Tag: Baseball

Sports Songs

CB mentioned a song on this list and this list came to life…so thanks CB. Some songs about sports or sports figures. I managed to get in baseball, boxing, and even Cricket. I can see a part II in the future.

The songs I know the most about are Baseball theme songs because that is the sport I follow the most.

John Fogerty – Centerfield

Along with “Talkin’ Baseball” and “Take Me Out To The Ballgame,” this quickly became one of the most popular baseball songs ever. It’s a fixture at ballparks between innings of games and plays at the Baseball Hall of Fame in Cooperstown, New York.

Fogerty mentions 3 huge baseball stars…”So say, Hey Willie, tell Ty Cobb and Joe DiMaggio.” He was influenced by Chuck Berry’s Brown Eyed Handsome Man with the lyrics  “Rounding third he was heading for home, it was a brown eyed handsome man,” which is lifted from Berry’s song “Brown Eyed Handsome Man.”

John Fogerty: “I’d hear about Ruth and DiMaggio, and as my dad and older brothers talked about the Babe’s exploits, their eyes would get so big. When I was a little kid, there were no teams on the West Coast, so the idea of a Major League team was really mythical to me. The players were heroes to me as long as I can remember.”

Paul Kelly – Bradman

I’ll be the first to admit I  know little nothing about Cricket but the song is great. It’s about Sir Donald Bradman, arguably…. the greatest ever cricketer (and definitely the greatest ever Australian cricketer). This one peaked at #51 in Australia in 1987 and was part of a double A-sided single along with the song Leaps and Bounds.

Chris Gaffney – Eyes of Roberto Duran

This song was written by Tim Russell and it’s covered here by Chris Gaffney. Gaffney had a terrific voice and I discovered him when I covered The Hacienda Brothers last week. This song was on the 1995 album Loser’s Paradise. 

Roberto Durán, a Panamanian boxer, is widely regarded as one of the greatest fighters of all time. Known as “Manos de Piedra” (Hands of Stone) for his punching power, Durán’s career lasted from 1968 to 2001. That is a long long career for a boxer.

Durán has talked about an incident from his childhood that left him with a unique trait. As a young boy, he was hit in the eye with a rock, resulting in a permanent droop in his left eyelid. This injury gave Durán a distinctive look, contributing to his fierce ring presence. Despite this, his vision was not significantly impaired.

Bob Dylan – Hurricane

Hurricane is a protest song by Bob Dylan co-written with Jacques Levy, released in 1976 on Dylan’s album Desire. The song tells the story of Rubin “Hurricane” Carter, a middleweight boxer who was wrongfully convicted of a triple murder in Paterson, New Jersey, in 1966. Dylan’s song played a huge role in bringing Carter’s case to public attention.

Warren Zevon – The Ballad of Bill Lee

This song is about one of the most colorful baseball players ever. Bill Lee was called Spaceman because of his views on the world. He was from the 1960s counterculture when most baseball players were straight-laced. When asked about mandatory drug testing, Lee said “I’ve tried just about all of them, but I wouldn’t want to make it mandatory.”

This is from Warren Zevon’s 1980 album “Bad Luck Streak in Dancing School.” The song is a tribute to Bill “Spaceman” Lee.

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Blog Recommendation

I discovered a new blog site and I wanted to share it with everyone. I hardly ever do this…but this one I do recommend. I have a baseball blog site and there I met a young lady who is 18 years old and wants to be a Baseball Writer. That is not the most common goal of a teenager and she introduced herself and her blog to me a few weeks back. Sophia is a fantastic writer. Baseball needs more female writers and she IS a really good one.

I realize not many of you are baseball fans but if you know any…please send them her way. I only post on my baseball site every now and then but she handles her site professionally. I just post on mine when something happens.

Her site is: https://sophiakd4.wordpress.com/ and her name is Sophia.

Sophia is mentioned in this article at the bottom…not by name but the author talked to her. You can click the link at the bottom for the full article.

Anything else you’d like to share?

“A few months ago, a young woman and her job coach reached out to me and a handful of other writers who cover the Phillies, including Allie Foster, Alex Coffey, and Todd Zolecki. This young woman writes her own Phillies’ blog with the goal of someday covering the Phillies for a major publication.

I had the privilege of chatting with her for about an hour about writing. She faces neurologic challenges, but she’s a determined young lady and I’m honored to be able to help someone on their writing journey. The opportunity to meet and help people like her would not be possible if not for Ethan giving me the chance to write for TGP.

