I heard Frank DeFord recite Casey today… it brought back memories of my Father and Grandfather – both of whom loved the poem and loved me for loving it too.
Part of coming to grips with this whiff tale is understanding that the great power hitters whiffed all the time. Lore of my youth indicated that nobody struck out more than Babe Ruth – except Mickey Mantle. I saw Mickey whiff numerous times. Even as an idealistic hero-worshipping 10 year old baseball fanatic I knew the Mick was all washed up. I was a little too young to catch his glory days.
