1. How does one become a professional baseball player? What might it be like to live on the road, playing in different places? What are some of the sacrifices one has to make?

2. How realistically does the author depict rural American life? Could this story have taken place in real life?

3. What is it like to live on a farm? What might be different about one's schedule and lifestyle choices for a farmer than for city dwellers?

4. How does Billy deal with his feelings toward his father? Is there a better way in which Billy might have tried to communicate with him?

5. How do different people deal with the death of loved ones? Is there a "best" way to cope with death?

184 Farm Team 6. Have you ever been to a jail? What is it like to serve jail time?

7. What are...