for 4 and then went to the hospital to have his appendix removed.  Looks like he played alrignt despite having a belly ache!

Today is the first day when all the teams play (since some played on Thursday and others played on Friday).  We're off to Nationals Park tomorrow (yeaaay!), so I'll be back Sunday evening to let you know how it went.  The Nats beat the Cardinals last time we went to a game, so hopefully our streak will continue.