I love researching players and the history of this franchise, and it’s incredible to work alongside and learn from the incredibly intelligent and welcoming staff at TGP, but by far the best part is the opportunity to interact with so many more fans of Philadelphia baseball.“

https://www.thegoodphight.com/2023/12/23/24012575/tgp-writer-interview-brian-mcquilkin?fbclid=IwAR0jYc3N1W6K_MtPWj4swHYgAq7JOgTTxOdneFxwQpa15o7ek0KEd2PrkOQ

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New Baseball Blog

I’m starting a baseball-only blog because there are some things that most of the readers here could care less about…like which baseball prospects I like the best, or how I don’t like interleague play as much as some and why I don’t think the National League should adopt the DH role.

I won’t be posting much on that one…only once in a while but anything baseball goes…past, present, and future. I’ll try to keep all the posts to the point like they are here. So if you are a baseball fan come and visit…if not I’ll talk to you here.

If you are interested the link is www.talkingaboutbaseball.com

Sorry for the interruption now we will return you to our eclectic song and pop culture selections.

Thank You All.

 

 

May 25, 1935: Ruth hits the last 3 home runs of his career

84 years ago today on May 25, 1935, Babe Ruth was a Boston Brave in his last season in the Major Leagues. He was showing his age at 40 years old and the Yankees let him go and he signed with the Braves.

The Braves traveled to Forbes Field to play the Pirates and were 8-19 going into the game. Babe was hurting and out of shape. He rose to the occasion one more time in his long career. He ended up going 4-4 with 6 RBI’s and most importantly 3 home runs. His 712, 713, and 714th of his career.

The last home run he hit on this day would be his last in his career. Pirates pitcher Guy Bush pitched to him in the seventh inning and Ruth not only homered (his second off Bush for the day and third altogether of the day) but the ball went out of the park. Not just over the fence but clearing Forbes Field’s right field roof—for the first time in the ballpark’s 26-year history.

That is called going out in style. Babe Ruth had a dramatic touch about him and would rise to the occasion time and time again.

Babe would not get another hit in his career but he would retire five days later on May 30, 1935. His wife and agent wanted him to retire after this game but he wanted to honor his commitment to the owner of the Braves to play through Memorial Day Weekend.

 

 

 

 

So you need to choose between baseball and football

https://www.sbnation.com/2019/1/15/18183785/kyler-murray-nfl-draft-choice-baseball-football

I found this article by Grant Brisbee about Kyler Murray who is going to choose between baseball and football. It’s a great article that relates to any athlete choosing between the two sports. He writes in the article if you want fame quickly choose football… if you want a long career and more money in the long run…pick baseball…but it’s not that easy on either.

He touches on quality of life also a little in this…For me, this is the key thing to think about. In years after retirement being able to…think and function would be a nice benefit.

Jeff Samardzija is a pitcher for the San Francisco Giants.

Right now, Jeff Samardzija is somewhere either smoking a cigarette or rehabbing his shoulder, unless he’s doing both at the same time because he’s an absolute legend. But his brain is still good. In 10 years, his brain will probably still be good, and he’ll have made more money over his career than Joe Thomas, who was one of the best offensive linemen in NFL history.

It’s a good article.

 

The Boys of Summer

Opening Day…Baseball is back and I’m thrilled. I’ve always been a baseball fan first. No other sport matches up against it. It’s a game that takes a tremendous amount of skill to play. Most players who get drafted never get to play in the majors. Hitting a major league curveball is probably the hardest thing to do in all sports.

Anyway, there is nothing like spring training and the hope for a new season. Every team is tied at 0 in the standings. I really wish an MLB team was in the city I live in…we have an NFL team that I would trade in a heartbeat to get an MLB team. Baseball is not an action-packed game like basketball, soccer or hockey but there is a game within a game. When you get up to bat…no one is going to block for you…no it’s you against that pitcher … What I love is the different sized fields, no clock, no salary cap, players with quirks, fastballs that are 95 and above and the people who have the skills to play it right…it is a beautiful thing to see.

Baseball really hasn’t changed too much over the years except for instant replay and some small changes. What you see now is pretty much what you saw in the 1920s except the players make a tad bit more. It’s one of the few things in America that stays consistent.

It’s a game of numbers and history…From Honus Wagner to Babe Ruth to Ted Williams to Jackie Robinson to Willie Mays to Hank Aaron to Sandy Koufax to Clayton Kershaw to Mike Trout… No sport’ has a history like baseball. Numbers and players are markers in that history.

I love to listen to broadcasts on the radio and to catch a game in mid-summer after I get done with what I am doing. In an instant, I’m back on the little league and then high school field.

The cold weather is almost gone and it is time for me to follow my Dodgers all the way to a World Series again…but this time…win.

 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X44A_C45_PQ