Hurt in the locker room, legs in ice, he wasn't even in the line-up. When he improbably swaggered out, he couldn't take a practice swing without hurting. He was barely able to run to first base on a foul ball.
How could this man possibly save the day?
To find out you have to hear me read my narrative poem "The Man Who Gave All the Dreamers in Baseball Land Bigger Dreams to Dream", which I modeled on Ernest Thayer's classic "Casey at the Bat". Writing parodies of his most-popular poem has become almost a side industry.*The idea for it came from an article in USA Today chronicling the greatest home runs of all time. Third on the list was Gibson's. Dodgers catcher Mike Scioscia was quoted as saying:
". . it was like 'Casey at Bat,' but this time 'Casey' hit it out."That's what gave me the idea. Those who watched that remarkable event on TV always tell me how much they appreciate my poem.**
My thanks — and apologies — go out to Ernest Thayer.
*my rather poor attempt at one has been published with others in Baseball Almanac.
**which sticks faithfully to what actually happened.
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