Jay-Z sues Big Papa for 40/40

Rolling Stone Magazine is reporting that Jay-Z is suing the Boston Red Sox "Slumping Slugger" for unauthorized use of the name "40/40" for Big Papi's nightclub which is located in the Dominican Republic.

From Rolling Stone online...

In a lawsuit filed yesterday, Jay accuses Big Papi of naming his Santa Domingo nightclub “Forty-Forty,” a variation of Jay-Z and Juan Perez’s line of 40/40 Clubs in New York, Las Vegas and Atlantic City.

“[Jay-Z and Perez] have accused Ortiz of trading on the fame, value and goodwill of their name through his club Forty/Forty and its website, www.fortyforty.net, which they say has caused their business ‘marketplace confusion and damage,” reads the lawsuit. Jay-Z’s suit goes on to argue that the shared name isn’t accidental, as Ortiz “has been a patron [at the 40/40 Club] on several occasions long before he opened his infringing Forty/Forty Club.”

As Jay-Z’s “Empire State of Mind” all but soundtracked the Yankees’ World Series-winning run last season, it’s no surprise that he might take offense to someone not named Derek Jeter or Alex Rodriguez opening a club with the “40/40″ name.

The baseball blog Big League Stew points out the “40/40″ moniker comes from when a player achieves both 40 home runs and 40 steals in one season. Only four players in history have done it — including current Yank A-Rod — but Big Papi hasn’t come close, managing only 10 steals total over the course of his entire 14-year baseball career. (To Ortiz’s credit, he has hit a Red Sox record 54 home runs in a season, but then why not the “Fifty-Ten Club”?)

No word whether Jay-Z is seeking compensation, a club name change or maybe just an apology from Ortiz for his Game Four, 12th inning, course-of-history-changing walk-off home run against the Yankees in the 2004 playoffs.

----------------------------

Today's Baseball Song of the Day comes from Warren Zevon who also wrote the terrific "Werewolves of London" (for all you kids out there...look up "All Summer Long" by Kid Rock).  Today's BSOD, "Lawyers, Guns, and Money" was written in 1978 for the "Excitable Boy" album.

The song has been featured in:

- The movie "Grand Canyon"
- The movie "Gonzo: The Life and Work of Dr. Hunter S. Thompson"
- TV series Justice
- TV show Farscape three part episode "Liars, Guns and Money"
- TV show "Late Night with Conan O'Brien" in a spoof called "Robots, Bears, and Lincolns"




BSOD 4/16/2010: Lawyers, Guns, and Money
Artists: Warren Zevon
Released: 1978


Lawyers, Guns, and Money Lyrics

Well, I went home with the waitress
The way I always do
How was I to know
She was with the Russians, too

I was gambling in Havana
I took a little risk
Send lawyers, guns and money
Dad, get me out of this

I'm the innocent bystander
Somehow I got stuck
Between the rock and the hard place
And I'm down on my luck
And I'm down on my luck
And I'm down on my luck

Now I'm hiding in Honduras
I'm a desperate man
Send lawyers, guns and money
The shit has hit the fan

Marlins 2010 Creed: Marlins Will Soar

Last year the Florida Marlins...wait..are they the Miami Marlins yet? No, that comes with the new ballpark I believe.  It's hard to keep up with the Marlins.  Anyway, last year the Marlins had the Reggaetón artist Pitbull record a theme song for the team titled “Marlins Time to Represent" (see video below).



2010 brings in a new year...a new song...a new Creed. Well, a lead singer of Creed that is; Scott Stapp, who adapted one of his songs "You Will Soar" to "Marlins Will Soar" which will be used as the Marlins Official Song of 2010.

A chance meeting between Stapp, a Palm Beach Couny resident who grew up in Orlando and went to school at Florida State, and Marlins team President David Samson during an airport delay brought the two together.

Stapp who sang the National Anthem at the home opener, which also just-so-happened to have one of my all-time favorite players (and new Hall of Famer at that), Andre Dawson throwing out the first pitch.

BSOD Note: "Did I ever tell you the time that I met Andre Dawson at a 7-11 convenient store in Chicago's Wrigleyville neighborhood? I was living there at the time, about 5 blocks from the ballpark. A few of the players had condos nearby so a chance meeting wasn't all that out of the question. Andre was a "my guy." A soft spoken, hard worker that came to the Cubs with the offer of...I want to play for you, sign me to whatever you think I'm worth. I believe the Cubs' decided that to be $500,000, for what turned out to be a 1987 MVP year.  Did I also mention that I have an Andre Dawson, game used bat, and autographed "1987 MVP" bat?  I do.

