Ernest Lawrence Thayer (1863–1940)

I love the build up of this story and the twist at the end. But what I especially love are the magazine "clippings" that connect to each part of the story - the ad for the throat lozenges when the crowd is screaming is my favorite.

The popular narrative poem about a celebrated baseball player who strikes out at the crucial moment of a game, with additional text placing it in the context of Little League.

A phenomenal book. The artwork and the level of detail in the creation left me in awe. My regard for sports in general is lukewarm at best, but I love, adore, baseball. When I was little and my parents couldn't find me, they went straight to the baseball field at our local park and I'd be there in the stands, so Casey at the Bat tugs all the right heartstrings for me and I can't imagine a better presentation for this bit of American poetry.

Awesome.

My all-time favorite baseball poem!
But the illustrations in this book kind of creeped me out. Elongated bodies, over-sized hands, and scary faces in the crowd. I would totally read this to my daughter, but I would not show her the pictures. Especially the ones showing the crowd. Yeesh...