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A child's game played with a wooden bat and a small white ball is "our national pastime." Baseball has climbed from being played by children in their backyards on Sunday afternoons to becoming a multimillion dollar corporation over the last hundred years.

Baseball as we know it first came into existence in Cooperstown, New York in 1939 as Major General Abner Doubleday created the first baseball field. The first recorded match was played at Elysien Fields in Hoboken, New Jersey on June 19, 1846. The game was played between the New York Nine and the Cartwright's New York Nickerbockers. The New

In 1975 two pitchers decided to challenge the system once again. In 1976 these two pitchers refused to sign their contracts. During this same season, "an arbitrator upheld their case and free agency was born." (www.Baseball1.com)

Baseball suffered during World War II as many of its biggest starts were sent to war. To overcome the shortage of players in America, many teams recruited players from Latin America. More than forty Latin American players played on major league teams. In 1943, The Chicago Cubs' owner, Phillip Wrigley, founded The All American Girls' Professional Baseball League. This league lasted until 1954.

Baseball has been played by millions of people over the last hundred years. The game itself, has not changed much since it was first played in 1839. Baseball has evolved from being played by children in their backyards on Sunday afternoons, into a multimillion dollar business over the last hundred years. Baseball is loved for what it is, not because of the fame or fortune it can produce. People continue to watch and play baseball for the love of the game. It has become "our national pastime."

Some common words found in the essay are:
St Louis, National League, Baseball League, Heitz Baseball's, York Yankees, Cited Page, William Hulbert, San Francisco, World Series, Red Stockings, professional baseball, national league, major league, free agency, multimillion dollar, national pastime, american league, children backyards afternoons, dollar business, baseball becoming, becoming multimillion dollar, fifty days, york franklin watts, baseball york franklin, played children backyards,
Approximate Word count = 1658
Approximate Pages = 7 (250 words per page double spaced)