i believe in the also rans essay

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A Baseball School for Big-League Dreamers / I Believe in the Also-Rans

Description This is a practice activity for the newly redesigned STAAR test for English I that incorporates new question types.

Selections There are two selections in this activity. They are entitled "A Baseball School for Big-League Dreamers / I Believe in the Also-Rans” and are intended for the high school course English I, but can be used with any high school reading level.

Genre The genre of the selections is Informational/Essay (Paired Passages).

Question Types It features 19 total questions. There are 12 multiple choice, 3 dropdown, 2 multiselect, 2 inline (dropdown).

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Quiz   by courtney foster.

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• Q 1 / 19 Score 0 Which sentence from “A Baseball School for Big-League Dreamers” best supports the main idea of the article? 29 Most players here won’t ever put on a big-league uniform, but they come to IMG trying to find and reach their potential. Ketch doesn’t think about the numbers. He remembers being fascinated by how the players and coaches talked and how fans reacted to the game. Tuition, room and board here for the combined academic and sports program is about $70,000 a year.

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• Q 1 Which sentence from “A Baseball School for Big-League Dreamers” best supports the main idea of the article? Most players here won’t ever put on a big-league uniform, but they come to IMG trying to find and reach their potential. Ketch doesn’t think about the numbers. He remembers being fascinated by how the players and coaches talked and how fans reacted to the game. Tuition, room and board here for the combined academic and sports program is about $70,000 a year. 300 s
• Q 2 Based on the article (“A Baseball School for Big-League Dreamers”), the coaches at IMG can best be described as — focused on becoming coaches at a professional level dismissive of the mistakes students make concerned about the effectiveness of their coaching ability caring about the future success of the students 300 s
• Q 3 Read this quotation from paragraph 13 in “A Baseball School for Big-League Dreamers”. : [“Ketchum Marsh is one of the most successful stories that will come out of IMG,” Bolek says, focusing not just on baseball, but on life.] What evidence does the author present in the article to support the opinion expressed in this quotation? A reference to Marsh’s work ethic A description of Marsh’s training regimen An anecdote about Marsh’s time as a batboy Information about Marsh’s future plans 300 s
• Q 4 The author wrote “A Baseball School for Big-League Dreamers” primarily to — persuade readers to support schools that specialize in training student-athletes inform readers about a unique school and the students who attend it highlight the reasons people pursue a career in sports convince student-athletes to enroll in a specialized school for sports 300 s
• Q 5 Read paragraph 21 from “A Baseball School for Big-League Dreamers”. : [ Baseball folklore tells us that the scrappiest kid on the sandlot has a shot at going to “the show.”] What does this sentence suggest? Most major-league players come from humble circumstances. Baseball players understand their potential at an early age. Legends about baseball frequently inspire players to improve. Determination and grit could get a player to the big leagues. 300 s
• Q 6 What does the graphic from “A Baseball School for Big-League Dreamers” best suggest about the different levels of baseball competition? More athletes prefer playing college baseball than minor-league baseball. Most Little League baseball players participate in multiple sports when they reach high school. Playing Little League baseball is necessary to becoming a major-league player. Baseball leagues become more selective as players advance 300 s
• Q 7 What can the reader conclude from the interaction between the pitching coach and Cameron Varga in paragraphs 17 through 20 (from “A Baseball School for Big-League Dreamers”)? Varga is confident in his ability to succeed in Florida. The pitching coach is mainly concerned about winning games quickly. Varga’s number of pitches will decrease as his speed increases. The pitching coach wants his players to always strive to improve 300 s
• Q 8 What is the author’s purpose for mentioning the children’s race through the house? (“I Believe in the Also-Rans”) To illustrate that some children value fun above competition To emphasize that his child is athletically superior to her friends To show that children lack concerns about safety when competing To highlight that children often disregard household rules 300 s
• Q 9 Based on the information presented in the essay, what is one message the reader can infer? (“I Believe in the Also-Rans”) Persistence ensures that a loser will eventually become a winner Satisfaction comes from being dedicated and doing your best. Being rewarded simply for participating belittles the efforts of the winners Avoiding competition is better than participating when failure is certain 300 s
• Q 10 Read the following dictionary entry. validate \Ɏva-lǨ-ɑdāt\ v 1. declare or make legal 2. prove or confirm to be true 3. approve an expressed agreement 4. mark with an indication of being official Which definition best matches the use of the word validated in paragraph 3? (“I Believe in the Also-Rans”) Definition 3 Definition 2 Definition 1 Definition 4 300 s
• Q 11 The author includes quotations in paragraph 8 primarily to — (“I Believe in the Also-Rans”) point out the author’s concern for Cyrus emphasize Cyrus’s noncompetitive nature highlight that Naomi and Kean rarely agree reveal Naomi’s and Kean’s athletic abilities 300 s
• Q 12 Which quotation best expresses the author’s viewpoint about being an “also-ran”? (“I Believe in the Also-Rans”) "At school I was fortunate to win enough to balance all the times I lost, and I began to believe in this idea." "I believe in celebrating those that finish third in a three-horse race." "Our family enjoys a large house with a great running track." "Naomi and Kean have always been fast runners and very evenly matched, too." 300 s
• Q 13 What can the reader conclude from paragraph 3? (“I Believe in the Also-Rans”) The author was better at sports than at academics while growing up. Educational priorities at elite schools differ from those in public schools The author’s education did not fully prepare him for living in the real world. Students in England are required to attend school through the university level. 300 s
• Q 14 What is the main idea of the selection? (“I Believe in the Also-Rans”) Parents should encourage their children to be active because fitness is important. People who consistently win competitions as children have lifelong advantages over those who don’t. Children usually develop friendships with others who have similar abilities. People should celebrate their best efforts even if they don’t always succeed. 300 s
• Q 15 Both Ketchum Marsh in “A Baseball School for Big-League Dreamers” and the author of “I Believe in the Also-Rans” — are frustrated by their limited athletic abilities are natives of the same geographic location have attended exclusive schools that focus on achievement have families that emphasize the importance of athletics 300 s

