Houston Astros

http://www.sportsdesignblog.com/astros-obsession/

Sandlot Dad

by M. T. Corrigan

Not to say too much, nor paint those shadows

deeper than they were, his serves just clearing

the drop of the woods, and that line of maples

along Route Two, a deeper green. Greater matters

attach themselves to the sense of things

we learned, like the shockless strokes of triples

scalded down the lines, singeing the Nadeaus'

birch trees: overspin, top hand. What meaning

could one assign to batting practice; who grapples 

light enough to comprehend that meadow's

darknesses? He pitched from deepeer shade, peering

in to catch the sign to get me out. No scruples

for the dustbacks that flung me down to dirt:

"Get up, son. Hang in. Baseball doesn't hurt."

http://blogs.houstonpress.com/rocks/2011/05/the_astros_suck_is_it_their_mu.php

It seems names and uniforms are constantly changing in baseball.  The Houston Astros I remember wore orange and yellow uniforms with a star.  Although the star hasn't changed, the colors have changed.  Perhaps I know as much information about astronomy as I do baseball, but I think astro is more of a prefix than it is a word (astro nomy).  I don't think an astro is actually a star.  Anyway, I may not know about astronomy, but I do know about stars.  Sometimes my students drive me crazy, but sometimes they prove to be stars.  Yesterday on our field trip, they proved to be stars.  Our field trip was outside, and the weather was wonderful.  Walking outside on the uneven ground was a bit difficult on my hip, so I was walking a bit slow.  One student came up behind me and said that I was slow like a turtle.  He then yelled, "Simile... It's a simile."  (The day before we had discussed similes in class.)  Later in the day, the after school struggling readers were reading Catching Fire with partners.  While they read, I walked around the room helping with vocabulary and checking for comprehension.  One pair waved me across the room because they had found a simile in their reading.  They were proud; they were stars. 

Oh.  Baseball.  Houston.  Astros.  Nothing.
I will add this about the field trip that has little to do with students being stars.  Talking to middle school students about "tapping" trees only causes giggles.  They're used to "tapping" meaning something different... just saying.

BTW- My reason for today's baseball poem is the simile.

Today I'm thankful for...
1) star students
2) cookies and hot cocoa for breakfast
3) fresh flowers while waiting for spring
I need to stop posting in the morning.  It becomes difficult to come up with my thankful list.