This activity book was developed by the Stockton Ports, the 11-time California League Champions. This book is intended for children of all ages and to be used as a supplement to the Education Day activities at Banner Island Ballpark on April 20 and May 12.

The Stockton Ports, minor league affiliate of the Oakland A’s, are proud to partner with area schools and to support teachers and students by hosting Education Days annually at Banner Island Ballpark.

The Ports are committed to supporting education and improving lives through the game of baseball. For information about other Ports edu-cational programs, please contact the Stockton Ports.

Hello Students!

Welcome to Banner Island Ball-park! The 2010 season is in full swing, and there’s ton of fun and educational things to do here at the ballpark!

I’m thrilled you can join us for today’s game!

You can learn a lot from watching a Ports baseball game! You can learn about the Ports history in Stockton, about how a poem put the team into the baseball history books, and how to calculate impor-tant stats like batting average!

You’ll find a lot of fun activities in this book, and I hope you enjoy learning from it! There’s nothing more fun than learning something new!

Have fun today, and good luck in class the rest of the year!

Go Ports!

Your Pal,

Hello from Splash!

Meet Splash!Position: Stockton Ports Team MascotResides: Stockton’s Deep Water ChannelHeight: 7’5”Weight: Broke the ScaleHair: Brilliant BlueSkin: Radioactive Red FurBody Type: Big-boned, Big-bellied and Big-heartedShoe Size: 28EEFavorite Food: Asparagus from Stockton!

The Stockton Ports enter into their 61st season in 2010, with a 4,400-3,952 overall record, 11 league titles, and their own unique lore and tradi-tions knitting them into Minor League Baseball and Californian history. Baseball lore credits Abner Doubleday, an important Union general who played a pivotal role at the Battle of Gettysburg, with inventing baseball in a cow pasture in Cooperstown, N.Y. in 1839. Baseball lore also credits a base-ball team based in Stockton, Calif. with being the inspiration for Ernest Law-rence Thayer’s famous “Casey at the Bat” poem. Thayer wrote the fi ctional poem in 1888, as legend goes, after seeing the Stockton club compete. At that time, Stockton played at Ban-ner Island Park near a riverfront area called Mudville. That 1888 Stockton team won the California League pennant, fi nishing the season with a 41-24 record. In the early 1900s, Stockton boasted a team in the California League. While the team underwent several name chang-es (Poppies from 1903-05, Millers from 1906-08, Tigers in 1909 and Boost-ers in 1910), the team found plenty of success. Stockton won pennants each season from 1903 to 1908. In 1913, the California League reemerged and Stockton captured an-other title. In 1915, the League folded.

Baseball in Stockton did not reap-pear until a new California League, a Class C league, was founded in 1941 by Bill Schroeder. The Stockton Fliers became a charter member, along with franchises in Anaheim, Bakersfi eld, Fresno, Mer-ced, Riverside, San Bernardino, and Santa Barbara. Because of the outbreak of World War II, Stockton did not fi eld a team in 1942, and the League suspended play because of the War. In 1946, the League resumed normal operations, with the Stockton Ports as a member. The club was named the Ports because Stockton is the state’s only inland port. The Ports called Oak Park Field home, but renamed the stadium Billy Hebert Field in 1950, in honor of a local man who became the fi rst player in organized baseball who was killed in action during World War II. Hebert actually played for Merced in 1941 before enlisting in the Navy. He was wounded at Guadalcanal in October 1942. In 1946, the Ports fi nished fi rst in the California League with a 78-52 record and their fi rst of 11 California League titles. In 1947, the Ports captured their second championship. To win the title, the Ports went on a 26-game winning streak! Baseball his-torians Bill Weiss and Marshall Wright ranked the 1947 Ports among the top 100 greatest Minor League Baseball teams, placing them at No. 98.

