The program is a regional program started by the Minor League AAA baseball team from Nashville. The team leaves the regulations up to the participating institution, however, the goal is the same, to go to a regular season baseball game.
In the middle school, the rules are simple: read 30 minutes every night for two weeks, advance one base. Each base has a prize associated with it, however once eight weeks are completed–or all four bases–the student earns a ticket on the bus to the baseball game.
The program began in 1998 with 184 schools participating. Now almost ten years later, the program has spread and reached almost 200,000 more students in almost 400 different schools.
Each school has the opportunity to set the rules for the contest as they wish. Some require summer reading programs and others are similar to that of Trigg County.
Reviews of the program have been outstanding, according to the team’s website. Tennessee Secretary of State Riley Darnell commended the team on their efforts to promote "literacy, education and quality of life."
No one was available to comment at press time.
