The subject of Dave Barry's Batting Clean Up and Striking out is the difference that men and women see in different things like cleanliness and sports.the first part of his piece is devoted to a discussion on how women can see dirt and dust on a microscopic level, he even includes a humorous anecdote about Pompeii. The second half of the piece is a anecdote about sneaking out of a dinner party to watch the World Series.
     Batting Clean Up and Striking out was written in 1988. We could infer this from the essay by either reading the forward, or by using clues from the piece itself. you can tell it is from the late 20th century because of the cleaning supplies he mentions in the story about cleaning his son's bathroom. Windex is a name brand that was costly to produce and uncommon until at least the middle of the century.
     The audience for this piece would probably have been middle aged couples. they would fully appreciate the humorous situation with cleaning the Son's bathroom. there is also a certain amount of humor within the dynamic between him and his wife that only people who were married would understand.
     Dave Barry's purpose in this essay was to , in a humorous light, outline the way that men and women disagree over things. He wants us to understand that these differences are okay and part of life. In the Story about the Dinner party, although the men and women are separated by their conflicting interests, everyone seems to enjoy themselves anyway.
     Dave Barry, celebrated humorist, believes that there is humor in the world and that you just have to point it out. He was born and raised in New York and works as a humor columnist.
     We know his tone is sarcastic and humorous because of the way that he presents his information. The obviously false story about Pompeii is very funny and used to set the stage for the rest of his piece.