Baseball and ballet
may seem worlds apart.
You would think that
the svelte ballerina
and the muscular catcher
would have nothing in common,
but careful examination of the two
professions reveals many links. To wit:
a la second – to the second position
obliviously where the second baseman should play
adagio – a slow tempo
a game that has gone over three hours
ballon – to bounce higher
a shortstop trying to catch a bloop single
frappe – to strike
a batter swinging at a sweeping curve
grand jete – a large throw
a right fielder throwing to home on a fly
pas de deux – a dance for two people
a strike-them-out, throw-them-out double play
plie – a movement when the dancer bends her knee
the catcher crouching down behind the plate
port de bras – movement of the arms
shortstop picking up a ground ball
In my research there were
over 70 ballet terms listed,
so you can see a strong connection exists
between these wildly different fields.