Mighty Casey

In Rock Hill, SC, there are quite a few odd statues around town. The Civitas statues represent four goddesses as well as the four pillars of the town and they act as a gateway to the city. One of the more obscure statues we have is the "Casey at the Bat" which greets the visitors to Cherry Park.

What's obscure about having Casey welcome people to a park with multiple baseball fields?

Well, Casey's statue is a reference to a poem that was written in 1888 by a guy named Ernest Lawrence Thayer about an arrogant baseball player (Casey) who strikes out and ends up losing the game.

So, why does Cherry Park bare the resemblance of a player who costs his team the game because of his arrogance?

I don't actually have a answer. I tried to do some research and find out but came up with nothing.

My first stop was wikipedia of course. Among the things I learned was the history of the poem and that Disney made a cartoon back in the day based on the poem as well as a sequel with a more positive ending (you know Disney and Happily Ever After).

But nothing that made me understand why Rock Hill chose Casey as the mascot for Cherry Park.

Rock Hill's website also didn't enlighten so the mystery remains, why is Casey at bat in Cherry Park? Like the number of licks to the center of a tootsie pop, the world may never know.

photo by voigti fox behind the lens