Ports History

Ports History

Today, there are 10 teams in the California League, with fi ve in both the Northern and Southern Divisions. The Northern Division is made up of the Bakersfi eld Blaze, Modesto Nuts, San Jose Giants, Stockton Ports and Visalia Rawhide. The Southern Divi-sion is composed of the High Desert Mavericks, Inland Empire 66ers, Lake Elsinore Storm, Lancaster JetHawks and Rancho Cucamonga Quakes. In addition to having the most titles by any active League team (11), the Ports are tied with the Fresno Cardinals/Giants for the most franchise titles in League history. Stockton was also the fastest team in League history to reach the 4,000 win plateau, a feat they accomplished in 2004. Since joining the California League in 1941, the Ports remained with the League until 1972, and re-turned in 1978. During the 1980s and into the 1990s, the Ports were one of the nation’s winningest Minor League Baseball teams, totaling 977 wins through the 1991 season. The Ports also had the best win-loss percentage in all of Minor League Baseball for the 1980s. After the 1999 season, the team renamed themselves the Mudville Nine, as a salute to Thayer’s poem. Following the 2001 season, the Nine went back to the name Ports and con-tinued to fi nd plenty of success in the California League.

In 2005, the Ports moved from Billy Hebert Field into their spacious new home at Banner Island Ballpark, which is located right along the Delta Channel. The Ports won their fi rst championship since moving to the new stadium in 2008, under the leadership of manager Darren Bush. It was their 11th franchise record, a California League record. The Ports have won champion-ships in 1946, 1947, 1963, 1965, 1969, 1980, 1986, 1990, 1992, 2002, and 2008. The Ports look to continue their winning ways in future seasons.

Ports affi liates over the years:

1941 Los Angeles Angels (PCL) 1946 Independent1947-1948 Oakland Oaks (PCL) 1949 Chicago White Sox1950-1951 Independent 1952 St. Louis Browns1953-1954 Chicago Cubs1955 Oakland Oaks (PCL) 1956-1957 Baltimore Orioles1958 St. Louis Cardinals1959-1971 Baltimore Orioles1972 California Angels1978 Seattle Mariners1979-2000 Milwaukee Brewers 2001-2002 Cincinnati Reds2003-2004 Texas Rangers2005-present Oakland A’s

A’s Geography

Send mail to the A’s affi liates!

Sacramento River Cats (AAA) Raley Field 400 Ballpark Drive West Sacramento, CA, 95691 Website: www.rivercats.com

Midland RockHounds (AA) Citibank Ballpark 5514 Champions Dr. Midland, TX, 79706 Website: www.midlandrockhounds.org

Kane County Cougars (Low A) Elfstrom Stadium 34W002 Cherry Lane Geneva, IL, 60134 Website:www.kccougars.com

Vancouver Canadians (Short Season A) Nat Bailey Stadium 4601 Ontario Street Vancouver, BC, V5V 3H4 Website: www.canadiansbaseball.com

Road to the Show

The A’s have several minor league teams, and players who want to make it to the Major Leagues have to make it up the ranks, going from Class A to Class AAA.

Here’s the order of the A’s minor league teams from lowest to highest.

Class A (Short Season): Vancouver

Class A (Low): Kane County

Class A (High): Stockton

Class AA: MIdland

Class AAA: Sacramento

Some of the top Oakland A’s players played at Stockton on their way to the Major Leagues!

U.s. Geography

Alabama __________________________Alaska __________________________Arizona __________________________Arkansas __________________________California __________________________Colorado __________________________Connecticut __________________________Delaware __________________________Florida __________________________Georgia __________________________Hawaii __________________________Idaho __________________________Illinois __________________________Indiana __________________________Iowa __________________________Kansas __________________________Kentucky __________________________Louisiana __________________________Maine __________________________Maryland __________________________Massachusetts __________________________Michigan __________________________Minnesota __________________________Mississippi __________________________Missoui __________________________Montana __________________________Nebraska __________________________Nevada __________________________New Hampshire __________________________New Jersey __________________________New Mexico __________________________New York __________________________North Carolina __________________________North Dakota __________________________Ohio __________________________Oklahoma __________________________Oregon __________________________Pennsylvania __________________________Rhode Island __________________________South Carolina __________________________South Dakota __________________________Tennessee __________________________Texas __________________________Utah __________________________Vermont __________________________Virginia __________________________Washington __________________________West Virginia __________________________Wisconsin __________________________Wyoming __________________________

