The Rock-And-Roll Hall of Fame and Museum in Cleveland opens an exhibit on Saturday called Take Me Out: Baseball Rocks, celebrating baseball and music. Check out the details here.
This calls for a list. Here are my top nine songs about baseball. Why nine? Nine innings, of course.
1. Centerfield -- John Fogerty
Favorite line: Just to hit the ball and touch 'em all -- a moment in the sun/(crack) It's gone and you can tell that one goodbye!
2. Catfish -- Bob Dylan
Favorite line: Used to work on Mr. Finley's farm/But the old man wouldn't pay/So he packed his glove and took his arm/An' one day he just ran away.
3. Joltin' Joe DiMaggio -- Les Brown Orchestra
Favorite line: From coast to coast that's all you'll hear/Of Joe the one man show/He's glorified the horsehide sphere/Joltin' Joe DiMaggio.
4. D-O-D-G-E-R-S (Oh Really? No, O'Malley) -- Danny Kaye
Favorite line: Maurey Wills draws a walk in the coach's box/Leo Durocher, Leo Durocher starts to wiggle and to twitch/A signal? No, an itch.
5. Right Field -- Peter, Paul and Mary
Favorite line: Playing right field can be lonely and dull/Little leagues never have lefties that pull/I dream of the day, when they will hit one my way/They never did, but still I would pray.
6. Glory Days -- Bruce Springsteen
Favorite line: Yeah, just sitting back trying to recapture/a little of the glory of, well time slips away/and leaves you with nothing mister but/boring stories of glory days.
7. The Ball Game -- Sister Wynonna Carr
Favorite line: Jesus is standin' at home plate/Waitin' for you there/Life is a ballgame, but/You've got to play it fair.
8. A Dying Cubs Fan's Last Request -- Steve Goodman
Favorite line: Do they still play the blues in Chicago/When baseball season rolls around/When the snow melts away/Do the Cubs still play/In their ivy-covered burial ground.
9. Take Me Out to the Ball Game -- The Hold Steady
Favorite line: Well, the whole thing is great when it's The Hold Steady version.
Tom Jones doesn't sing "It's Not Unusual'' or shake his hips (well, unless you're willing to pay cash), but he does have plenty to say about sports. If it's funny, crazy, weird, irreverent or worth arguing, Tom has his opinions. So pull up a chair and get his two cents -- and give him your two cents, as well.
E-mail Tom Jones:
This is a very good list of some of the best songs about baseball although there are SO many others which should be considered. It's almost unbelievable the numbers of songs about baseball, specific players, specific teams (major and minor league), the joys and haeartaches of fans, etc. Over the past 40 years I have compiled a collection of baseball songs which has been said to be the 3rd best collection in Canada. If anyone would like to discuss baseball music, suggest music which I might not have or listen to some of my favorites, please feel free to contact me at auerworld@gmail.com Hope you are all either enjoying the season or starting to wait 'til next year.
George in Toronto
Posted by: George Auerbach | April 26, 2008 at 03:05 PM
although i think bruce springsteen to be ungodly overrated (give me bob seger any day of the week over "the boss" and even seger is average at best), i'd take springsteen's song as no. 1 followed closely by fogerty.
outside of joltin' joe, i haven't heard the others. (dylan is another guy whose "talents" are lost on me).
Posted by: joe hillman | April 28, 2008 at 11:58 AM
The little known song "My Favourite Spring" by Tom Paxton captures the hope of a young rookie "pitchin'down in Tampa".
WMNF morning show folks will play it if requested.
Posted by: Schosh | April 28, 2008 at 01:14 PM
Good to see that making your list of nine (nice symmetry) is "A Dying Cub Fan's Last Request" by Steve Goodman. He often doesn't get his due. You might be interested in my 800-page biography, "Steve Goodman: Facing the Music." The book delves deeply into the genesis of "A Dying Cub Fan's Last Request" and its semi-sequel, "Go, Cubs, Go."
You can find out more at my Internet site (below). Amazingly, the book's first printing sold out in just eight months, all 5,000 copies, and a second printing of 5,000 is available now. The second printing includes hundreds of little updates and additions, including 30 more photos for a total of 575. To order a second-printing copy, see the "online store" page of my site. Just trying to spread word about the book. Feel free to do the same!
Clay Eals
1728 California Ave. S.W. #301
Seattle, WA 98116-1958
(206) 935-7515
(206) 484-8008
ceals@comcast.net
http://www.clayeals.com
Posted by: Clay Eals | May 04, 2008 at 11:37 PM
P.S. The wonderful color photo of Goodman that graces the cover of my book was taken by Gina Jett, who lives in the Tampa Bay area.
Posted by: Clay Eals | May 04, 2008 at 11:37 PM