Baseball-oriented songs for a slide show?

aaelghat · July 9, 2012, 9:40pm

Hi - I’m putting together a “slide show” for my son’s travel baseball team to celebrate the end of the season. This would be shown at an end-of-season party, and given to the kids as a keepsake. The kids are 11 years old and the photos are mainly action shots of them playing, huddling with their coaches, etc.

Do you have any recommendations for baseball-themed songs I can use as background music for the presentation? Preferably songs the kids may have heard and that have a fast tempo - I’d like to move through the pictures at a fairly fast pace.

Even if you can’t think of recent songs, more 'classical" recommendations are welcome. Thanks

campp · July 9, 2012, 9:45pm

John Fogerty Centerfield

running_coach · July 9, 2012, 9:45pm

Centerfield-John Fogerty.

The video itself is a slideshow/videos of baseball greats.

astorian · July 9, 2012, 9:46pm

Well, these are so obvious you already thought of them, but…

“Take Me Out to the Ballgame”
John Fogerty’s “Centerfield”

You could also include bits of songs that get played on ballpark organs, like:

“The Star Spangled Banner”
“The Mexican Hat Dance”

Marley23 · July 9, 2012, 9:49pm

There’s also Talkin’ Baseball by Terry Cashman, but I’m guessing kids may not know that one.

I’m also moving this thread to The Game Room from IMHO. The baseball fans may have other recommendations.

astorian · July 9, 2012, 9:49pm

A few pop songs tat include verses about baseball:

Billy Joel’s “Zanzibar.”
Chuck Berry’s “Brown Eyed Handsome Man”

"Two, three, the count with nobody on
He hit a high fly into the stand
Round the third he was headed for home
He was a brown eyed handsome man.
That won the game he was a brown eyed handsome man."

Simon & Garfunkel’s “Mrs. Robinson”

astorian · July 9, 2012, 9:50pm

Oh, how about the famed faux-Indian “Tomahawk Chop” chant?

Procrustus · July 9, 2012, 9:57pm

OK, here we go, we got a real pressure cooker going here,
Two down, nobody on, no score, bottom of the ninth,
There’s the windup, and there it is, a line shot up the middle,
Look at him go. This boy can really fly! He’s rounding first and really
turning it on now, he’s not letting up at all, he’s gonna try for
second; the ball is bobbled out in center, and here comes the
throw, and what a throw! He’s gonna slide in head first, here he
comes, he’s out! No, wait, safe-safe at second base, this kid
really makes things happen out there. Batter steps up to the
plate, here’s the pitch-he’s going, and what a jump he’s got,
he’s trying for third, here’s the throw, it’s in the dirt-safe at
third! Holy cow, stolen base! He’s taking a pretty big lead out
there, almost daring him to try and pick him off. The pitcher
glances over, winds up, and it’s bunted, bunted down the third
base line, the suicide squeeze is on! Here he comes, squeeze
play, it’s gonna be close, holy cow, I think he’s gonna make it!

Meat Loaf, Paradise By The Dashboard Light

running_coach · July 9, 2012, 9:58pm

The Cheap Seats-Alabama

The Greatest-Kenny Rogers

Skywatcher · July 10, 2012, 12:35am

“Glory Days” - Springsteen
“All the Way” - Eddie Vedder
“Cubs in Five” - The Mountain Goats
“Batter Up!” - St. Lunatics
“Tessie” - Dropkick Murphys
“Barry Bonds” - Kanye West feat. Lil Wayne
“Sure Shot” - The Beastie Boys
“Load Up the Bases” - Whiskey Falls
“Baseball Song” - Kenny Rogers
“A Perfect Day for Baseball” - Jason Siemer
“Swing” - Trace Adkins

I seem to recall a version of “Casey at the Bat” set to music.

Robot_Arm · July 10, 2012, 3:13am

Walk of Life by Dire Straits is another good choice.

It’s not really appropriate for the OP’s use, but no list of baseball songs is complete without A Dying Cub Fan’s Last Request. It’s a great song on its own; the details behind it make it heartbreaking.

Cumbrian · July 10, 2012, 8:53am

You should check out The Baseball Project. Peter Buck from REM is in it, as are a couple of other alt rock guys. There are two albums and they released a song every month of the baseball season last year on ESPN.com. Obviously none of the songs are well known but the lyrics of all them are about baseball. On the first album, for instance, there’s a song about Harvey Haddix’s “perfect” game, Curt Flood and the rise of free agency, a song dedicated to the mindset of the closer, etc. The ESPN songs were reportage on the season in progress. They’re pretty good.

Shoeless · July 10, 2012, 11:34am

Wilco - “Joe DiMaggio” (lyrics by Woody Guthrie)

Sigmagirl · July 10, 2012, 1:55pm

“Did You See Jackie Robinson Hit That Ball” by Woodrow “Buddy” Johnson and Count Basie, 1949

RealityChuck · July 10, 2012, 2:20pm

Peter Paul and Mary’s Right Field, which matches my baseball playing days perfectly.

ScarletNumber · July 10, 2012, 2:28pm

“Joltin’ Joe DiMaggio” by Les Brown & His Band of Renown

aaelghat · July 10, 2012, 11:37pm

These are all terrific, and I only would have come up with one or two of these on my own. Thanks - I’ll be incorporating many of these!

Moonchild · July 12, 2012, 1:30am

This is not a baseball song, but the theme to the movie “The Sting” called “The Entertainer” strikes me as a nice fit to kids’ baseball highlights.

kenobi_65 · July 12, 2012, 3:36am

Maybe not so much for a slide show for 11 year olds.

Wheelz · July 12, 2012, 12:51pm

I suppose you can’t go wrong with Centerfield, but it’s become a bit cliche, IMO.

There are millions of versions of *Take Me Out to the Ball Game *if you want to do variations on a theme. Bruce Springsteen, Dr. John, the Goo Goo Dolls, Frank Sinatra, and the Ventures have recorded it, to name only a few.

A couple of oldies I like (in addition to the previously mentioned Talkin’ Baseball) are *It’s a Beautiful Day for a Ball Game *by The Harry Simeone Songsters and *Baseball Baseball *by Jane Morgan, but the kids probably wouldn’t be too excited with these.