TrentonTopekaTallahasseSt. PaulSpringfi eldSanta FeSalt Lake CitySalemSacramentoRichmondRaleighProvidencePierrePhoenixOlympiaOklahoma CityNashvilleMontpelierMontgomeryMadisonLittle RockLincolnLansingJuneauJefferson CityJacksonIndianapolisHonoluluHelenaHartfordHarrisburgFrankfortDoverDes MoinesDenverConcordColumbusColumbiaCheyenneCharlestonCarson CityBostonBoiseBismarckBaton RougeAustinAugustaAtlantaAnnapolisAlbanty

Match the capital to the state from the word bank, then put the capi-tal on the map!

Ports Playing Tips

Some tips for infi elders...

Keep the ball in front of you, so you can see where it is at all time. This will help prevent errors. Keep your glove open and be ready for any ground balls that may come your way. Try to judge the speed of ground balls so you know how far and fast you’ll have to run to get it.

When you throw the ball to another fi elder to get a runner or batter out, aim for his or her chest so the other fi elder has a better chance of catching the baseball.

Some tips for outfi elders...

Try to judge the distance and height of fl y balls you you know where you have to run to make a play. Keep an eye out for how close you are to the outfi eld wall. When you go to throw the ball to an infi elder to get a runner out, aim for his or her chest so the fi elder has a better chance of catch-ing the ball.

Keep the ball in front of you, so you can see where it is at all times. This will help prevent errors. Keep your glove open and be ready for any fl y balls that may come your way.

Some tips for batters...

Grip as high on the bat as you need to and pick a bat that is not too heavy. Remember to keep your weight on your back foot and don’t make your step into your swing too wide.

Keep a careful eye on the ball to see if it’s in the strikezone or not. Make your swings smooth and level. Wear eye black or sunglasses on sunny days. Wear wrist and shin guards to help protect your arms and legs.

How To Keep Score

Scoring Symbols1B-Single2B-Double3B-TripleHR-Home RunGS-Grand Slam Home RunE-reached base on errorFC-Fielder’s ChoiceHBP-Hit by PitchWP-Wild PitchSB-Stolen BaseSH-Sacrifi ce HitSF-Sacrifi ce FlyPB-Passed BallCS-Caught StealingKL-Strikeout LookingKS-Strikeout SwingingBB-WalkIBB-Intentional WalkDP-Double PlayF-Foul FlyL-Line OutB-Bunt

Scoring is an important part of baseball because it tells the story of the game, and keeps track of impor-tant statistics like a player’s batting average and a pitcher’s earned run average.

It’s also important because it helps show what happened in a game. We use numbers to take the place of fi elders when we score a game, and symbols to represent what happened on a particular play.

Take a look a thte picture below to fi gure out what numbers represent what players. For example, a groundout to the shortstop would be scored a “6-3” out. A shortstop to second base to fi rst base double play would be a “DP 6-4-3”. Scoring helps keep track of everything that happens in a game.

Try to keep score of today’s game on the next pages. Use the example below for help.

Enjoy the game and have fun keeping score! Go Ports!

Batting Order 1st Inning 2nd Inning Explanation

4 (2nd Baseman)

1B, CS 2-6 Singled, caught stealing at sec-ond (catcher to shortstop)

8 (Center Fielder)

2B, FC, PB

Doubled, went to third on fi elder’s choice and scored on passed ball.

