HELP WANTED: The Baseball Playlist

I've been asked by my editors to concoct a baseball playlist for the April 8 home opener of your Tampa Bay Rays. There aren't a ton of obvious hardball hits: John Fogerty's Centerfield, Don Henley's Boys of Summer and, er, that other one. But that's all part of the fun here at Pop Life. Think outside the playlist, stretch the limits of your mind, nuzzle your bare toes in the Astroturf of imagination...

Ah, yes, that's it, here they come now...

Catch Me Now I'm Falling -- the Kinks
Hit That -- Offspring
Babe -- Styx
Slide It In -- Whitesnake
Willie and the Hand Jive -- Johnny Otis

I'll jukebox 'em up for your listening pleasure when I have the full list. For now, keep the baseball bunch coming, while I make the first beer and hot-dog run. Who wants mustard?

Comments

[Erin]

Smack That - Akon
Hit me with your Best Shot - Pat Benatar

That's all my little rookie mind can come up with

[David-b]

Wild Thing - (By whoever that was)
Take me out to the Ball Game - Spingsteen

[Sherrie]

Night Game- Paul Simon

Paradise by the Dashboard Light- Meat Loaf (hey, it's chock full of vaguely dirty baseball references, clearly the best kind)

Glory Days- Bruce Springsteen

[KJW]

Lefty - Chuck Brodsky
This Side of the White Lines - Dan Bern
Brown Eyed Handsome Man - Chuck Berry
Mrs. Robinson - Simon & Garfunkel
Right Field - Peter, Paul and Mary
Zanzibar - Billy Joel
There Used to Be A Ballpark - Sinatra
Catfish - Bob Dylan
Any song by 3rd Base (i.e Pop Goes the Weasel)

[KLB]

You Give It All Your Heart - Bill Mallonee

"Yeah, you give it all your heart
'cause that's the way you play the game
Ever since the smell of fresh cut outfield grass
You've always been this way"

[jane]

Sherrie, I was just coming here to suggest "Paradise by the Dashboard Light" -- yay Phil Rizzuto.

Jimmy Buffett does a great version of "Take Me Out to the Ball Game" -- recorded live at Fenway!

"All Star" -- Smash Mouth

"Batter Up" -- Nelly feat. Murphy Lee and Ali (which also includes part of the lyrics to the theme to "The Jeffersons!")

And you can never beat the "Baseball Theme" by Vince Guaraldi.

[KJW]

Slide - Goo Goo Dolls
Leather & Lace - Nicks/Henley
Smell the Glove - Spinal Tap (was that a song or just an album title?)
"Yankees Suck" - Gregorian Monk Chant rare unreleased B-Side
Hand In Glove - The Smiths

[sparky]

Here you go SD.

Here's my all Sammy Hagar version:

All American
Hey Boys
Bad Motor Scooter - We miss you Phil Rizzuto
Never Say Die
Run for Your Life
Can't Get Loose
Remember the Heros
Swept Away
Returning Home

And last but not Least
Would You Do It for Free?

[jane]

Alas, I do believe that Smell the Glove is just an album title. Pity, though. It would be perfect for this, sitting right at number 11 on the list.

[sparky]

I got the subtle quote Jane.

But wouldn't it make more sense to go to 10.

[jane]

But the list goes to 11, sparky.

[Jeff in Cuba]

Whe I saw the topic, I immediately thought of The Outfield, but the more I thought about it, the more I realized that for all of the baseball allusions in their band name and album names ("Play Deep", "Diamond Days", "Big Innings", "Extra Innings"), they really don't have any baseball related songs.

I'll nominate "Say It Isn't So" for a tenuous Shoeless Joe reference.

[NickWithAnAxe]

Well, for that "fresh from Fenway" feeling you have to go with...

"Sweet Caroline" - Neil Diamond
"Tessie" - Dropkick Murphys
"Dirty Water" - The Standells

(Note to the media - "I'm Shipping Up to Boston" is a great song. Given. But enough is enough. Let it go. It doesn't need to be played any time a sports team from greater New England is featured on television.)

[KJW]

Jay Leonhart - Dodgers

[LockBull]

"A Dying Cub Fan's Last Request" - Steve Goodman
"The Fenway" - Jonathan Richman
"Did You See Jackie Robinson Hit That Ball?" - Count Basie
"Go Cubs Go" - Steve Goodman

[Bassnote]

Hit And Run - The Bar-Kays
Swing, Swing - All-American Rejects
Sultans Of Swing - Dire Straits
Pop Fly - Kory & The Fireflies
Home Run - Geoff Moore & The Distance
Heavy Hitter - Beachbuggy
Out Of Left Field - Percy Sledge
Grand Slam - Eric Johnson
Baseball - Michael Franks
Talkin' Baseball (Wiilie, Mickey & "The Duke") - Terry Cashman

[Brett]

You could always add "Van Lingle Mungo" by David Frischberg

http://www.baseball-almanac.com/poetry/vanlinglemungo.shtml

[mrstreme]

"Cheap Seats" - Alabama

[Marissa]

After the Ball ~ Johnny Cash

Strike it Up ~ Black Box

3 Strikes Ya Out ~ King Tee

No Balls ~ Mr. Shadow

Run Home to Me ~ Eric Clapton

Let It Slide ~ Aerosmith

Popcorn ~ Hot Butter

Anything by THE OUTFIELD (heh)

The Last Game of the Season(Blind Man in the Bleachers) ~ Kenny Starr

Hey Batter Batter ~ Trent Tomlinson

On With the Show ~ The Ataris

The Big Money ~ Rush

Baseball Bill ~ Echo and the Bunnymen

Say Hey! (The Willie Mays song) ~ The Treniers

Vogue ~ Madonna (mention joe Dimaggio)

I Wanna Be Loved by You ~ Marilyn Monroe (6 degrees of Baseball--see above)

Players Ball ~ Outkast

Walk Don't Run ~ The Ventures

Run Johnny Run ~ Three Bad Jacks

Sultans of Swing ~ Dire Straits

Hand In Glove ~ The Smiths

Skol Blues ~ Alex Skolnick

Tobacco Road ~ David Lee Roth

Vasoline ~ Stone Temple Pilots

Take Me Out To The Ball Game - Doc & Merle Watson

The Land Of Wrigley - Stormy Weather

I Love Mickey - Mickey Mantle & Teresa Brewer

My Favorite Spring - Tom Paxton

Catfish - Bob Dylan

The Lou Piniella Polka (Ya Ya Ya) (Babbo Fossatti & The Physt River Troubadours)

jane, couldn't we just make #10 bigger and then 10 would still be the top number?

[jane]

sparky, it goes to 11.

[DoctorDrew]

Oh, that was me at 0912; don't know why the name didn't post

[jane]

Ah, DoctorDrew -- slippin' in on the sly.

It still goes to 11, though.

[Ray]

Glory Days - Bruce Springsteen
Walk of Life - Dire Straits
The Greatest - Kenny Rogers