Casey in this poem seems to be very confident and almost arrogant about his skill at baseball. When he steps up to the plate, the author comments on the fact that there was "ease in Casey's manner" and "pride in Casey's bearing" and "a smile on Casey's face." Even though the stakes are high and "ten thousand eyes were on him," he shows no fear. When the first pitch is thrown to him, Casey watches in "haughty grandeur." When a person is described as haughty, it means that they feel a sense of superiority, and Casey certainly shows this as he allows two possible pitches to pass him by. By not even trying to hit these pitches, Casey shows his extreme belief that he can land the perfect hit on the last pitch. In addition, Casey's arrogance is shown in his playing to the crowd. He tips his hat and raises his hand to calm the crowd when they get angry. He feels as if the situation is totally under his control. In the end, Casey fails, and his failure shows the theme that arrogance can cause negative consequences.