5(3rd Baseman)

4-3 Thrown out (second to fi rst) on a fi elder’s choice

6(Shortstop)

HBP Hit by a pitch, advanced to fi rst

3(1st Baseman)

F8 Flied out to the center fi elder, end of the inning.

2(Catcher)

BB, 6-4 Walked, later forced out in fi rst half of double play

7(Left Fielder)

Dp 6-4-3 Grounded into a double play, shortstop to second to fi rst

9(Right Fielder)

HR Hit a Home Run

DH(Designated Hitter)

3F Fouled out to the fi rst baseman to end the inning.

Total(Runs/Hits)

1/2 1/1 2 runs on 3 hits

Opposing Team

Ports Team

Baseball MathBaseball is a game fi lled with math, and you can use your math skills to calculate a number of baseball statistics. Statistics are a way to calculate the success a player has in the game. A batter with a .300 batting average is considered a great hitter. A .300 average means the batter gets 3 hits in every 10 at-bats, or succeeds 30% of the time. A pitcher with a 3.00 earned run average is considered a good pitcher. A 3.00 ERA means a pitcher allows the opposing team to score 3 runs in 9 innings.

There are a lot of ways you can apply your math skills to baseball. Try to solve the follow-ing problems. If you know any two of those three fi gures, you can fi nd the third.

Determine a Player’s Batting Average:

Batting Average= Hits/At-BatsHits = Batting Average*At-BatsAt-Bats = Hits/Batting Average

Solve the following:

Player A has 36 hits in 124 at-bats. What is his batting average? Answer:___________________

Player B has a batting average of .250 and 48 at-bats. How many hits does he have?Answer:___________________

Player C has a batting average of .333 and 9 hits. How many at-bats does he have? Answer:___________________

Determine a Pitcher’s Earned Average:

Earned Run Average= Earned Runs*9 Innings Pitched

Earned Runs = Earned Run Average*Innings Pitch 9

Innings Pitched = Earned Runs*9 Earned Run Average

Solve the following:

Pitcher A has allowed 9 earned runs in 27 innings. What is his earned run average? Answer:_________________

Pitcher B has an earned run average of 4.50 and 60 innings pitched. How many earned does he have?Answer:_________________

Pitcher C has an earned run average of 2.25 and 5 earned runs. How many innings pitched does he have?Answer:_________________

Baseball MathDetermine the Speed of a Pitch:

Distance from the Pitcher’s Mound to Home Plate is 60.5 Feet.1 mile = 5280 feet1 hour = 3600 secondsSpeed = miles/hour

Pitch Speed= 60.5 Feet x (1/5280 miles/feet) Seconds x (1/3600 hours/seconds)

Solve the following:

It took Pitcher A 2 seconds to throw the ball from the mound to the catcher. How fast was the pitch?Answer:_________________

It took Pitcher B 0.5 seconds to throw the ball from the mound to the catcher. How fast was the pitch?Answer:_________________

Pitcher C had a pitch speed of 90 miles per hour. How many seconds did it for the ball to travel from the pitcher’s mound to the catcher? Answer:_________________

Determine the Distance To Throw Out a Runner:

A baseball diamond is a sqaure with the distance from each base being 90 feet, so it is made up of two right triangles. See the fi gure below to help fi nd the hypotenuse of a right triangle.

To fi nd the hypotenuse of a right triangle, use the following formula:

c=√a2+b2

If a=90 feet (distance from home plate to fi rst base) and b= 90 feet (distance from fi rst base to second base), what is the lenght of C (the direct distance from home plate to second base)? Answer:_________________

