Try and fly

An interesting little column in the Detroit Free Press (which should please Eric) notes too things that have occurred to me. The first (the derivation of 'flied' in baseball) I've always agreed with, the second ('and' used in place of the infinitive) is one that I considered but discounted, and now I'm reconsidering my position. Leave it to Fowler to find the poetry in a common construction. (The classical connection: hendiadys.)