A couple weeks ago, I went to my first Rockies game of the season. This was notable for a few reasons. First, it was a Friday night rain-out that they turned into a Saturday double header which was not only my first ever double header it was also my first 2010 reminder of how dysfunctional the Rockies organization is. If there is one thing that you can count on the Rockies for, it is making life as difficult as possible for their fans.
More importantly Ryan Spilborghs walked up to his at-bat to the song Tainted Love by Soft Cell. For reasons that are soon to be obvious, this reminded of a summer 2008 post in which we inaugurated a round table to discuss which song we would want playing as we make the walk from the dug out to the batting box. While Ryan was busy grounding out, I emailed Turner and the Shadow and per Shadow’s request I am re-posting below as the original was lost to last summer’s virus.
Now that I have had 2 years of distance, would I change my selection? I have actually made a concerted effort to find some new music over the last few months (most likely hoping it will stop the numbers of my age continuing to spiral out of control) but I can’t say I have found a song with the short burst of power needed for the at-bat intro. Given that, if I were to revisit this: would I change my overbearing snark when it comes to others song choices? Probably. Would I change my song? Nope.
Convening King Arthur’s Round Table
I used to love that McLaughlin Group show. Get a bunch of disparate views together and let them tell their side of some issue and then an old curmudgeon calls them names and tell them why they are wrong. Now that is great television.
OK, full disclosure. I never actually saw the McLaughlin Group show. But I did really enjoy those skits on Saturday Night Live with Dana Carvey yelling “WRONG!” at each of his other moderators.
Anyway, I am not here to dive into the relative merits of political discussion shows on television. I am merely trying to provide some context as to how we came up with the format for today’s post. I decided to get a few different people with different points of view to discuss a chosen topic of the day.
And, of course, then I get to tell them why they are wrong.
So, on to today’s topic:
If you were a major league ball player what would be your at-bat intro music and why?
Turner: Tainted Love by Soft Cell
Not the normal get up and go crazy song but very powerful. I just love it when it goes very softly “Oh…..Tainted Love….. bink bink….. Tainted Love” the bass thunders through the stadium, all of my fantasy girl fans go berserk and have some official Turner Sign (some variation of a hand / arm / body gesture of a ‘T’) that they flash during the “bink bink”. I’d hit a homer and round the bases flashing my ‘T’ sign in return saying
I love you though you hurt me so
Now I’m going to pack my things and go
As a close second, I’d go with (Coming to) America by Neil Diamond. Very American, passion and would support that fact that baseball is as American as it gets (much like the Hot Dog). If Sweet Caroline wasn’t so over-used in Boston, I’d love to go with that (the song that drove Boston to the great Hierarchy of Hate victory in the previous post)
[Super Dave’s take: A one-hit-wonder from the mid-80’s? Apparently Turner gets flashback night at the Blue Oyster Club and the baseball diamond confused. Makes you wonder who these ‘fantasy girl fans’ are. Most likely 40-year old soccer moms; the only ones that remember this song. And Neil Diamond? If I am a pitcher and that is the next batter’s intro song the only thing keeping me from the strike out is laughing too hard.]
Jules: Given that I was actually quite concerned about receiving my college degree (from the University of Iowa by the way – Go Big 10!) based on my complete lack of eye to hand coordination and a final required credit in table tennis, the idea that I would ever need At Bat intro music is a bit of a stretch. However through the wonders of the written test (totally ACE-ed it!) and dating my table tennis opponent (got me to Colorado but that story is probably more appropriate to a different blog) here I am!
So I’m going to stick with the fantasy that I’m not only a major leaguer but that I rock. So my At Bat music is Cocky by Kid Rock. It may require some annoying bleeps but how can you argue with lyrics like this. It is my philosophy on life every day when I head into corporate America as well…..
They say I’m cocky, and I say What?
It aint braggin’ mother”bleeper” if ya back it up
[Super Dave’s Take: Those are some solid lyrics for entering the batter’s box but I am afraid that the only acceptable answer for a Kid Rock song is Bawitdaba. If you are looking for the intimidation/heavily cursing choice, the correct song would be: Break Stuff by Limp Bizkit. Nice try Jules, thanks for playing. It is back to the ping-pong table for you.]
Mrs. Super Dave: [Note: Given that we have had this exact conversation at least 379 times at baseball games over the years, it seemed only appropriate to get the Mrs.’ opinion.]
Let me first thank Mr. Super Dave for finally inviting me to participate. After reading (almost) every posting for the past year, I have to say it’s about time! And to anyone out there reading outside of us “regular customers”, let me tell you that S.D. really is this big a sports dork. (Smooches!)
