This song makes me feel sad and nostalgic at the same time. I sometimes wonder if baseball deserves all the negative sentiment that it receives today, and if the game’s past really was as great as songs like this make it seem. As with anything else, no doubt there is a tendency to place the past on a higher pedestal than it deserves, but it does make for some pretty good music.
When Jim Thome arrived in Minnesota in 2010, Twins fans were understandably excited. One fan, Matt Whipkey from Omaha, Nebraska, was so thrilled to have Thome on the team, he decided to write a rock tribute for the slugger. Unfortunately for Twins fans, Thome’s stint with the team didn’t last terribly long, though he at least gave them a reason to cheer while his time there lasted.
Before I stumbled across this song, my only familiarity with Buckethead came from a mention in South Park‘s Guitar Hero episode. While there are no lyrics, there’s no doubt this guy is one hell of a guitar player. I’m not sure how, exactly, he goes about naming his songs, though I probably would’ve never taken the time to listen to this one if it didn’t have “baseball” in the title. Buckethead just found himself a new fan, though, because I’ve listened to a couple more songs since listening to this one, and I’m hooked!
Okay, so this song isn’t exactly about baseball the game, but I do enjoy the sound of the old school punk bands, so I’m posting this one anyway. It does involve a baseball bat, so close enough, right?
This song by Meat Loaf is a long one, and it’s largely a teenage (ahem) love story. But it does throw in the baseball metaphor with a simulated radio broadcast about halfway through. Enjoy!
This piece is short and sweet, and the acapella is impressive. Enjoy this nice little doo wop piece to start your weekend!
The audio of this includes clips from the movie The Natural, and while it has been a while since I last watched the film, I’m fairly certain this song was not a part of that soundtrack. But it is pretty catchy all the same, and the images in the video are pretty fun to watch through.
This rap version of “Take Me Out to the Ball Game” is incredibly impressive, and I am amazed that this video hasn’t gotten more views than it has. It’s not just a straightforward rap of the lyrics as we know them — the team from Ball State University that put this together did a great job of stirring things up and modernizing the verse to make it more fitting and engaging, while still leaving enough to recognize the original tune. I particularly like the whispered lines of, “One… two… three… the batter’s out!”
Here’s an awesome tribute to the Chicago Cubs by Pearl Jam’s Eddie Vedder. The accompanying video was originally produced in 2008, during the team’s playoff stint.
The Chicago Cubs went so long between World Series championships that, even after finally winning one, the pop culture references to their dry spell continue to haunt. This song is an example of just that. You know you’ve had a rough time of things when the likelihood of your winning again gets compared to the likelihood of the Canterbury Tales becoming a bestseller.
