Brain Snacks: Tasty Tidbits of Knowledge
Actor De Wolf Hopper's performance of "Casey at the Bat" helped to make the poem famous. By his own count, he recited the poem more than 10,000 times.
(Source.)
Ernest wasn't planning on getting famous by publishing "Casey at the Bat." In fact, he didn't even publish it under his real name. He used a pen name—"Phin"—instead. (Source.)
How much do you think the newspaper paid Thayer for "Casey…"? $100? $1000? $10,000? Wrong. Wrong. And wrong—try $5. If you want big money, don't write poetry. Play baseball. (Source.)