I wasn’t at the first Olympiad,
but I’ve watched a few since then.
Competition can be fierce,
time and time again.

Countries send their very best,
all hoping for a shot at glory.
Through ups and downs of training,
each athlete has his own story.

It’s a rigorous preparation,
and sometimes good is not enough.
It takes commitment above and beyond,
and training makes you tough.

Some want just one shot,
some come back every 4 years.
Joy and disappointment abound,
causing happy and sad tears.

But just the thrill of being there,
and the parade entering in.
All the ceremony and hype,
reminds athletes who have been.

Only those can know,
how they all feel inside.
But they all made the choice,
it was up to them to decide.

I really can’t imagine,
what it’s like to participate.
But yet in my dreams,
Olympics I create.

Someday when it’s closer,
maybe I can go.
It would be such a thrill,
to be awake and know.

From the very first Olympics,
which was held in Greece.
Man has tried with competition,
to bring about world peace.

There are many, many participants,
that compete in every sport.
The best each country has to offer,
coming from every port.

In 776 B.C., the first and only race,
was won by a cook name Coroebus.
Every four years ’til 393 A.D.,
the Olympics continued and grew thus.

For fifteen hundred and three years, competition ceased,
until April 6, 1896.
Renamed the games of the Olympiad,
for these nine days, it became the Olympic fix.

In 1932, the first Olympic Village,
became an Olympic fixture.
Many things began to change,
much being added to the mixture.

Competing for gold, silver or bronze,
the pressure is very intense.
It takes everything you have,
and even above more resilience.

The competition is very fierce,
and the winner will concur, no doubt.
But the modern version of it all,
is broadcast the world throughout.

These athletes work to the very edge,
of all that they can be.
To etch their name in worldly fame,
to be everlasting in history.

So join your favorites,
and root for your country.
It will be four more years,
of competition and sports unity.

April through October are months of joy,
when men chase after a stitched-up toy.
Bats, gloves, uniforms, and gear galore,
make up what is now called baseball lore.

Baseball hasn’t changed much from its start,
but has grown enormously in mans heart.
Still played inning by inning,
just as it was in the beginning.

Catchers used to play without a mask,
and that was truly an enormous task.
Protection was not a primary concern,
when baseball was becoming a game to learn.

Equipment has improved over the years,
but today a fastball can stir some fears.
Rules have changed to accommodate the game,
but the best of the best can still have fame.

Power, defense, offense, or pitching stats,
each talent counts more than just at-bats.
Specialists come in for just one out,
managers confident without a doubt.

I think the hitters of days gone by,
were better hitters with a keener eye.
No AstroTurf or manicured field,
no hindsight or re-run reels.

Not just baseball, but all sports we play,
have become a part of the modern day.
Computers and technology have become mainstream,
and sports in the living room is everyone’s dream.

So everyone who has a baseball bat,
can also wear his team’s favorite hat.
Baseball belongs as part of it all,
as the umpire yells, “Play ball!”