"Tee Ball Is Fun!"
Read the Story
Words
in red are the personalized words
Note: Story shown here may not be exact.
"TEE BALL® is FUN!" was created especially for Michael Jeremy
Smith at the age of 7 Happy Birthday!,
With Love, Uncle Joe Page 4 When springtime came in Atlanta, excitement was in
the air. Flowers were blooming, bees
were humming, birds were singing, and something special was going on around the
ball park. It was TEE BALL time!. Page 7 Boys, girls, playmates, and friends were gathering. Michael Smith,
along with Larry,
Jim and Billy, stood side by side.
They were on the same TEE BALL team with many other friends. They were all very happy to be on the Redbirds team together. Page 8 Happy to see them, the coach promised they would practice
and learn how to bat, catch, slide, and other important things. Mike tried
hard to always listen to the coach, and keep his
eye on the ball, to swing the bat level, and to play safely. Page 11 TEE BALL® games were always exciting. Mike's
parents came to watch. So did Larry, Jim and Billy's parents. Many other parents and grandparents were in
the stands too. When Mike and other players did well, they clapped and
shouted! It was fun! Page 12 When Mike came to bat with his helmet on just right, the umpire set the TEE BALL
up on the tee. Mike
took a deep breath and swung the bat with all his
might! Oh, oh! He swung so hard he
spun all the way around - but the TEE BALL was still sitting on the tee. "Strike one!" the ump called. Page 15 Larry, Jim and Billy
shouted, "Go ahead, Mike! You can do it!" Mike heard
someone call out from the stands, "C'mon Mike!
You can hit it!" Page 16 Again, the umpire placed the ball on top of the tee. Mike eyed the
ball and swung straight. Wow! What a hit!
It was a hot infield grounder. Mike ran like a jack rabbit! Page 19 The short stop grabbed the ball and threw it to first
base, but the throw was not quick enough.
Mike ran across the bag just beating the
ball. The umpire signaled,
"Safe!" Page 20 Folks in the stands shouted for joy! "Yeah, Mike! Yeah, Mike! We knew you could do it!" Everyone clapped and cheered. Page 23 After the game, Coach Jones
gave all of the players a high five.
One of the mothers had good, cold fruit punch and cookies waiting for
them. Ummm! Mike,
along with Larry, Jim and Billy, and all of their teammates, liked
cookies-especially chocolate! Page 24 Mike and his teammates
dreamed of being All-Stars and going to the TEE BALL World Series in Milton,
Florida, where TEE BALL Baseball® was born.
What a thrill that would be! Page 27 For now, though, they gathered under a big tree to eat
their snack. Coach Jones said, "You all did a good job today. I am proud of you! Did you learn anything that will help you next time?" Mike perked, "Keep your eye on the ball!" Larry, Jim and Billy chirped, "Listen to the
coach! Be a good sport! Don't be a quitter!" Page 28 "That's right," said the coach. "TEE BALL is not just about
winning. It is about playing fair and
doing what is right. It is about being
a good winner and not being sore if you lose." Mike knew the Coach was right! Page 31 All of the boys and girls agreed! Then Coach Jones
grinned and said, "But the best part of TEE BALL is..." Just then, Mike
and the whole team shouted together,
"TEE BALL® is FUN!" Page 32 Redbirds Schedule for 2003
June 5, 2003