You see, When I was younger, a few of my favorite players were Ryne Sandberg, Andre Dawson, and Cecil Cooper. So, a chance meeting with him was the highlight of my day. I pulled into the 7-11 on a Saturday afternoon, stepped out of my car, slammed the door shut and looked up, and there he was, my guy, Andre Dawson. I did what any true fan would do at that moment, paused, made eye contact and said, "Hi Andre" and then continued walking to go get my blue rasperry slurpee." Andre responded back with a polite nod of the head and a soft "Hello" and smile back to me, as he entered into his car and pulled away.

Ok, not a great story overall. But I respected the man, it was his day off, and really, other than watching him play, what else should I expect of him?

The point of all of this? Nothing really, other than I like to talk like the old uncle of the family and corner the younger relatives and tell them my stories.

Sometimes chance meetings lead to things, other times they don't.

In the case of the Marlins and Scott Stapp, it led to today's baseball song of the day, "Marlins Will Soar."

Note: This song is getting panned by Internet commenters at forums, blogs, and newspapers. People seem to hate it. I'm not sure if they don't like it because Stapp has been known to rub people the wrong way with his messianic overtones to his music. Or, if it's the fact that he took one of his songs and changed it, or if they think that it just plain stinks.  Listen to it for yourself and let us know what you think.



I can't say that I'm that too familar with Creed other than the "Arms Wide Open" song and their latest song "Rain" which came out in 2009. Not having heard the original song "You Will Soar", and hearing this on its own merits, I somewhat like the song. Not as much as Hanson's "Mmmmm Bop" (a story for another time), but with the beating of the drum and Stapp's belting out the lyrics, it's not half bad. The best news is, even if you hated it, it clocks in at 1 min 49 secs.

BSOD 4/15/2010: Marlins Will Soar
Artist: Scott Stapp
Released: 2010

Marlins Will Soar Lyrics
(thanks to: http://blogs.miaminewtimes.com/crossfade/2010/04/creeds_scott_stapp_marlins_will_soar_lyrics.php)

"Marlins Will Soar"

Let's play ball, it's game day
We watch strikeouts, base hits, double plays
Take the field, hear the roar of the crowd
Come on Marlins, make us proud
Come on Marlins, make us proud

Keep hoping and dreaming and you will soar
With a little faith and luck, you will soar

One strike, two strikes, swing away
A diving catch, a stolen base
A perfect game, a triple play
A [undistinguishable] play of praise
We're series champs, we [crack of bat?]

Keep hoping and dreaming and you will soar
With a little faith and luck, you will soar

Keep hoping and dreaming and you will soar
With a little faith and luck, you will soar

Related Links:
http://sports.yahoo.com/mlb/blog/big_league_stew/post/Creed-singer-greets-Marlins-with-arms-wide-open-?urn=mlb,234451
http://blogs.trb.com/sports/custom/business/blog/2010/04/florida_marlins_home_opening_n.html
http://blogs.miaminewtimes.com/crossfade/2010/04/creeds_scott_stapp_marlins_will_soar_lyrics.php

Dodgers Opening Day: Will.I.Am

Whom do the Los Angeles Dodgers put on the mound for their Home Opener to get things started against the Arizona Diamondbacks?

Well, none other than Will.I.Am of the Black Eyed Peas.

<---- photo: UPI/Phil McCarten

From an article at the La Times by Chris Erskine...

Out on the mound, Will.i.am was throwing out the first pitch, despite a name that annoys virtually everyone. Just imagine that planning meeting in the executive suites.

"So, whom do Dodgers fans want to see throw out the first pitch on opening day?"

"Hey, I wonder if Will.i.am is available."

"Could we possibly get him?"

Somehow they did. And the rest is his.to.ry.

-----------------------

Erskine continues on...with notes from the home opener...

-----------------------

Back inside the stadium, Tuesday's mostly well-behaved crowd started out tame and got rowdy over time. I catch up with one customer, the great actor Robert Wuhl ("Bull Durham," "Arli$$") as he heads to his spot in the Dugout Club.

Anyway, I ask Wuhl if he thinks the McCourt divorce has any chance of creating some sort of curse, as with the curse of the Bambino that hung over Boston, or the curse of the billy goat, which I think also involved a divorce, but that was Chicago, where they live a different and more open lifestyle.


