# baseball songs **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [March 4, 2003, 5:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/baseball-songs/158946 "2003-03-04T05:43:31Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![vl\_mungo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/bc8723/32.png) [@vl\_mungo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/vl_mungo)\ **Post date:** [March 4, 2003, 5:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/baseball-songs/158946/1 "2003-03-04T05:43:31Z")
Short but sweet… what are the best songs about baseball (the game, the players, the teams… whatever)? ---
**Author:** ![don\_t\_ask](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e68b1a/32.png) [@don\_t\_ask](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/don_t_ask)\ **Post date:** [March 4, 2003, 5:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/baseball-songs/158946/2 "2003-03-04T05:50:49Z")
Alabama’s “The Cheap Seats”. Great [lyrics](http://www.reallyrics.com/lyrics/A003100010032.asp) about the game. ---
**Author:** ![Flymaster](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/c4cdca/32.png) [@Flymaster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Flymaster)\ **Post date:** [March 4, 2003, 6:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/baseball-songs/158946/3 "2003-03-04T06:08:02Z")
Centerfield, by John Fogerty. There is no other, especially when he’s playing it on his baseball bat guitar, live, wearing a Nomar shirt. ---
**Author:** ![Robot\_Arm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/robot_arm/32/18280_2.png) [@Robot\_Arm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Robot_Arm)\ **Post date:** [March 4, 2003, 6:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/baseball-songs/158946/4 "2003-03-04T06:25:55Z")
Yeah, if I have to pick just one, it’s probably Fogerty’s _Centerfield_. But this thread isn’t complete without _A Dying Cub Fan’s Last Request_ by Steve Goodman. Just read the [lyrics](http://www.baseball-almanac.com/poetry/po_cubs.shtml) one time; this man knows what he’s talking about. ---
**Author:** ![RealityChuck](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/realitychuck/32/195_2.png) [@RealityChuck](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RealityChuck)\ **Post date:** [March 4, 2003, 1:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/baseball-songs/158946/5 "2003-03-04T13:25:34Z")
Take Me Out to the Ballgame, of course. The fact that it’s still being played after a century says a lot for its staying power. Best version of it was by someone whose name I don’t recall, but he sang it one word off – Me Out to the ballgame take Me out to the crowd buy. ---
**Author:** ![Munch](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/munch/32/5281_2.png) [@Munch](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Munch)\ **Post date:** [March 4, 2003, 1:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/baseball-songs/158946/6 "2003-03-04T13:51:18Z")
_Talkin’ Softball_, the closing credits from the episode of The Simpsons where Burns hires Mattingly, Strawberry, Griffey Jr., Canseco, Boggs, Sax, Ozzie Smith, Clemens and Scoscia. Since completely lyrics are frowned upon, here’s a link: [http://home.wanadoo.nl/allinvhv/cd1-talkin’softball.html](http://home.wanadoo.nl/allinvhv/cd1-talkin'softball.html) ---
**Author:** ![Munch](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/munch/32/5281_2.png) [@Munch](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Munch)\ **Post date:** [March 4, 2003, 1:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/baseball-songs/158946/7 "2003-03-04T13:53:12Z")
Why didn’t that link work? Mods? ---
**Author:** ![Skywatcher](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/skywatcher/32/254_2.png) [@Skywatcher](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Skywatcher)\ **Post date:** [March 4, 2003, 2:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/baseball-songs/158946/8 "2003-03-04T14:27:50Z")
Not about baseball but associated with it: music from _The Natural_. ---
**Author:** ![KneadToKnow](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kneadtoknow/32/3999_2.png) [@KneadToKnow](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/KneadToKnow)\ **Post date:** [March 4, 2003, 2:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/baseball-songs/158946/9 "2003-03-04T14:50:49Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Munch \* > Why didn’t that link work? Mods? I think it was the apostrophe, and I don’t see a way around it. Mark Knopfler wrote a song called “The Fly,” but I don’t know if he or Dire Straits ever recorded it. Mary-Chapin Carpenter did. It contains the line “sometimes you’re the Louisville Slugger, sometimes you’re the ball,” but that’s about all it has in reference to baseball, IIRC. ---
**Author:** ![Jonathan\_Chance](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jonathan_chance/32/701_2.png) [@Jonathan\_Chance](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jonathan_Chance)\ **Post date:** [March 4, 2003, 3:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/baseball-songs/158946/10 "2003-03-04T15:01:33Z")
For everybodies edification the handle of the OP is short for ‘Van Lingle Mungo’ who was a RHP for the Giants. David Frishberg wrote a song that consisted solely of oddball baseball names and titled it ‘Van Lingle Mungo’. I’d guess the OP knows his baseball songs. I like D-O-D-G-E-R-S by Danny Kaye. It’s a winner. ---
