Songs of Spring, Boys of Summer

April 1, 2011 7:24 AM

Talkin' Baseball: Cali, Cardinals, Giants, Mets, Red Sox, Tigers, Twins, Yankees, The Simpsons softball.

Watch/Listen to versions confirmed by baseball-almanac.com: Original, Tigers, Twins, Yankees, The Simpsons softball.

Other versions: Expos, Orioles, Reds, White Sox

And to make up for the lack of the California Team, Cardinals, Giants, Mets, Red Sox and Twins, versions (which seem unavailable on YouTube):

Take Me Out to the Ball Game (1908), The Baseball Rag (1919), Slide, Kelly, Slide (1919), Joltin' Joe DiMaggio (1941), Did You See Jackie Robinson Hit That Ball (1949), I Love Mickey (1956), Say Hey (Willie Mays Song) (1955), Centerfield (1985)

Bonus:
*Terry Cashman: The composer and singer of the famous song will be honored by the Baseball Hall of Fame July 23, 2011.
*Wiki on the song

posted by IvoShandor (44 comments total)

A Yankees, a Mets, and Red Sox fan are climbing a mountain, and arguing about who loves their team more. The Mets fan insists he loves his team the most. "I'll show you," he yells, "This is for the Mets!" Then he jumps off the mountain. Not to be outdone, the Red Sox fan steps up to the edge of the cliff to profess his love. "This is for the Red Sox!" he yells, then pushes the Yankees fan off the mountain.
posted by robocop is bleeding at 7:37 AM on April 1, 2011 [19 favorites]

For years, my brother-in-law had a recording left on his answering machine by a friend doing a Braves-specific version of "Talkin' Baseball". This was in the eighties, when the Braves were not discussed in polite company:

"The Dodgers had Guerrero, Gwynn was in San Diego,
the Giants were tough when Reuschel had the ball;
but didn't find them scary, cause we had Gerald Perry,
with Dedmon in the pen we knew we'd like 'em all."

Sigh. You had to be there...
posted by steambadger at 7:42 AM on April 1, 2011 [2 favorites]

Please don't talk to me about baseball today.*

*Still bitter about the outcome of yesterday's Brewers/Reds game.

Thanks for posting this though.
posted by drezdn at 7:45 AM on April 1, 2011

Oh man the Expos one is making me happy and then wistful and then sad.
posted by Space Coyote at 7:55 AM on April 1, 2011 [2 favorites]

Jeff Daniels does a great "Lifelong Tigers Fan Blues"
posted by tomswift at 7:56 AM on April 1, 2011

A Yankees, a Mets, and Red Sox fan are climbing a mountain, and arguing about who loves their team more. The Mets fan insists he loves his team the most. "I'll show you," he yells, "This is for the Mets!" Then he jumps off the mountain. Not to be outdone, the Red Sox fan steps up to the edge of the cliff to profess his love. "This is for the Red Sox!" he yells, then pushes the Yankees fan off the mountain.

The Phillies version also has the Yankees fan tossed off the mountain.
The Yankees hate, it is strong.
posted by SPUTNIK at 8:00 AM on April 1, 2011

I got a letter from Terry Collins today, assuring me my Mets were a new team. I wanna believe. Thanks for this and yay! Spring!
posted by thinkpiece at 8:01 AM on April 1, 2011 [1 favorite]

Jeff Daniels does a great "Lifelong Tigers Fan Blues"

Hm.

Why would a Tigers fan have the blues? 1984 team was perhaps the greatest ever. At least we've been in a World Series this millennium and won one in the past ... 30. :)

The biggest heartbreak for Tiger fans (or I suppose for me) was the loss of Tiger Stadium. The first place I ever smelled weed.
posted by mrgrimm at 8:02 AM on April 1, 2011 [2 favorites]

And not to forget: A Dying Cub Fan's Last Request .
posted by SPUTNIK at 8:06 AM on April 1, 2011

assuring me my Mets were a new team

I always enjoy the Mets, at the least as an amusement. As somone with little vested interest (albeit partial to Mookie Wilson), 1986 was pretty wonderful.
posted by mrgrimm at 8:13 AM on April 1, 2011 [2 favorites]

The Nye Mets are my favorite squadron!
posted by Metroid Baby at 8:15 AM on April 1, 2011 [7 favorites]

Here's a Cincinnati Reds version from '83
posted by Mick at 8:25 AM on April 1, 2011

Doh, already linked in the FPP, mea culpa, mea culpa, mea máxima culpa.
posted by Mick at 8:29 AM on April 1, 2011

WE DO NOT MENTION THAT YEAR, mrgrimm.