Wuhl smiles and says "That's a strong statement," and disappears through guarded doors, into the land of Caesar salads and carved meats.

Fortunately, the Dodgers themselves don't seem to care about such controversy. The bling seems to be back in Manny's swing. Matt Kemp is taking the right routes to fly balls again -- mostly. Casey Blake and Andre Ethier provide the kind of quiet, old school leadership that winning clubs need.


BSOD 4/14/2010: Let's Get it Started
Artist: Black Eyed Peas
Released: 2003

Let's Get it Started Lyrics


Let's Get It Started, in here...

And the base keep runnin' runnin', and runnin' runnin', and runnin' runnin', and runnin' runnin', and
runnin' runnin', and runnin' runnin', and runnin' runnin', and runnin' runnin', and...

In this context, there's no disrespect, so, when I bust my rhyme, you break your necks.
We got five minutes for us to disconnect, from all intellect collect the rhythm effect.
Obstacles are inefficient, follow your intuition, free your inner soul and break away from tradition.
Coz when we beat out, girl it's pullin without. You wouldn't believe how we wow shit out.
Burn it till it's burned out. Turn it till it's turned out. Act up from north, west, east, south.

[Chorus:]
Everybody, everybody, let's get into it.
Get stupid.
Get it started, get it started, get it started.
Let's get it started (ha), let's get it started in here. Let's get it started (ha), let's get it started in here.
Let's get it started (ha), let's get it started in here. Let's get it started (ha), let's get it started in here.
Yeah.

Lose control, of body and soul.
Don't move too fast, people, just take it slow.
Don't get ahead, just jump into it.
Ya'll here a body, two pieces to it.
Get stutted, get stupid.
You'll want me body people will walk you through it.
Step by step, like you're into new kid.
Inch by inch with the new solution.
Trench men hits, with no delusion.
The feeling's irresistible and that's how we movin'.

[Chorus:]
Everybody, everybody, let's get into it.
Get stupid.
Get it started, get it started, get it started.
Let's get it started (ha), let's get it started in here. Let's get it started (ha), let's get it started in here.
Let's get it started (ha), let's get it started in here. Let's get it started (ha), let's get it started in here.
Yeah.

Runnin' runnin', and runnin' runnin', and runnin' runnin', and runnin runnin' and...

C'mon y'all, lets get woohoo!
Lets get woohoo! (in here)
Lets get woohoo!
Lets get woohoo! (in here)
Lets get woohoo!
Lets get woohoo! (in here) Ow, ow, ow!
Ya, ya, ya, ya, ya, ya, ya, ya, ya, ya, ya, ya, ya, ya, ya, ya...

Let's get ill, that's the deal.
At the gate, we'll bring the bud top drill. (Just)
Lose your mind this is the time,
Ya'll test this drill, Just and bang your spine. (Just)
Bob your head like epilepsy, up inside your club or in your Bentley.
Get messy, loud and sick.
Ya'll mount past slow mo in another head trip. (So)
Come then now do not correct it, let's get pregnant let's get hectic.

[Chorus:]
Everybody, everybody, let's get into it.
Get stupid. (Come on)
Get it started (come one) , get it started (yeah), get it started.
Let's get it started (ha), let's get it started in here. Let's get it started (ha), let's get it started in here.
Let's get it started (ha), let's get it started in here. Let's get it started (ha), let's get it started
(woah, woah, woah) in here.
Yeah.

Lets get woohoo!
Lets get woohoo! (in here)
Lets get woohoo!
Lets get woohoo! (in here)
Lets get woohoo!
Lets get woohoo! (in here) Ow, ow, ow!
Ya, ya, ya, ya, ya, ya, ya, ya, ya, ya, ya, ya, ya, ya, ya, ya...

Runnin' runnin', and runnin' runnin', and runnin' runnin', and runnin' runnin'
[fade]

Target Field: Holding Steady on Opening Day

The Minnesota Twins christened their new 500 million plus "al fresco" ballpark, Target Field yesterday (4/12/2010) with a 5-2 victory over the Boston Red Sox. Having tailored their team for the past 28 years to fit the Hubert H. Humphrey Metrodome, the twins now have the challenge of finding the right players for the right stadium once again.

The job of managing the players on the field belongs to manager Ron Gardenhire, however the job of entertaining the crowd with tunes belongs to Kevin Dutcher, the Music Man.

