Casey at the Bat (poem)

Imagine a sunny day at a ballpark. You can hear the crowd cheer and the crack of a wooden bat hitting a ball. I am a story about a very important game. I am made of words that dance and rhyme, telling a tale that makes people happy. I am the poem, 'Casey at the Bat'. I am a fun story that sounds like a song when you say my words out loud. I love telling my story.

I was created by a man named Ernest Lawrence Thayer. He loved baseball and he loved to write funny things. On June 3rd, 1888, he wrote my words down for a newspaper in a big city called San Francisco. At first, people just read me quietly in the paper. They learned all about a team called the Mudville Nine. They also learned about their best player, the mighty Casey. Everyone hoped Casey would save the day and win the big game.

Soon, a man named DeWolf Hopper started saying my words out loud on big stages. He would make his voice loud and then quiet, and everyone listening would cheer for Casey. My story has a little surprise at the end. Casey strikes out. But that's okay. I am a happy story because I show that it's okay if you don't win every time. Trying your best is the most important part. Today, I still help people imagine the fun of a big game and remind them that playing is what really matters.