We Sox fans tend to be somewhat partial to the Mets, what with the hating the Yankees almost as much as we do and the losing in September and all. But no, we will not talk about the year before 1987 because if we do, I will have to start using expletives.

My father likes to tell the story that during Game 6 against the Mets, he wanted to wake my siblings and me up to watch the Sox win the World Series. He wanted to hold my just barely one year old sister up to the TV so she could see it with him. My mother, also a lifelong Red Sox fan, told him to wait. ....She was right.
posted by maryr at 8:31 AM on April 1, 2011 [4 favorites]

WE DO NOT MENTION THAT YEAR, mrgrimm.

Hmm, did someone trip while trying to push the Yankees fan off the mountain?
posted by inigo2 at 8:44 AM on April 1, 2011

assuring me my Mets were a new team. I wanna believe

Woooo, this is the Mets' year!

to win 78 games
posted by uncleozzy at 8:48 AM on April 1, 2011 [5 favorites]

I have been following Yakyu Baka since the quake. If you are at all curious about Japanese baseball, I highly recommend it.
posted by mwhybark at 8:59 AM on April 1, 2011 [2 favorites]

A recently re-discovered Calypso song "New York Mets" by The Duke of Iron (ca. 1965) is a warm way to start of the baseball season on a cold day.
posted by Rarebit Fiend at 9:01 AM on April 1, 2011 [3 favorites]

Disclosure: I used to work for these guys and think they're a pretty great record store.

Cousins Vinyl has a whole bunch of Tigers songs.
posted by klangklangston at 9:06 AM on April 1, 2011

There was a Toronto version circa 1987. I can quote a few stray lyrics ("Garcia and Fernandez make the plays, Bill Caudill and Tom Henke save the days...").
posted by mznewman at 9:07 AM on April 1, 2011

robocop is bleeding: i saw that same joke in my facebook news feed, except with yankees and red sox switched. posted by my friends' retired mom. so, there's that.

lets go yankees!
posted by Mach5 at 9:08 AM on April 1, 2011

Mywhybark: Awesome! I've been trying to follow the Hanshin Tigers for years, because they're kinda an alternate dimension version, but it's been hard wading through a whole lot of poorly-designed sites.
posted by klangklangston at 9:08 AM on April 1, 2011

Does anyone know where I can get "Polka For The Pennant," a song from the Twinkies' 1987 pennant drive that was played on the KQRS radio station?
posted by wenestvedt at 9:10 AM on April 1, 2011

Drezdn, you think you're bitter? Axeman's on my fantasy team, and not the razzball one.
posted by ursus_comiter at 9:29 AM on April 1, 2011 [1 favorite]

wenestvedt - There's a montage of songs from the Twins championship seasons (scroll down to the World Series section). There's some other audio from those wonderful championship seasons, too (though no "And we'll see you...tomorrow night!"). I'm always disappointed at how difficult it is to find past baseball audio/video online.
posted by antonymous at 10:13 AM on April 1, 2011

I take that back. Kirby's Game 6 homerun.
posted by antonymous at 10:14 AM on April 1, 2011 [1 favorite]

My father likes to tell the story that during Game 6 against the Mets, he wanted to wake my siblings and me up to watch the Sox win the World Series. He wanted to hold my just barely one year old sister up to the TV so she could see it with him. My mother, also a lifelong Red Sox fan, told him to wait. ....She was right.

How that story resonates for me. In the early 80s, I was living in Manhattan, then Brookyn. I was a born and bred Red Sox fan and therefore hated the Yankees more than cancer, so I adopted the Mets. I went to Shea, I cheered politely, and I kept up on the team. I never worried that the Mets, much as I like them, would ever be a threat to my beloved Sox. 1986 took me completely by surprise.

So, I was in my 3rd floor Brooklyn walkup watching the 6th game on TV, and talking on the phone with my dear brother, an even bigger Red Sox fan than me. He was telling me how he had champagne on ice, ready for the end of the game. I said, "But, Mike, these are the Red Sox. They're artists at breaking our hearts." But I didn't believe my own words. Until poor Bill Buckner let the ball roll . . . oh, I can't talk about it.

I will tell you that some of the bitterest moments of my life ensued as the game ended and I listened to my neighborhood erupt in joy.

Yeah, not a good year, that 1986 year.
posted by bearwife at 10:16 AM on April 1, 2011 [2 favorites]

This is the only song that Mets fans need. So it was, So it is, So shall it ever be. The 2011 New York Mets, first in our hearts, third place in the National League (85-77, as seen from Opening Day).
posted by KingEdRa at 10:18 AM on April 1, 2011 [2 favorites]

It took me six years to commit to another team after my beloved Expos were stolen, six years of just "following the game", which totally fucking sucks, and I finally, finally pick a new team, and on this their opening day -- the Expos show up.