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Essay: A Bouquet for Also-Rans

“I’d like nothing better than to stay in this race and compete in all the caucuses, compete in every single primary and win the nomination of my party. But over the past few weeks it has become clear that in 1984 none of these things are likely to happen.”

—Senator John Glenn, withdrawing from the race

Off they drop, one by one, like logrollers dancing frantically to keep their worlds afloat and themselves vertical. But no. There goes the equilibrium, the legs can’t hack it. Splash. From the cold white suds, a big brave smile.

Nice try, fellas. Three cheers for Candidates Glenn, Cranston, Hollings, Askew and McGovern. “I know the difference between reality and dreams,” said Alan Cranston in his swan song a couple of weeks ago. Did he really know the difference? Wasn’t the whole enterprise of running for President a disavowal of that knowledge? Oh, the candidates could sound steeled and pragmatic enough when reality came a-clobbering in Iowa, New Hampshire and on Terrible Tuesday. But up to those points of reckoning, dreams fueled the campaigns, were the order of the day. Wasn’t that Reubin Askew snoozing on the hall couch, muttering the oath of office in his sleep? Wake up, Mr. Hollings. You were humming Hail to the Chief.

Unrequited love; the very worst kind; of all forms of disappointment, the darkest and most complete. Round the bottom of the staircase stood the suitors in a huddle, cravats perfectly pinned, boutonnieres sprouting from the lapels, a bouquet of roses in each fist. While slowly descended the United States of America played by Scarlett O’Hara, who blew them a kiss, batted her eyes and sailed over to Rhett.

But how the dropouts sought her favor. Old-fashioned swains, shivering at the factory gates before sunrise, grinning for Roger Mudd, shaking snow from their socks. They poured out their hearts to the heartless lady. All for nothing. One hasn’t seen such “reality” since Cyrano de Bergerac noticed the shadow of his profile on the garden wall and knew that no woman could love him.

And it wasn’t your foreign policy they rejected, gents. Nor your lean-but-prudent defense budget, nor your exquisitely designed tax plan either. It was you. That’s where it hurt. The American people in their infinite, unexplained, casual wisdom weighed you in the balance, and found your nose too big.

