Ballads, Baseball, and Valentines

A ballad is a narrative composition in rhythmic verse. It's a poem or song that tells a story. Typically it consists of 4-line stanzas. The most common rhyming scheme is ABCB or ABAB, but others such as a duo of couplets, AABB, are also employed. Often there is a lesson in the versed story, but it isn't implicitly stated.

To introduce the ballad, after discussing the literary traits of one, I chose first to read aloud The Ballad of Valentine. It's super cute and imparts the basics of a ballad well--plus it's February.

Next I went with something all of my kids will relate to well and be interested in:  baseball. I printed off copies of "Casey at the Bat" for everyone and I read it aloud while they followed along. After each stanza I asked them to rephrase what was going on. At the end we found and discussed poetic devices throughout the poem. (They've already been taught all the devices of poetry, so it's just a matter of them pointing them out. You can skip that part if you're not there yet.)

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.

Then, for a little icing on the cake, we watched Disney's 1946 animated version of this great baseball ballad.

We followed that up with Disney's 1954 sequel, "Casey Bats Again." Some people nowadays might find this offensive. It's certainly not politically correct! But it IS cleverly written and we get a kick out of it. We do all agree, however, that Casey is once, and twice, and probably forever, a very foolish person.

Tomorrow we'll read other classic ballads and try writing our own. And hopefully at least some of my kids will take me up on my cash offer to anyone who memorizes "Casey at the Bat."