BASEBALL. It's just a word, but for millions of Americans it brings much more than a word. Hot dogs. Cold beers. Sunny afternoons. Baseball is the game of fathers and sons. Fathers and sons catch with each other on lawns   in the US. A father's favorite team becomes his son's. Grandfathers talk to their grandsons about games played long ago. Many American kids collect baseball cards. The cards have pictures of their favorite players on them. In school, friends trade   baseball cards just like they trade their lunches. Players are known as "the boys of summer" because people often play the sport mostly in warm months. You don't need to be of a certain size or shape to play baseball. You don't have to be tall like a basketball player or strong like an American footballer. You just need to want to have fun. Baseball is not as fast-paced   a game as basketball. But when you go to see a game, there's time to relax, talk and get to know other people. Baseball may not be the most popular sport in the US, but it is the most traditional. It's not just a game any more, but an important part of American culture, like apple pie and grandma's house. Many American kids like to collect   _  .
baseballs baseball cards lunches apple pies