You wonder how things got so bad so quickly. Life certainly wasn’t as cruel or unrewarding as this back in 19-something when you ran for class treasurer, or whatever your first ambition happened to be, eh George? Or the time you geared up to make that second run for the Senate. Remember those heady days, Ernest? The new frontiers of politics, John? Or the day you decided to go for broke and take a stab at the governorship, Reubin. Nobody stopped you then. Every Floridian adored you. What could possibly have gone wrong this time? You’re the same good fellow you ever were. Ideas progressive, record impeccable, teeth intact. What did they want, Alan—blood? You dyed your hair, you bronzed your skin, you stuffed your face in order to put on ten pounds so’s you wouldn’t look like a cadaver. What good did it do? No flair, they said. No charisma. What the hell is charisma? In Iowa, you finished behind “Uncommitted.” You even made the de rigueur joke about that. And how did your countrymen respond? They sat out there in the high school gym, row after row of headstones in a churchyard, waiting coolly for the main attractions. But seriously, folks.

Why did you go through it? For the good of the Democratic Party? Undoubtedly it did some good, the sight of all of you lined up onstage during the televised debates, eager A students squirming in your seats, bursting with the correct answers. The enthusiasm, the intelligence, the visible concern; all made a favorable impression. The public saw life in the old machine yet. And you wanted to get your positions across to the voters. You accomplished that as well. Maybe you thought that running for the presidency would be valuable for you personally: self-scrutiny, the exercise of will against fate, that sort of thing. It was certainly useful for you, George; you never looked more dignified. And didn’t those folks in Des Moines sit up and take notice when you asked them not to throw away their conscience?

Or did you all make the attempt simply because you thought it was the right thing to do? Or perhaps because you didn’t know any better. A long time ago, some cockeyed patriot told you that anybody could be President, and you believed it. As strong a motive as any. After all, no one demonstrated how the system operates more dramatically than the also-rans. Before he made his exit official, Glenn told his supporters, “Don’t look at it as just putting in effort for me. It’s for all of us.” We’ll buy that. Irrational as the preconvention process is, it somehow manages to work. The candidates glow and fall and make it work. Without Americans like them . . .

But the voice begins to trail off, drowned out by the drums and the horns. Nobody pays much attention to the sidelines. That’s part of the process too. Look, Pa, here come the front runners. Autograph, Mr. Hart?

So long, gentlemen. It’s been good to know you. Grownups to a man, you gave the campaign a depth of field, a seriousness and a connection to history it would never have had without your lovesick perseverance. You also made it fun. And by the way, you were wrong about the country not loving you back, in its fashion. Didn’t you catch the look in the lady’s eyes when she threw her arms around you, knowing all the while that she was going to marry someone else? If only she hadn’t said that dreadful line: Can’t we be friends? —By Roger Rosenblatt

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Analysis of The Also-Ran

Clarence michael james stanislaus dennis 1876 (auburn) – 1938 (melbourne).

