Happily, at the end of a long winter, those exciting words are uttered: "Play Ball."
This soothing statement points to that joyful baseball time known as Opening Day. For the following 162 games, more than 30 million people will go through stadium turnstiles to watch Major League Baseball. Though football has begun capturing the imagination of the nation, there is still a magic about watching baseball with your family on a beautiful summer evening. So many writers have eulogized about baseball that it is difficult to pick out the best.
In the field of poetry however, one poem seems to continue to be the most popular. This poem is the famous "Casey at the Bat" by Ernest Lawrence Thayer. Published in 1888, the poem is still widely recited today. Though Casey did not hit a home run in the original poem, Thayer wrote more poems about Casey in which he did make a successful comeback. Dan Gutman has written a modernized version of Casey’s exploits in a delightful tale called "Casey Back at Bat."
The fans of Mudville are still bemoaning great Casey’s failure in the first poem. The hardy slugger shrugs off all this scorn and returns to the ballpark. There the Mudville Nine will face the powerful team from Rutland. The victor will get fame and glory and the loser will get, well, second place.
In the ninth inning Mudville is losing by two runs and there are two outs. Again grim tidings set upon the beleaguered Mudville fans. The thought of losing to the hated Rutland warriors is almost too much to take. But the Mudville players refuse to say die and put two runners on base. Finally, the Mudville fans begin to cheer as they see that it is mighty Casey’s turn to bat. The towering batsman sneers at the Rutland players. Some young ladies catch their breath merely looking at the great hitter. Others feel that Casey is simply a jerk.
The pitcher winds up and hurls the first pitch toward the plate. Casey is fooled and takes strike one. The next pitch nips the outside of the plate and leaves Casey with his last swing. The final pitch flies towards home plate and Casey takes a ferocious hack at the ball. Unlike the last game, Casey crushes the pitch and it rockets out of the stadium. The Mudville fans begin cheering as their hero proudly rounds the bases. But the ball continues to go and go. When is it going to land?
Where does it land? How far can someone with the massive arms of Casey hit the ball? Have you ever really connected on a fastball? Isn’t it a sweet sound and feeling? Does Mudville finally win the game? To find out the answers to these and other questions, go to the library and check out "Casey Back at Bat" by Dan Gutman.
This is a delightful story that would make an outstanding oral read in Grades 1-3. The paintings throughout the book are interesting and children will easily identify with the characters. The picture of Casey connecting on the third pitch is the fulfillment of young baseball lovers’ dreams.
Dan Gutman has written many fine sporting books and sports biographies. I hope you get a chance to share this book with younger children in your family. I guarantee that you will have as much fun as they do. Enjoy!