Baseball LanguageEnglish SpanishAmerican League Liga Americana

A’s Atléticos

At-bat turno al bate

Athlete atleta

Ball pelota; bola

Ballpark estadio; parque

Ballplayer beisbolero; jugador

Baseball (sport) béisbol

Baseball team equipo de béisbol

Bat bate; palo

Batting Average promedio de bateo

Called Strike estraíc cantado

Catch atrapada

Catcher receptor; cácher

Center Fielder jardinero central

Champion campeón

Dugout dogao

Double Play doble jugada

Error error

First Base primera base

Glove guante

Hit batazo

Hit by Pitch golpeado por la pelota

Home Run jonrón

Home Run King Rey de Jonrones

Home Team anfi trión

Hot Dog perro caliente

Infi elder jugador del cuadro

Inning entrada

Manager mánager

Minor Leagues ligas menores

On-Deck Circle círculo de espera

Pitcher lanzador

Prospect prospecto

RBI carrera producida

Seventh Inning Stretch descanso de la séptima entrada

Scout buscador del talento

Stolen Base base robada

Walk base por bolas

Baseball LanguageBaseball is played in many countries around the world. See if you can fi nd the translation of a foreign language baseball term in the following sentences from the list of English baseball terms below.

Stolen BaseShortstopCatcherPitcher

BatterGame-ending home runDouble PlaySacrifi ce Fly

StrikeBuntHome RunWild Pitch

1) The batter laid down the perfect banto (Japanese) for a base hit.Translation:_______________

2) The piccha (Japanese) struck out the side.Translation:_______________

3) The base robada (Spanish) advanced the runner into scoring position.Translation:_______________

4) The towering elevado sacrifi cio (Spanish) to the outfi eld gave the runner the opportu-nity to score a run.Translation:_______________

5) The frappeur (French) hit a coup de circuit (French) to tie the score.Translation:_______________

6) The pitcher throws the ball to the receptor (Spanish)Translation:_______________

7) The infi elders turned a doble jugada (Spanish) to end the inning.Translation:_______________

8) The umpired called the fi rst pitch of the game a sutoraiku (Japanese).Translation:_______________

9) The torpedero (Spanish) position on the baseball fi eld is in between the second and third baseman.Translation:_______________

10) The pitcher threw a lanzamiento salvaje (Spanish) when he threw the baseball into the backstop.Translation:_______________

11) In the last at bat of the game, the batter hit a sayonara homuran (Japanese) to the delight of the home crowd.Translation:_______________

‘Casey at the Bat’Casey at the Bat

By Ernest Lawrence Thayer(San Francisco Examiner, 1888)

The outlook wasn’t brilliant for the Mudville nine that day; The score stood four to two with but one inning more to play. And then when Cooney died at fi rst, and Burrows did the same, A sickly silence fell upon the patrons of the game.

A straggling few got up to go in deep despair. The rest Clung to that hope which springs eternal in the human breast: They thought if only Casey could but get a whack at that, They’d put up even money now, with Casey at the bat.

But Flynn preceded Casey, as did also Jimmy Blake, And the former was a pudd’n, and the latter was a fake, So upon the stricken multitude grim melancholy sat, For there seemed but little hope of Casey’s getting to the bat.

But Flynn let drive a single, to the wonderment of all, And Blake, the much-despised, tore the cover off the ball, And when the dust had lifted, and they saw what had occurred, There was Jimmy safe on second, and Flynn a-hugging third.

Then from fi ve thousand throats and more there rose a mighty yell, It rumbled in the valley and it rattled on the dell, It knocked upon the mountain and recoiled on the fl at, For Casey, mighty Casey, was advancing to the bat.

There was ease in Casey’s manner as he stepped up to his place, There was pride in Casey’s bearing and a smile on Casey’s face, And when, responding to the cheers, he lightly doffed his hat, No stranger in the crowd could doubt ‘twas Casey at the bat.

Ten thousand eyes were on him as he rubbed his hands with dirt, Five thousand tongues applauded as he wiped them on his shirt. And when the writhing pitcher ground the ball into his hip, Defi ance gleamed in Casey’s eye; a sneer curled Casey’s lip.

And now the leather-covered sphere comes hurtling through the air, And Casey stands a-watching it in haughty grandeur there.

‘Casey at the Bat’Close by the sturdy batsman the ball unheeded sped-- “That ain’t my style,” said Casey. “Strike one,” the umpire said.