From foxsportsnorth.com, we learn about Dutcher's daily routine...

"The first thing I do when I get to the stadium is throw in batting practice music – the boys like to hear their tunes! We have a meeting 2 1/2 hours prior to the game to go through all of the details of the game "script", all of the between-inning segments that our department (Game Presentation) is responsible for. We talk about the various preshow elements – speakers, presentations, etc. – and I focus on the audio needs, what kind of music we need with or under each one."

When asked about entrance and rally music...Dutcher explains...

"I run the BP playlist until the doors open, when I switch to a more "family-friendly" mix. That plays until we start our pregame program, and then play songs between all of the different elements. I also underscore the PA reads and most all of presentations on the field. I play the "build-up" music as we await the team taking the field, and of course "Win Twins!" I play "rally music" when we get runs, and alternate "cheerleading" with Twins’ organist Sue Nelson (the cavalry charge, "We Will Rock You," all of those little snippets). I play music between innings, during pitching changes and any breaks in play. If you listen for it, music is constantly on in the park."

"I love all kinds of music, I have really eclectic tastes, which is helpful for the job. I like to play music from bands with area ties, from the ‘Mats to Husker Du to Prince to The Hold Steady. I’m working on getting more music from local bands into the new stadium, I think it’s an exciting possibility to incorporate more local music into the Twins experience."

Regarding input as to the music he plays, Dutcher states...

"I often get feedback about what I play, and a lot of the time it’s positive and negative about the same exact song – the great thing about music is that it’s subjective. Everybody has an opinion."

Some of those opinions have been bandied about by Twins fans and can be found recently at the Alright Hamilton Blog ... where we find some fantastic suggestions about which songs could be intergrated into the game:

• Prince - Baby I'm a Star
• The Hold Steady - Constructive Summer
• The Hold Steady - Party Pit
• Morris Day & The Time - Cool
• The Screams of Passion by The Family

--------------------------------------------

Personally, BSOD likes the suggestions of music from The Hold Steady, the Springsteen-esque working man's band that hails from the land of 10,000 lakes.

There's a fantastic interview from an article at The Portland Mercury which delves deep in the band's fascination and love for the Minnesota Twins and even puts them to the test with a pop quiz of Twins history.

Some gems from the interview with front-man Craig Finn are:

Did you grow up in Minnesota and were you always a Twins fan?

Well, I moved to Minnesota from Boston as a kid, and my parents were Red Sox fans. I was kind of a Sox fan, but my dad had access to Twins tickets through his work, so I was mildly a fan. That was until 1987; the year I got my driver's license, my first girlfriend, and the Twins won the World Series. That was a magical year. Kent Hrbek, Kirby Puckett, Tom Brunansky—it was just a great team with some amazing personalities. That whole year just turned me into a major Twins fan, along with everyone I know.

Are there a lot of people in the Minnesota music scene that are Twins fans?

Definitely. Especially the older crowd, like the Jayhawks and Golden Smog. I was at Twins' spring training this year and I saw Paul Westerberg at the game.

That is crazy. Well, the whole theme of this issue is about the relationship between sports and music. Mostly how we all have that moment—that dreaded choice—where we choose between one or another. Do you know what I mean?

Yes. The band and I were recently talking about this, how it seems cooler now for musicians to be into sports. Most bands we play with have a least one or two members who are into it. My theory is, when I was growing up, no cool bands liked sports, although now I know that Westerberg loves the Twins. It just never seemed like they could actually like sports. The band that I think changed it all was Pavement. They seemed like normal dudes who made great music and happened to like sports. They might have changed it all.

Do you have a favorite baseball song?

I just heard Bob Dylan do "Take Me out to the Ball Game." That was pretty great.


You know "Catfish" (about famed pitcher Catfish Hunter), right?

Oh yeah, of course, that's a great one. I don't know if I have an all-time favorite baseball song. There's not a lot to pick from.

BSOD Editor's Note: We're proving that "There's not a lot to pick from is" is false. :)


It's easy to pick a song such as Prince's "Let's Go Crazy" which of course is a "let it all out and party until the night is done" song, however seeing as the Twins have realized their dream of making something bigger, and constructed Target Field, we agree with the folks at the Alright Hamilton Blog in choosing "Constructive Summer" as the song of the Twins.  Bonus points for any song that pays homage to "St. Joe Strummer."