I know I'm dull.  I know I got a brain That's only fit fer fertilizin' 'air. I don't arst for bokays: I ain't that vain; But fair is fair. An' when yeh think yer somethin' uv a man, It 'urts to find yerself a also-ran. 'Urts like one thing.  To git sent to the pack When you 'ave 'ad idears you're ace an' king An' all the pitcher cards down to the jack Is like to sting Yer vanity.  I thort I was some use, An' now I'm valyid as a 'umble dooce. Don't mind my sulks.  I s'pose I 'as swelled 'ead; But gittin' snouted ain't wot I expeck. Aw, they can 'ave it on their own!  I'm full Up to the neck! Never no more!  I chuck good works right 'ere. . . But lets start frum the start an' git it clear. I own I used me nut.  Fer marriage brings Experience to stop yeh actin' rash. I've missed the step before through rushin' things, An' come a crash. I planned it out all careful frum the start; Me taticks was a reel fine work uv art. Me problem's this: The noos 'as to be broke Concernin' Rose.  Doreen 'as to he told. The 'ow an' when that bit uv noos is spoke I've learnt uv old. I'm shrood.  I wait. I watch me chance to act. The trick's to know the time an' place exact. You blokes unmarrid ain't got no idear Uv 'ow successful 'usbands works their 'eads. It's like a feller strugglin' to keep clear A thousand threads. Once let 'em tangle, an' you take the blame. You're up to putty; an' yeh've lost the game. I picks a nice, calm, cozy, peaceful night. The suppper things is washed; the kid's in bed (I 'elped to wipe the plates) the fire burns bright;   An' then I led The tork around to tales uv Ginger Mick, Cunnin' an' crafty like, an' not too quick. 'Funny,' I sez, 'that we should mention Mick. In town I met that girl - (Wot's 'er name?  Rose) By accident.  Poor thing looks orful sick. . . . Well, I suppose She 'as 'er worries. . . . Lost 'er job, yeh know.' Doreen don't take much int'rest.  She sez, 'Oh?' 'Yes,' I goes on; 'a bit uv country air Is wot she needs.  She's very sick - an' low. She seemed - well - sort uv - 'opeless with.... despair.' Doreen sez, 'Oh?' It's 'eavy goin'; but I sticks it, grim. Poor Mick!' I sez.  'I often think uv 'im. 'Poor Mick!' I sez. (Well, any'ow, I mean Them words) 'If you 'ad seen that girl, my dear, You'd arst 'er up to stay.' 'Why,' sez Doreen, 'She's comin' 'ere On Choosday next.' (I jist choke back a shout) 'That's why I got the spare room tidied out.' 'She's wot?' . . . I can't say more.  'Well,' sez me wife,  'Seein' you arst 'er, why all this su'prise?' Seein' you 'ad a fight, an' risked yer life, An' got black eyes, An' played the 'ero, as the parson says, You ort to know.  I've knowed,' she sez, 'fer days.' Snowy!  To think that parson cove would go An' let me down to flounder in the mud, An' scheme, an' lie, an' work the game reel low, To come a thud! 'Yeh mean to say,' I arsts, mad as can be, 'Yeh've fixed all this without consultin' me? 'Yeh mean to say I 'ave n't got the right To know wot's goin' on in my own 'ouse? Yeh mean to say - 'There, Bill,' she sez, 'keep quite. Why should you rouse? You told me nothin'.  Parson wrote to me; An' we fixed things without yer 'elp,' sez she. Women!  She sits an' tells me this dead cold! To think I've worked an' worried till I'm tired, An' squeezed me brain a treat, jist to be told  i ain't required! 'You was too modest, Bill, to let me 'ear About that fight,' she sez.  'Now, were n't you, dear?' Modest?  Aw, well. I s'pose I am - a bit. A feller can't go skitin' all 'is days. But, spite uv 'er nice way uv takin' it, An' all 'er praise An' that, I got to own I'm feelin' 'urt Fer to git treated like a bit uv dirt. Nex' mornin' I ain't feelin' none too good: That snub still 'urt. I potter round about; Then go across to where 'e's choppin' wood To 'ave it out With Wally Free about 'is thievin' cow. But that pie-faced galoot won't 'ave a row. I'll 'ave the lor on 'im, I tells ' im straight. Me fence 'er out?  'E's got to fence 'er in! The lor sez that.  But all the lors I state Jist gits a grin. That's all.  'E grins a sight too much, that bloke. Clean through the piece, I seem to be the joke. I know I'm dull. I know me brain's jist meant To nourish 'air-roots.  But I 'ave me pride. An' when I toils an' frets, an' then gits sent To stand aside, I know me place: I don't need to be shown. I'm done!  An' they can 'ave it on

Submitted on May 13, 2011

Modified on March 05, 2023

Clarence Michael James Stanislaus Dennis

Clarence Michael James Stanislaus Dennis, better known as C. J. Dennis, was an Australian poet known for his humorous poems, especially "The Songs of a Sentimental Bloke", published in the early 20th century. Though Dennis's work is less well known today, his 1915 publication of The Sentimental Bloke sold 65,000 copies in its first year, and by 1917 he was the most prosperous poet in Australian history. Together with Banjo Paterson and Henry Lawson, both of whom he had collaborated with, he is often considered among Australia's three most famous poets. While attributed to Lawson by 1911, Dennis later claimed he himself was the 'laureate of the larrikin'. When he died at the age of 61, the Prime Minister of Australia Joseph Lyons suggested he was destined to be remembered as the 'Australian Robert Burns'.  more…

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An  also-ran is a term to describe someone who lost a race, either athletic or political, by a large margin, or someone of little significance. It is always hyphenated. The plural is  also-rans

Its synonyms include nonstarter and loser. The thesaurus we referenced listed dark horse as a similar term, however, a dark horse or sleeper is an unsuspected victor, not failure.

