title: Hey Batter Batter: A Collection of Baseball Poems for Kids
author:  Bill Shane 
description: "Hey Batter Batter puts you in the action. It puts a smile on your face a lump in your throat." -- <i>Jeaney Garcia, Los Angeles coordinator Positive Coaching Alliance</i><br /><br />I'm happy to see a book for kids that conveys to parents that baseball is still just a game. -- <i>Jay Johnstone, former 20-year major leaguer and co-founder of Sporthings</i><br /><br />Pictures and poetry and dreams galore, Hey Batter Batter is just so good that you long for more. -- <i>Charlie Jones, sportscaster, Pro Football Hall of Fame</i>
zlib_text: ![](Images/image00157.jpeg)
  
    
    
  
  ![](Images/image00181.jpeg)
  
    
  
  To Honey—R.C. To AviBleu, all our love—PaPa & GramGram, 2020
  
    
  
  To Lori, Zac, Jake & Josh—J.A.
  
    
  
   _“A life is not important except in the impact it has on other lives.”_
  
    
  
  —Jackie Robinson
  
   **Contents**
  
    
  
  Prologue
  
    
  
  Part I
  
    
  
  1\. Rough Start
  
    
  
  2\. The One Thing That Came Easy: Hitting
  
    
  
  3\. Breaking In
  
    
  
  4\. Collecting Silver Bats
  
    
  
  5\. Becoming a Man the Right Way
  
    
  
  6\. Chasing .400
  
    
  
  7\. Welcome to the Club
  
    
  
  8\. Batting Wizard
  
    
  
  Part II
  
    
  
  9\. Back in the Big Leagues
  
    
  
  10\. Pish
  
    
  
  11\. “Daddy, Please Help”
  
    
  
  12\. Burying My Baby
  
    
  
  13\. Starting Over
  
    
  
  14\. A Blessed Life
  
    
  
  Part III
  
    
  
  15\. The Promise
  
    
  
  16\. “Honey, We’ve Got a Lot of Work to Do”
  
    
  
  17\. Heart of 29
  
    
  
  18\. Worsening. Waiting.
  
    
  
  19\. The Greatest Gift
  
    
  
  20\. Saving Lives, Together
  
    
  
  Epilogue
  
    
  
  Acknowledgments
  
    
  
  Photo Gallery
  
  **Prologue**
  
    
  
   **September 20, 2015