**Author:** ![Jonathan\_Chance](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jonathan_chance/32/701_2.png) [@Jonathan\_Chance](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jonathan_Chance)\ **Post date:** [March 4, 2003, 3:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/baseball-songs/158946/11 "2003-03-04T15:06:15Z")
[And here’s the CD you all need to have: Baseball’s Greatest Hits](http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/detail/-/B0000032LO/104-4781672-0907100?vi=glance) It’s worth it just to hear Tommy LaSorda’s profanity-laden rant about Dave Kingman. It’s from Rhino…of course. ---
**Author:** ![Skywatcher](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/skywatcher/32/254_2.png) [@Skywatcher](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Skywatcher)\ **Post date:** [March 4, 2003, 3:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/baseball-songs/158946/12 "2003-03-04T15:09:15Z")
[Victory Song of the All-American Girls Baseball League](http://www.aagpbl.org/articles/arti_vs.html) ---
**Author:** ![Skywatcher](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/skywatcher/32/254_2.png) [@Skywatcher](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Skywatcher)\ **Post date:** [March 4, 2003, 3:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/baseball-songs/158946/13 "2003-03-04T15:15:34Z")
Babe Ruth contributed to the ragtime song “Home Run on the Keys”. ---
**Author:** ![Flymaster](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/c4cdca/32.png) [@Flymaster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Flymaster)\ **Post date:** [March 4, 2003, 3:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/baseball-songs/158946/14 "2003-03-04T15:37:59Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Jonathan Chance \* > \*\*For everybodies edification the handle of the OP is short for ‘Van Lingle Mungo’ who was a RHP for the Giants. David Frishberg wrote a song that consisted solely of oddball baseball names and titled it ‘Van Lingle Mungo’. \*\* Wow…an entire list of great baseball names, and no mention of [Johnny Dickshot](http://www.baseball-reference.com/d/dicksjo01.shtml)? ---
**Author:** ![Jonathan\_Chance](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jonathan_chance/32/701_2.png) [@Jonathan\_Chance](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jonathan_Chance)\ **Post date:** [March 4, 2003, 4:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/baseball-songs/158946/15 "2003-03-04T16:07:24Z")
I was always fond of ‘Dick Groat’ myself. ---
**Author:** ![Dragon\_Phoenix](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/bcef8e/32.png) [@Dragon\_Phoenix](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dragon_Phoenix)\ **Post date:** [March 4, 2003, 4:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/baseball-songs/158946/16 "2003-03-04T16:39:23Z")
No mention yet of Paradise by the dashboard light? 😃 ---
**Author:** ![dbygawdcapn](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dbygawdcapn/32/3995_2.png) [@dbygawdcapn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dbygawdcapn)\ **Post date:** [March 4, 2003, 7:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/baseball-songs/158946/17 "2003-03-04T19:24:09Z")
[5 CDs worth](http://hungryformusic.com/hfm/catalogue.htm#diamond) ---
**Author:** ![BobT](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/8e8cbc/32.png) [@BobT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BobT)\ **Post date:** [March 4, 2003, 7:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/baseball-songs/158946/18 "2003-03-04T19:50:17Z")
“The First Baseball Game” by Nat King Cole (also performed by others) The best lyric in that is “Brother, Noah gave checks out for rain.” ---
**Author:** ![Fibonacci](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/df788c/32.png) [@Fibonacci](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fibonacci)\ **Post date:** [March 4, 2003, 9:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/baseball-songs/158946/19 "2003-03-04T21:13:14Z")
> [@](#): > > Talkin’ Softball, the closing credits from the episode of The Simpsons where Burns hires Mattingly, Strawberry, Griffey Jr., Canseco, Boggs, Sax, Ozzie Smith, Clemens and Scoscia. This was a take off of Terry Cashman’s [“Talkin’ Baseball”](http://www.baseball-almanac.com/poetry/po_stb.shtml), one of the best baseball songs. I’ve got an out of print cd with a lot of his baseball songs, but found [these](http://towermusic.endeca.com/towermusic?n=0&att=Performer+Terry+Cashman&cs=Terry+Cashman&csn=5&csr=1&csm=38257769&cc=USD) on Tower. ---
**Author:** ![Ukulele\_Ike](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/df788c/32.png) [@Ukulele\_Ike](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ukulele_Ike)\ **Post date:** [March 4, 2003, 10:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/baseball-songs/158946/20 "2003-03-04T22:10:13Z")
Hah! I found a way around it! How’s THAT for thinkin’ outside the box? …Best baseball song is The Treniers’ R&B classic from 1954, “Say Hey!” (The Willie Mays Song). [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/baseball-songs/158946.md?page=2)