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Take Me Out To The Ball Game Photographs may be enlarged. Now that the Superbowl has come and gone, students at Westwood are lacing up their cleats, dusting off their baseball gear, and singing a new song. Since it's a bit early to head to the ball game to see our hometown team in action, announcers from the Astros organization came to Westwood to see us. Students in Laura Vail's kindergarten class received their special visitors on day 99 of the school year just as they were counting down the days - coincidentally 9 more - until spring training. With Astros memorabilia in hand, former pitcher Jim Deshaies signed his baseball card for a kindergarten fan and answered questions like, "How did you know which pitch to throw?" and "Who does your job when you're sick?" Announcer Greg Lucas fielded questions like, "What's the special booth for?" and "How big are the cameras?" Announcer Bill Brown not only answered questions about his 21-year career with the Astros, but also made a connection with the class when he engaged students on the rug with an interactive reading of The Hound From the Pound, a book that's special to him because the author, Jessica Swain, is his sister. The class enjoyed the book so much that Mr. Brown generously donated a copy for our school library. Mrs. Vail's class along with scores of other fans, big and small, wish the Astros a winning season. Play Ball!

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