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'Casey At The Bat' Poem, 1st Published in SF, Turns 125

COOPERSTOWN, N.Y. (CBS/AP) -- The mighty Casey is still striking out 125 years after he went down in baseball lore, but he has given Tim Wiles a steady side gig.

Wiles is director of research at the National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum in Cooperstown. For more than 15 years he has donned a Mudville uniform and recited Ernest Lawrence Thayer's "Casey at the Bat," first published 125 years ago this week in the San Francisco Examiner newspaper.

Wiles said since his public debut at the New York State Fair in 1997, he has recited the poem an estimated 2,000 times in 22 states at venues ranging from ballparks to classrooms. His latest performance was last week at the Hall of Fame.

The 48-year-old said he's cut back to eight to 10 public recitals a year.

(Copyright 2013 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.)

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