As you can see by the ngram below, also-ran  has had a dramatic increase in popularity since its coinage at the turn of the twentieth century. It was first used to describe horses who  also ran in a race and did not place.

Examples Texas Gov. Rick Perry got some good news last   week. In a FOX News  poll , Perry moved from an also-ran in the contest for the 2016 Republican presidential nomination to a tie for first place with former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush. [WUWM] . “I know I’m in the right spot, and I don’t feel like I’m just going to be an also-ran now,” Levins said. “I feel like I’m a deserving member of my team.” [Chronicle Herald] Volvo Cars Australia boss Matt Braid watched as McLaughlin went from front-row favourite to anonymous also-ran in both races. [Sydney Morning Herald] This time, the Cowboys and Giants don’t look like also-rans, but factors even for the conference championship. [Sporting News] The spectators get the chance to cheer their favourites and enjoy the sadistic pleasure of seeing the also-rans humiliated while thanking their stars that it’s not them in the arena. [Express]

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The Also-Rans

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By Bruce Handy

• Oct. 17, 2004

LOOKING FORWARD TO IT Or, How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the American Electoral Process. By Stephen Elliott.

Illustrated. 306 pp. Picador. Paper, $14.

THIS is a mess of a book, and probably an unnecessary one, and yet I enjoyed almost every page. Is that a critical flip-flop? No doubt. But given the subject -- the 2004 presidential campaign -- an ambiguous or cognitively dissonant reaction is surely appropriate.

The bad news first: Do you want to read a book about the election? Aren't we already drowning in newspaper and newsmagazine articles, cable show debates and blog entries on this sad topic? Do you really care to revisit the days when, according to probability theory, someone somewhere was passionate about Joe Lieberman's candidacy? Still curious about Howard Dean's stump speech or the differences between Dick Gephardt's and Dennis Kucinich's health care plans? Wasn't it all dispiriting enough in real time?

Are you even interested in a review on the subject? (Feel free to turn the page; maybe there's an update on Jenna Jameson's book.)

O.K., now that only you and E. J. Dionne Jr. are still reading, I'll get on with it. Elliott is a San Francisco-based novelist and journalist, as well as a poker columnist for McSweeney's. Here he has produced an idiosyncratic, ramshackle account of the campaign in the guise of a reporter's diary that proves frustratingly shapeless. One obvious problem, as sticklers will point out: the election is still not over. In olden days, Theodore White, who invented the modern campaign narrative, would bring forth quadrennial volumes that climaxed with Mosaic surety when the American people spoketh on the first Tuesday in November. Elliott begins his own tale in July 2003, with Dean stumping across Iowa in the candidate's pre-presumptive nominee phase, and then brings things to an abrupt halt this past July at the Democratic National Convention. The book's genesis was a report on the Dean campaign Elliott wrote last year for the literary magazine The Believer, and one guesses that "Looking Forward to It" was intended to be an examination of the Dean phenomenon, which, if Dean had actually won the nomination, would have lent inherent cohesiveness and relevance; readers in this alternative universe might still be fascinated by meetups and Zephyr Teachout, Dean's liaison to the blogosphere. But oh, well. Elliott, like Dean himself, picks up the pieces as best he can.

Don't expect much in the way of nuts-and-bolts analysis. If this somewhat grungy account has a model, it's probably "Fear and Loathing: On the Campaign Trail '72" by Hunter S. Thompson, the anti-Teddy White. Naughty goings-on, though, are relatively mild: a few passing references to drugs, a couple of hangovers, an episode of vomiting outside a Holiday Inn. In one potentially frightening encounter, Representative Kucinich offers to share a home-cooked vegan meal with Elliott. Fortunately, the food proves tasty and Kucinich, we learn to our surprise, has an almost motherly presence. A sweet scene, believe it or not.

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also-ran noun & adjective

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What does the word also-ran mean?

There are three meanings listed in OED's entry for the word also-ran . See ‘Meaning & use’ for definitions, usage, and quotation evidence.

How common is the word also-ran ?

