Walt Whitman, probably the most noted poet in American history was called by Ezra Pound as “America’s poet… He is America.” And Mary Whitall Smith Costelloe said of Whitman, “You cannot really understand America without Walt Whitman, without Leaves of Grass…”
Whitman wasn’t just a poet and essayist but was once a beat reporter for the Brooklyn Daily Times covering baseball. Baseball historian John Thorn has on his site a clipping of Whitman’s newspaper article. Here is just a portion of that article:
The Atlantics beat their opponents (Putnam) by four runs, but the general opinion was that the defeat was as much the result of accident as of superior playing.
Some of Whitman’s writings revolve around baseball according to Horace Traubel, one of three of Whitman’s literary executors. Whitman’s works are referenced in several movies, especially the baseball movie Bull Durham.
In Bull Durham, Annie Savoy misquotes Whitman on baseball. In 1888 Whitman stated:
“I like your interest in sports ball, chiefest of all base-ball particularly: base-ball is our game: the American game: I connect it with our national character.”
“Baseball is the hurrah game of the republic!... American’s game: has the snap, go, fling, of the American atmosphere…”
Walt Whitman passed away well over a century ago while the game of baseball was in its infancy. From its simple start, baseball had exploded in popularity. But it has had problems through the years. From player strikes to juiced players and baseball, a drove of fans have left the seat empty and the hot dogs uneaten. So is baseball still the “hurrah game” as Whitman describes?
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