It's like seeing your first, great love on your drive to the church to get hitched to somebody new.

No, I will never forget you, Expos. You'll always have that special place in my heart. I just have to move on. Just keep this between us, OK? For old times' sake?
posted by Capt. Renault at 10:18 AM on April 1, 2011 [3 favorites]

Counterpoint: This is the only song that Mets fans need. Or maybe this.
posted by klangklangston at 10:28 AM on April 1, 2011

As a Twins fan, if I want to weep on Opening Day, I watch this.
posted by Ber at 10:35 AM on April 1, 2011

Not a song but last year Joshua Sacco gave Herb Brooks "Miracle" speech before the Red Sox season opener. It was pretty amazing to be there and just feel the crowd get excited by a 5 year olds speech.

I may have only be 5 months old in October of 1986 but it still hurt, until 2004 and 2007.
posted by lilkeith07 at 10:55 AM on April 1, 2011

This is the only song that Mets fans need

... step right up and beat the Mets ...
posted by uncleozzy at 10:56 AM on April 1, 2011

And now ... even more baseball music fun.
posted by DaddyNewt at 11:17 AM on April 1, 2011

Thanks for that, klangklangston. My family lived in Grand Rapids in '68; that World Series is one of my most vivid childhood memories, and I recall the whole summer set to the tune of "Go Get 'Em, Tigers".

And just a couple of weeks ago, I got sniped in the bidding for a cherry copy of the Denny McLain album.
posted by steambadger at 11:53 AM on April 1, 2011

Songs that instantly make me think of baseball are Green Onions by Booker T and the MGs and Fortunate Son by Creedence Clearwater.

"...and it's a beautiful day at the ballpark"
posted by clearly at 12:14 PM on April 1, 2011

> This is the only song that Mets fans need.

I have a sentimental fondness for that (frankly pretty terrible) song, but I'm afraid The Duke of Iron's calypso beats it hollow.

Sorry about '86, Sox fans, but come on, let it go: we've paid for it ever since, starting with the Series MVP getting the boot immediately afterwards, and you've been winning pretty regularly lately. Let it go, and pity the wretched Mets fan.
posted by languagehat at 12:18 PM on April 1, 2011 [1 favorite]

There absolutely IS a Los Angeles Dodgers version of "Talkin' Baseball". It has been used as the theme song for the Dodger Talk show that fills time before and after KABC Radio's game broadcasts for years. I'm leaving a message for one of the hosts on his blog to see if he knows of a recording or lyrics online, but I did find the first part of the song used in the first part of this Dodger Fan YouTuber (along with an excerpt from Danny Kaye's D-O-D-G-E-R-S song, IMO the GREATEST sports fan song EVER, COME ON!)
posted by oneswellfoop at 2:53 PM on April 1, 2011

Please Don't Call Them the Twinkies almost helps me get over my dislike of the Twins.
posted by drezdn at 2:55 PM on April 1, 2011

klangklangston: "Mywhybark: Awesome! I've been trying to follow the Hanshin Tigers for years, because they're kinda an alternate dimension version, but it's been hard wading through a whole lot of poorly-designed sites."

Yeah, it's top-flight.

I used to do a pro-blog roundup gig not dissimilar to what Gen (apparently not our Gen) is doing, on a vastly different topic, and man, that guy has it down. I have been told it's a one-man, native-speaker-of-Japanese operation which means effectively he's sourcing it in Japanese and doing the caps and rewrites on the fly in English. Similar to the concept of that live-media translation dude from the quake and nuke threads, sorta, but man is it a disciplined product.
posted by mwhybark at 5:17 PM on April 1, 2011

Oh, hey, I have also been corresponding with the author or Marinerds, etc., and she's over there writing about the opening for a while yet. Her focus is more on personal experiences than newsfilter but I think the two sites complement one another.
posted by mwhybark at 6:06 PM on April 1, 2011

'author of,' my apologies.
posted by mwhybark at 8:26 PM on April 1, 2011

Accidentally came across another baseball song - a love letter to the '95 Mariners called "My Oh My" by Macklemore and Ryan Lewis. It's really sweet, though not likely to become any sort of ballgame anthem.

You can get it free by downloading the 2/4/11 KEXP Song Of The Day podcast on iTunes, that's how I happened across it.
posted by maryr at 12:25 PM on April 2, 2011

Er, PS: Much better song if you don't watch the video of the rapping, just listen and enjoy.
posted by maryr at 12:28 PM on April 2, 2011