Play Ball!

[Futwick]

Published in 1908, "Take Me Out to the Ball Game" was written by Albert von Tilzer (music) and Jack Norworth (lyrics). Norworth came up with the idea of the writing it when he saw a baseball advertisement on the subway. Norworth was the husband of Nora Bayes--one of the highest paid performers in the US at the time along with Bert Williams. Oddly, Von Tilzer would not attend a ball game until 1928. And Norworth until 1940! Although Billy Murray is often credited with the first recorded version, it was Edward Meeker who gets that honor.

Katie Casey was baseball mad,
Had the fever and had it bad.
Just to root for the home town crew,
Ev'ry sou
Katie blew.
On a Saturday her young beau
Called to see if she'd like to go
To see a show, but Miss Kate said No,
I'll tell you what you can do:

CHORUS
Take me out to the ball game,
Take me out with the crowd;
Buy me some peanuts and Cracker Jack,
I don't care if I never get back.
Let me root, root, root for the home team,
If they don't win, it's a shame.
For it's one, two, three strikes, you're out,
At the old ball game.

Katie Casey saw all the games,
Knew the players by their first names.
Told the umpire he was wrong,
All along,
Good and strong.
When the score was just two to two,
Katie Casey knew what to do,
Just to cheer up the boys she knew,
She made the gang sing this song:

CHORUS

[video=youtube;q4-gsdLSSQ0]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q4-gsdLSSQ0[/video]

 

[dhermann1]

A little before that, 1888 to be exact, Ernest Lawrence Thayer composed this epic poem.

Casey at the Bat

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.

"Phin"

 

[Historyteach24]

I wish baseball was still respected by the vast majority of Americans. They have been brainwashed into loving football more which is a joke. Football is a shell of what is used to be but baseball has remained. Yes, the contracts have ballooned but the game has essentially remained the same (except for that damn DH rule in the league that shall remain nameless)

 

[LizzieMaine]

"The only real game, I think, is Baseball."
-- Babe Ruth, 1947.

In addition to the many poems about the game -- look up Marianne Moore's odes to the sport -- the game has also inspired at least one piece of classical music, Robert Russell Bennett's "Symphony In D for the Dodgers." Composed in 1941 to celebrate the first Brooklyn pennant in twenty-one years, the work consists of four movements and concluded, during its New York Philharmonic premiere, with a vocal solo by Dodger broadcaster Red Barber. Football can't match that.

 

[V.C. Brunswick]

Brings back memories of listening to the Dodgers games on KMPC.

[video=youtube;6H0DFEKaR0c]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6H0DFEKaR0c[/video]

 

[Futwick]

I was reading Parfrey’s & and Heimbichner’s “Ritual America” and ran across a brief section on the Masonic influence in the game of baseball. Not just what players are or were Freemasons (although quite a number of the biggies of the sport were such as “Rajah” Hornsby, Ty Cobb, Carl Hubbell, Cy Young and Tris Speaker who was a Shriner) but the very game itself.

First, I want to state outright that I am NOT a Freemason and never have been. I could be if I wanted to since I have close friends who are Masons and have offered me sponsorship but I simply have no desire to join. I cast no aspersions on anyone who is or seeks to be a Mason. I just do not feel that it is for me. All the Masons online scoff at this post and accuse me of spreading conspiracy theories about them. What they don't realize is that they are actually insisting, "No! No! No! We are WAY more boring than this!" And their flagging attendance and membership numbers would substantiate their boast. Then again, I have read that there is an inner circle and an outer circle in Masonry and that the outer circle knows next to nothing about much of anything. Let's just assume for the fun of it that that is true and on with the show.

Now, the layout of a baseball field has a surprising resemblance to a compass and square:

The compass is formed by the circular area around home plate and extending down each foul line. The square is formed by the 90-degree angle between 1st, 2nd, and 3rd bases. The border between the outfield and the stands forms a circular area or arc described by a compass. The layout of the bases forms a perfect square.

Now this may strike one as a bit whimsical but if one keeps looking at various layouts of ballparks, the encoding of compass and square starts to become rather apparent:

The compass has three points or vertices and a square has four. This can be geometrically represented as a triangle surmounting a square (the shape of home plate) or a joining of 3 and 4. In baseball, the batter gets 3 strikes and 4 balls. Three turns up in Masonry quite a lot: 3 knocks, 3 ruffians, 3 wounds to Hiram Abiff, 3 pillars (wisdom, strength and beauty), 3 main officials of the lodge (Worshipful Master, Senior Warden, Junior Warden), 3 degrees (E.A., F.C. and M.M.), 3 lights at the altar, each degree has 3 parts (opening, closing and initiatory), 3 rungs on the ladder of the clouded canopy, 3 directions (east, west and south), 3 immovable jewels, 3 movable jewels, the 3 Steps, etc. There are also multiples of 3 such as the 6 jewels (3 movable, 3 immovable), 9 classes of emblems.

