Dedicated to the One I Love, Me

I was reading an article from the CourierPostOnline.com about Jay Z & Alicia Key's song "Empire State of Mind" and how performing it before game two of the World Series at Yankee Stadium influenced the team to victory and eventually becoming World Series champs in 2009. I was a bit taken aback by the comments of Keys when she recently said...

"I don't know if (the Yankees) directly thanked Jay or me in any way, but I know that's what they meant, and when they got that ring they were, like, "Yes!' and we dedicate this to Alicia and Jay," said Keys in a recent conference call. "We actually should have an honorary ring, I think."



To quote another popular NY institution (Saturday Night Live), "Honorary ring? Really? Really? Really?"

Was the song inspirational? Yes. Was it a good performance? Yes. Was it then used as a theme for Yankees fans throughout the series? Yes. Did the song steal third base when nobody was covering? No. Johnny Damon did. Did the song knock in six runs in the final game? No, Hideki Matsui (MVP) did.  Did the song have the best closer in post-season history (Rivera) finishing out the series?  No, the Yankees did.

I enjoyed the performance, as musical performances taking place at a live sporting event goes.  I thought the song, the stage, and the sound were surprisingly good. It was thematic of the city. It was gritty and yet heartfelt and driving. However, lets leave the credit where the credit is due, and that stays with CC Sabathia, Alex Rodriguez, Mariano Rivera, Joe Girardi and the whole Yankees team.

Baseball Song of the Day: Empire State of Mind
Artist: Jay Z featuring Alicia Keys
Released: 2009