It is spring again, and that means the return of our national pastime: baseball.Baseball season gives people the chance to go out to the ballpark, spend a couple hours with friends, eat a hot dog, "root, root, root for the home team" and hear the "ping" of the bat.

"Ping"?

While the college game currently uses aluminum bats, many baseball purists and fans of the big league game prefer the "crack" of wooden bats.

In 1974, aluminum bats were introduced to college baseball and with the bats came higher batting averages.



WHAT HAS THE

Americans love statistics - or at least numbers that give the appearance of statistics because, when interpreted and compiled into a concise form, it's much easier to digest the information.Our favorite...

It is common knowledge that babies experience their most important developmental period when they are young, usually between the ages of 1 and 3. During this time, many parents are persistent and determined to expose their young infants to clever toys, classical CDs and other objects in order to expand their minds and, ultimately, to try to make them smarter and more intelligent. However, parents may not stop to think that perhaps their methods for helping their children could actually be more harmful to their infants.

When students register for classes this spring, they will be able to sign up for a new language course.Next fall, TCU is offering the beginning Chinese language course in addition to the Chinese civilization and culture class that is currently offered.

Ziwo Lama, the instructor for the civilization and culture class, has been hired to teach the beginning language course as well. This is Lama's first semester teaching at TCU. He previously taught at Brookhaven College in Dallas and is working on his doctorate in linguistics at the University of Texas at Arlington.

Student Government Association members trying to create a safe-rides program, which would provide transportation for students under the influence of substances, could face funding and liability issues.Approximately 30 percent of undergraduates report having driven under the influence, said Angela Taylor, director of the Alcohol & Drug Education Center.

"The important thing is that we have a program that reduces potential harm and does not enable other high-risk behaviors," Taylor said.

Hey Friend, I am writing this letter to you to tell you that I fear we are losing touch.It is rare these days to give and/or receive a hand-written letters, such as this one, partially due to the current...

The baseball team will try to bounce back after its third loss this season against a Big XII opponent with a three-game road series against conference foes, the Air Force Academy Falcons.Sophomore outfielder Matt McGuirk's fourth home run of the season was not enough for the Frogs (21-9, 5-1 in conference) as they lost 13-5 to the No. 19 Oklahoma Sooners (22-9, 3-3 in conference) in Norman, Okla. The Sooners pounced on Frogs pitching early scoring seven runs in the first inning,

The French broke the record for the world's fastest TGV train Tuesday. According to a Times Online article, the TGV train had been allotted 5 billion euros, in spite of predictions that it would never be profitable.

The train, which got up to 357 mph, did not beat the record 361 mph held by a different type of train from Japan that levitates on magnets but did beat France's own 1990 TGV train world record of 320 mph.

To be entirely honest, I am not that much of a basketball fan.So, when the NCAA Championship game between the Ohio State Buckeyes and the Florida Gators took place Monday, I was far from being up in arms over the fuss.

Instead, I was happy to know that baseball season was officially underway.

It is understood that college ball has been going on for the past two months, but the atmosphere presented by the smell of dirt, a vendor hawking hotdogs and the unmistakable sound of ash meeting cowhide is something that brings a warm feeling to me amid the April showers.