I had to do this for an assignment in my Adv. Language Arts class, and I decided to post it on here. Enjoy!

Pro Baseball
By ME!

You should know about baseball,
But maybe not about the pros.
They are good at what they do,
They can bat and pitch and throw.

Even pros are educated.
Many have degrees.
They’ll get a good job after baseball
So they have no worries.

Some big league teams have tryout camps.
They give you tips at practice games.
You may get acknowledged and
End up on a big league team.

Minor leagues lost money because
People rather watch pros on TV.
Soon they were out of business and by 1978
The number of minor leagues dropped to twenty.

First base is a thinker’s position,
They have to make fast decisions.
Second basemen cover first at bunts,
Like a back-up first position.

Third base is an infield position.
Learning the cut-off is pretty hard.
Sometimes it’s hard to decide what to do,
So it’s better to play the ball.

A short stop is also in the game.
They stand in short left field on artificial turf.
The ball comes at them faster and
It takes a strong arm to throw to first.

Batters are serious about their bats.
You may pick a bat for its design,
Even if it won’t work well.
But pros have another idea in mind.

“The bat needs to feel comfortable to you,”
Is what most batters say.
Some players switch hit
So the bat needs to feel more than okay.

Stealing is legal in the baseball world.
Batters take an extra base for free.
Lou Brock stole a record breaking 118.
It is about balance, not speed.

Most professionals started young,
They were pros before they were twenty.
They started off in Little League,
And now they make lots of money.

Little League was only for boys,
But in 1975 that was changed.
Now it is for any gender
In the 7-12 age range.

Some big leaguers didn’t hit enough
When they were in Little League.
They had to play the game elsewhere,
They were too focused on winning.

A contract must be signed to play.
Once signed you can’t play other sports
Without written permission
In case you get hurt.

You must also sell all your stock or financial interest
From any other pro team.
But the team pays for lots of stuff,
So it isn’t really that mean.

Dollar bonuses are given each year
From several hundred to several thousand in all.
But compared to the pro salary,
This is very small.

Now you know about pro baseball
And what you’ll have to do.
It is a good job for them,
And it might be for you, too!