Opening Day with no baseball? As Katie Casey would say, "take me out to the ballgame!"

Not many people know that "Take Me Out to the Ball Game" is actually about a girl who wants her beau (that's old fashioned speak for boyfriend) to take her to a ball game. Listen to this old recording and you'll hear it for yourself! Nowadays, many of us sing this song around Opening Day and throughout baseball season.

Speaking of which, now's the time I'd usually be reading Casey at the Bat by Ernest Lawrence Thayer. Casey at the Bat is an enduring classic American poem, and also has a fairly clear message about how no matter how good you are at something - or think you are - you shouldn't stop trying your best! Since I don't have any of my trusty books from the library to read to you myself, I searched online and managed to find this read aloud of the poem. Click on the video link and you can listen and follow along with the words on the page. Then the next time you hear anyone say in their best radio announcer voice, "But there is no joy in Mudville - Mighty Casey has struck out" you'll know exactly where it came from.

And here's to joy in Mudville soon!