‘Talkin’ Baseball’ doesn’t make the cut
Just in time for opening day, PasteMagazine.com offered its “10 Best Baseball Songs (That Aren’t John Fogerty’s ‘Centerfield’).” And the winners are:
“The Ballad of Russell Perry” by Vigilantes of Love. Said the magazine: “Bill Mallonees’ heartfelt tale of a wily, navel-gazing Tennessee fastballer.”
“Baseball Dreams” by the Naturals with Mel Allen. “The Run-DMC of baseball music,” the magazine said. “Catfish” by Bob Dylan: “His Bob-ness waxes country-blues poetic on A’s pitcher Jim ‘Catfish’ Hunter.” Then, “Did You See Jackie Robinson Hit That Ball?” by Natalie Cole: “An ode to the man who broke Major League Baseball’s color barrier.”
Followed by, “A Dying Cub Fan’s Last Request” by Steve Goodman: “The most perfect, heartbreaking baseball song ever written.” No. 6: “(Love Is Like a) Baseball Game” by the Intruders: “A curveball from Philly-soul producers Gamble & Huff.” No. 7: “Pete Rose Affinity” by Summer Hymns: “A classic tale of childhood autograph-seeking gone awry.” No. 8: “Say Hey (the Willie Mays Song)” by the Treniers: “Mays actually sings backup on this big-band romp, while Quincy Jones conducts.”
No. 9: “Take Me Out to the Ball Game” by the Hold Steady: “No one rocks this 7th-inning-stretch tradition like Craig Finn and Co.” No. 10: “Tessie” by Dropkick Murphys: “A punked-out shout-out to Boston’s famed Royal Rooters.”
Trivia time
Who hit the last home run in Wrigley Field, the one-year home of the first-year American League expansion team Los Angeles Angels?
That’s D-O-D-G-E-R-S
About that tongue-in-cheek full-page ad ESPN took out in Monday’s Times, announcing the debut of its West Coast “SportsCenter,” the one that played off its reputation of East Coast bias: The ad conceded that the West Coast does have some “pretty good” teams, listing the Lakers, Angels, Suns, Sparks, Cardinals, Ducks, Sharks, Trojans and Bruins. Notice any rather glaring omission there?
Hint: They are Los Angeles’ longest-tenured professional sports franchise.
Hint No. 2: They opened their new season Monday night in San Diego.
Hint No. 3: Vin Scully.
Hint No. 4: Manny Ramirez.
That is why ESPN came west, to follow all Ramirez news to placate East Coasters still obsessed with the exploits of the former East Coast slugging star, right?
Hint No. 5: Kirk Gibson, 1988. The home run came during the first decade of the ESPN era, so we know ESPN knows about it. We know ESPN has footage. ESPN has agreed that it happened.
State of the city
Michigan State guard Travis Walton was succinct, and accurate, in his assessment of his native city, Detroit, during an interview with the Kansas City Star.
Said Walton: “Rich people are losing their money, and poor people ain’t getting no money.”
Trivia answer
Steve Bilko in the final game of the 1961 season. (Question and answer provided by reader Jerry Clark of Glendale.)
And finally
Oklahoma forward Ashley Paris, to the St. Louis Post-Dispatch, on playing in the shadow of All-American twin sister Courtney: “Off the court, I’m better at pretty much everything, except for being annoying and stuff you don’t want to be better at.”
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