How is the word also-ran pronounced?

British english, u.s. english, where does the word also-ran come from.

Earliest known use

The earliest known use of the word also-ran is in the 1890s.

OED's earliest evidence for also-ran is from 1895, in Daily News (Denver) .

also-ran is formed within English, by conversion.

Etymons: English also ran .

Nearby entries

• ALS, n. 1793–
• ALS, n. 1851–
• Alsace, n. 1793–
• Alsatia, n. 1676–
• Alsatian, adj. & n. 1563–
• alsauf, adv. c1300–1565
• al segno, adv. ?1775–
• alsike, n. 1834–
• alsinaceous, adj. 1832–
• also, adv. & n. Old English–
• also-ran, n. & adj. 1895–
• alstonia, n. 1806–
• alstonite, n. 1845–
• alstroemeria, n. 1775–
• alt, n.¹ 1597–
• alt, n.² c1599–1715
• Alt, adj.¹ & n.³ 1964–
• alt, adj.² 1988–
• Altai, adj. 1824–
• Altaian, adj. & n. 1780–
• Altaic, adj. & n. 1762–

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Meaning & use

Pronunciation, entry history for also-ran, n. & adj..

Originally published as part of the entry for also, adv. & n.

also-ran, n. & adj. was revised in June 2011.

also-ran, n. & adj. was last modified in March 2024.

oed.com is a living text, updated every three months. Modifications may include:

• further revisions to definitions, pronunciation, etymology, headwords, variant spellings, quotations, and dates;
• new senses, phrases, and quotations.

Revisions and additions of this kind were last incorporated into also-ran, n. & adj. in March 2024.

Earlier versions of this entry were published in:

A Supplement to the OED, Volume I (1972)

• Find out more

OED Second Edition (1989)

• View also, adv. in OED Second Edition

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Citation details

Factsheet for also-ran, n. & adj., browse entry.

Is “also” an also-ran?

• Post author By Pat and Stewart
• Post date October 5, 2011

Q: What is the correct usage of “not only… but also”? Is “also” necessary here or is it an also-ran?

A: We wouldn’t call “also” an also-ran here, though it’s not always necessary.

There are three ways of dealing with the conjunctive phrases “not only” and “but also,” and all three are perfectly good English.

(1) Use both phrases in their entirety: “He’s not only a doctor but also a lawyer.”

(2) Drop “also”: “He’s not only a doctor but a lawyer.”

(3) Use “as well” instead of “also”: “He’s not only a doctor but a lawyer as well.”

Many people believe that it’s incorrect to drop “also” from a “not only … but also” construction. This isn’t true. Examples 1 and 3 are more formal than example 2, but all are correct.

Which is better? The decision is up to you, as Bryan A. Garner writes in Garner’s Modern American Usage (3rd ed.).

“It’s merely a matter of euphony and formality: let your ear and your sense of natural idiom help you decide in a given sentence,” he writes.

But no matter which style you choose—formal or casual—the elements that you’re joining should be parallel constructions.

In the best writing, what follows “not only” is similar in construction to what follows “but also” or “but.”

For example, if there’s no verb after the first conjunctive phrase (“not only”), there shouldn’t be a verb after the second (“but also”).

Or if there’s a preposition after the first conjunctive phrase, there should be another after the second. Keep the parts parallel. Here’s what we mean:

Parallel: “He attended not only medical school but law school.” Not parallel: “He attended not only medical school but went to law school.”

Parallel: “He went not only to medical school but also to law school.” …Not parallel: “He went not only to medical school but also law school.”

One other point. “Not only” and “but also” can be used with the parts of a compound subject, as in “Not only his son but also his daughter went to boarding school.”

Sometimes, however, the choice of a verb with such a compound subject isn’t that obvious. What if one part of the compound is singular and one is plural?

As Pat writes in her book Woe Is I (3rd ed.), “If the part nearer the verb is singular, the verb is singular,” as in “Not only the chairs but also the table was sold.”

And “If the part nearer the verb is plural, the verb is plural,” as in “Not only the table but also the chairs were sold.”

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How to Use also-ran in a Sentence

Some of these examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'also-ran.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

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Definition of also-ran noun from the Oxford Advanced American Dictionary

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