From the benches, black with people, there arose a muffl ed roar, Like the beating of the storm-waves on some stern and distant shore. “Kill him! Kill the umpire!” shouted someone in the stand, And it’s likely they’d have killed him had not Casey raised his hand.

With a smile of Christian charity great Casey’s visage shone: He stilled the rising tumult, he bade the game go on, He signaled to the pitcher, and once more the spheroid fl ew, But Casey still ignored it, and the umpire said, “Strike two.”

“Fraud!” cried the maddened thousands, and echo answered fraud, But one scornful look from Casey and the audience was awed; They saw his face grow stern and cold, they saw his muscles strain, And they knew that Casey wouldn’t let that ball go by again.

The sneer is gone from Casey’s lip, his teeth are clenched in hate, He pounds with cruel violence his bat upon the plate; And now the pitcher holds the ball, and now he lets it go, And now the air is shattered by the force of Casey’s blow.

Oh, somewhere in this favored land the sun is shining bright; The band is playing somewhere, and somewhere hearts are light, And somewhere men are laughing, and somewhere children shout, But there is no joy in Mudville--mighty Casey has struck out!

Reading Comprehension:

1) Who are the “Mudville Nine”? _________________________

2) How many fans are in the stands? _________________________

3) Did Casey strike out looking or swinging? _________________________

4) Did the fans agree with the umpire at all? _________________________

5) What was the fi nal score of the game? _________________________

Fun & GamesUsing the Word Bank, fi nd of all the baseball-related terms, things you can fi nd at Banner Island Ballpark and famous Stockton Ports named below. Be sure to look down, across, diagonally and backwards to fi nd all of the hidden words. Good luck!

Andrew BaileyAsparagusBallparkBaseBatBat BoyBuntCoachCurveDiamondDouble

FastballFlyoutGrand SlamGroundoutHitHome RunHot DogKurt SuzukiMascotOutfi elderPeanuts

PitchPortsProspectSlideSplashStandsStocktonStretchTarpTripleUmpire

K M Q S P L A S H P O SO U T F I E L D E R B TG L R H T R H I T O E OR B A T B O Y H Z S A CA M V N S L I D E P G KN A J D O U B L E E B TD P I T C H Z B D C W OS S E R I P M U G T H NL T R E T C H N K R O PA A F L Y O U T V I M YM N A W B A Y R K P E LX D S Q M C L J V L R PS S T O P H G F I E U IU F B A L L P A R K N TG Y A E S A B U L R M CA K L V M W A N H T A HR Q L W E S T R O P S EA J T R A P C H T R C RP O D I A M O N D M O QS N G R O U N D O U T PA P E A N U T S G K O L

Fun & GAmesUsing the clues below, fi gure out the word puzzle. Then take all of the letters from the yellow-shaded boxes and put them together to answer this question: Which former Ports player and Stockton native is now pitching for the Oakland A’s?

A two-base hit

National Pastime

Number of balls and strikes

Nickname for a base

Buy me some ___ and cracker jacks

Name of Ports Mascot

A three-base hit

Nickname for the playing fi eld

Which former Ports player and Stockton native is now pitching for the Oakland A’s?

Unscramble the letters to fi nd the correct answers!

1) This person calls the balls and strikes: IEMUPR __ __ __ __ __ __2) A hit that goes out of the park: OHNUREM __ __ __ __ __ __ __4) The fi eld position between 2nd and 3rd base:THSSPTROO __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __5) The Ports mascot: PHALSS__ __ __ __ __ __6) The player that stand on the mound: EHPRICT __ __ __ __ __ __ __7) A favorite baseball snack: SUNPTAE __ __ __ __ __ __ __8) The Ports major league affi liate: KLAONAD __ __ __ __ __ __ __9) League in which the Ports play: ALFCIROIAN __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __10) Head coach of the team: GMREANA __ __ __ __ __ __ __