The at-bat song is an interesting question, and one that we discuss at least once a year when we get to our first game and notice the changes from the previous year. I will also say that it is a great ice-breaker if ever you’re with a group of people at a sports-related event or venue and copious amounts of over-priced beer don’t seem to do the trick.
I have two modes of thinking when it comes to what my intro music would be: 1) crowd energizer, and 2) local/geographical propriety.
Crowd energizer – I usually have a rotating list of about 5 songs (much like my rotating list of 20, er I mean 5 celebs that are exempt from cheating. See Friends season 3 episode 5 – The One with Frank, Jr. - if you have no clue what I’m talking about), but right now, I’m feeling Can’t Stop by the Red Hot Chili Peppers.
Can’t stop addicted to the shin dig
Cop top he says I’m gonna win big
I would really need about 7-10 seconds of the opening build-up guitar work to get the crowd into it, then the first two lines. That could be a problem since the music technician never seems to give them that much unless it’s a lead-off spot, but the lyrics are key too. Let’s face it, most of the guys on a given team aren’t marquis players, they are the guys making just more than league minimum and they’re amped to fly private and have someone doing their laundry. They don’t want their run in “the Show” to end.
Local/Geographic Shout Out – At times I can get on board with a player throwing a shout out to the home crowd and the team’s fans (but I’m sorry, Todd Helton playing “These are my people. This is where I come from” just annoys me. Yes, you’ve played with the Rockies forever and a day, but this is NOT where you come from!!! You’re from Tennessee!!!!). Having spent 3 years in Wash. D.C. and adopting the Baltimore Orioles as our default team outside our own hometown loyalties (the Nats didn’t exist yet), I always thought it would be cool to have Warehouse by DMB as my song if I played in Camden Yard.
If you aren’t familiar with the Orioles park, it is in downtown Baltimore in what used to be an industrial and shipping area. The team offices are in an old historic warehouse building just beyond right field, so it has a nickname of the Warehouse….. I think you can see where I’m going with my song choice now.
At the warehouse
How I love to stay here
At the warehouse
Every man and woman
Get alive
For all of the 20 and 30-somethings who went to school during the first rise of DMB and are now using their firm’s box seats in the front rows, this is a perfect song to get them off their iphones and back into the game. It also has a context and relevance that only that stadium has. Brilliant!
So there you have it. Apologies for taking so long to get there, but who knows when I’ll have the opportunity to shine like this again; I’m taking my 15 minutes plus some (which is probably how long it took you to read this…Ha!) And since you read my husband’s posts, you are used to the lllllong explanation. There’s always a back story. More smooches!
[Super Dave’s Take: The Warehouse is a great choice…if you are deciding what to listen to while hitting that glass bong in the corner. Mrs. SD apparently thinks quite highly of the Oriole fans (both of them) assuming they will be able to figure out the connection through the haze of Boog’s barbeque and Bud Light. RHCP is always a good choice. But I am a little more old-school. How about a little love for Higher Ground?]
Super Dave: Well, it was nice of everyone to come out today and they all made a nice effort (except for Turner, come on man – live in the now!). However the correct answer is the guitar solo from Icky Thump by The White Stripes.
To be specific, I don’t mean the long rambling guitar solo in the middle but rather the shorter one that starts 40 seconds into the song and is then repeated throughout.
The beauty of this song and the key (to me) to a great intro song is anticipation – it needs to build. It starts as just the guitar (the crowd rises to its feet as I slowly strut to the box) and then after one riff, the drum beat drops and takes the entire solo up a notch (boom! The crowd explodes, turning the stands into a mosh pit as I slowly bob my head and go through my pre at-bat routine while the opposing pitcher becomes a pile of mush – or worse, Trevor Hoffman with the playoffs on the line).
Prior to Icky Thump’s release last summer, the appropriate choice was Party Up by DMX. Start right at the beginning with the intro rhythm music repeating (anticipation again) and then the bass drops and DMX steps to the mic:
Y’all gonna make me lose my mind
Up in here, up in here
Ya’ll gonna make me go all out
Up in here, up in here
Y’all gonna make me act the fool
Up in here, up in here
Y’all gonna make me lose my cool
Up in here, up in here
If that doesn’t say ‘I am about to send your best pitch 400 feet’, then nothing does.
Thankfully my baseball career ended when dad stopped pitching underhand because the most appropriate person in America for that song already used it as his intro music: Mr. Barry Bonds.
There you go, the next time you are asked to pinch hit for the majors you know to request the guitar solo from Icky Thump.
That is, if you think you are man enough to back it up.
If not, you can always choose one of the songs identified by my compatriots here.