Now compare that to baseball: 3 outs per side making 6 outs per inning, 9 innings, 3 strikes per batter, 9 batters, 9 fielders (6 on the infield and 3 in the outfield), 27 outs in a game per side (2+7=9), 54 outs total (5+4=9), 162 games per season (1+6+2=9) with 81 (8+1=9) each played on the road and at home.

In early baseball, the umpires were dressed like Masons in their processions:

Masonic procession.

19th century baseball game with umpire in black suit and top hat.

An engraving of a baseball game from 1872. Note the Masonic dress of the umpire (kneeling).

That Masonry sees existence as being essentially a game is revealed by one its emblems: the Checkered or Tessellated Floor. This is, of course, a chessboard or game board and has been for various games since ancient times. And this ancient game is the eternal battle between the forces of light and dark. The Masonic Tessellated Floor:

The Checkered Floor worked into the baseball field (New Yankee Stadium) to represent the eternal battle:

The Checkered Floor worked into the layout of Ranger Stadium in Arlington, Texas.

The running around the bases represents the circumambulating done in the lodges by the candidates. He passes 1st base (the 1st degree), 2nd base (the 2nd degree), 3rd base (the 3rd degree) and then, if he’s fortunate, crosses home plate (becomes a citizen of the cosmos—his true home). There are numerous websites one can peruse to review of all the occult and Masonic connections in baseball. One website states:

kabbalistically the game was created as a ritual to make men ever vigilent [sic] against the accuser, and to innately know when he was in danger of tyranny because of the accuser. When you point the accusing finger, three fingers point back at you. The bat, the whole image of the law, and the ball the power of death, play out on the diamond, which represents the three dimensional world of form, homeplate represents the body human which must constantly beg the law to protect him against tyranny, or man’s rule over man. The bases are the paths, that are open to all to roam, when someone puts the power of death, in this case the ball out of reach of all judgement [sic]. That is the true seed of potential and why the home run hitter is the ultimate hero. He has used the law to free himself of all tyrranny [sic] and in turn anyone on the path at the time he has done it, all become free to roam the paths.

http://www.remnantradio.org/Archives/articles/Baseball/baseball.htm

The writer of the article above might have added that this game is played out on the checkerboard of Masonry with Masons (umpires) mediating the play—one at each base or degree to guide the candidate at each stage of the battle.

 

[LizzieMaine]

"Kill the Worshipful Master!!!"

 

[Futwick]

Some of 'em need killin'.

 

[Tomasso]

"Symphony In D for the Dodgers." .


Football can't match that.

Say what!?


[video]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2B74ii2F0Bw[/video]

 

[3fingers]

"Kill the Worshipful Master!!!"

:rofl::rofl:

 

[V.C. Brunswick]

Teresa Brewer -- I Love Mickey (1956)

[video=youtube;Bees9IR843g]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Bees9IR843g[/video]

 

[MisterCairo]

Go Jays Go!!!

 

[MisterCairo]

This is what Free Masonry means to me:

[video=youtube;t1bHBthJN9w]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t1bHBthJN9w[/video]

 

[V.C. Brunswick]

Free Masonry

 

[Espee]

I'm wondering if a "33rd degree Mason" is one sitting in the stands at a World Series game played in the northeast-- now that they all take place at night, during Halloween Week.

 

[Espee]

This week I heard, for the first time, "The Dodgers Song," recorded by Danny Kaye in 1962.

 

[W4ASZ]

I wish baseball was still respected by the vast majority of Americans. They have been brainwashed into loving football more which is a joke. Football is a shell of what is used to be but baseball has remained. Yes, the contracts have ballooned but the game has essentially remained the same (except for that damn DH rule in the league that shall remain nameless)

Inter-league play is also an abomination. So are divisional playoffs and "wild cards" . :eusa_doh:

 

[1961MJS]

Inter-league play is also an abomination. So are divisional playoffs and "wild cards" . :eusa_doh:

Hi

I agree. I also agree with you about the Designated hitter crapola. I seem to remember that years ago, more than 60% of the teams made the playoffs in Hockey, I thought that made the regular season silly. Baseball should go back to basics.

Later

 

[LizzieMaine]

I'm wondering if a "33rd degree Mason" is one sitting in the stands at a World Series game played in the northeast-- now that they all take place at night, during Halloween Week.

The last Series game played in Boston, a 32nd Degree Mason dropped to four below.

 

[Espee]

I shouldn't be surprised to find my words twisted. I've said "I look forward to any opportunity to hear Vin Scully's voice" and similar statements...
Now they have a recording of him saying "And now, back to Rick and Charlie in the MERCEDES BENZ Broadcast Booth."
For the approximately 80% of innings during which radio listeners hear Rick Monday and Charlie Steiner. They're fine, but having the sponsor name knocked over my head is annoying.
Maybe a friend of mine would take a softer stance-- when he made a vacation return to L.A. a few years ago, he pointed out that the Dodgers radio sponsors had sunk to a level only slightly above "Rocco's Bail Bonds."