"we're gonna build something this summer

summer grant us all the power 

to drink on top of the water towers

with love and trust and shows all summer

let this be my annual reminder

that we can all be something bigger"

BSOD 4/13/2010: Constructive Summer
Artist: The Hold Steady
Released: 2008

Constructive Summer Lyrics

Me and my friends are like
the drums on "Lust for Life"
we pound it out on four toms
our songs are sing-a-long songs

this whole town is like this
been that way our whole lives
just work at the mill until you die
work at the mill and then you die
we're gonna build something this summer
we'll put it back together
raise up a giant ladder
with love & trust and friends and hammers

we're gonna lean this ladder
up against the water tower
climb up to the top
and drink it up

me and my friends are like
double whiskey, coke no ice
we drink along in double time
might drink too much but we feel fine

we're gonna build something this summer
summer grant us all the power 
to drink on top of the water towers
with love and trust and shows all summer
let this be my annual reminder
that we can all be something bigger

i went to your schools
i did my detention but the walls are so grey i couldnt pay attention
i read the gospel it moved me to tears
but I couldn't find the hate and couldn't find the fear
i met your saviour I knelt at his feet
and he took my ten bucks and went down the street
tried to believe all the things that you said
but my friends that aren't dying are already dead

raise a toast to st joe strummer
think he might've been our only decent teacher
getting older only makes it harder to remember
we are our only saviours
we're gonna build something this summer

Related Links:
http://theholdsteady.net
http://www.portlandmercury.com/portland/Content?oid=321198&category=321195
http://www.foxsportsnorth.com/pages/landing?Kevin-Dutcher-the-Music-Man=1&blockID=213907&feedID=4040
http://www.alright-hamilton.com/2010/04/music-at-target-field.html

The Baseball Project 2010: Cubs 2010 Song

The Chicago Cubs home opener is Monday, April 12th 2010 against their Cheddarific friends from the North (who like to wear Cheesehead hats), The Milwaukee Brewers. The home opener brings a lot of things including hope, chicken wings at Yakzies, people taking pictures holding beer around the Harry Caray statue, and of course...a new song of hope and promise that this year will finally be the year to break the 102 year old Chicago Cubs curse.

The new song this year is titled "Cubs 2010" and is the 2nd release off the 2010 Baseball Project 2010 album (in the making - as they release one new song per month).

The Baseball Project consists of: Scott McCaughey (The Minus 5, R.E.M., Young Fresh Fellows), Steve Wynn (The Dream Syndicate, Gutterball, Miracle 3), Linda Pitmon (Miracle 3, Golden Smog) and Peter Buck (R.E.M.).

Ryan White of The Oregonian wrote an article about the new song on The Baseball Project titled, "Cubs 2010." (we wrote about it last month with their first release, "Broadside Ballads"), along with an interview the Baseball Project's Scott McCaughey.

>>> Download the Song for FREE here <<<

From the article...

Does McCaughey truly believe this could be the Cubs' year?

"Sure, why not? It's like the song says, if all these things happen, it could go that way," McCaughey wrote in an e-mail interview last week. "They need Zambrano to be dominant, they need to get [Ted] Lilly back soon, they need Ramirez, Lee and Soriano to be healthy, and see if Marmol really is going to be able to harness his closer stuff."

McCaughey acknowledges that's a lot of ifs, but he said he believes that offseason outfield acquisition Marlon Byrd could potentially have a huge year and that the offense "could be tremendous if Geovany Soto gets it back together."

>>> Listen to Cubs 2010 song here <<<

BSOD 4/12/2010: Cubs 2010
Artist: The Baseball Project
Released: 2010

Cubs 2010 Song Lyrics


This is the Cubs year
Two thousand and ten
One hundred and two years
This draught has to end

Everybody from 1908 is dead
Like Merkels boner it will be heaven sent
Time to win it again cuz
Time to win it again

Goodbye Milton Bradley
And all those mistakes
Looks like Carlos Marmol - has finally got what it takes
To hold down the closers job

Aramis and Derrek
Will be thirty one / hundred men (30 HR's / 100 RBI's)
Time to win it again cuz
Time to win it again

Zambrano is going to keep his head
Soriano's knees will painlessly bend
Soto will hit like a rookie again
And we'll hear all about it from Bob and Len
from Bob and Len

This will be the year of no *** joke  (if anyone knows the missing lyric..please let us know)

This will be the year of no last-minute choke
No Will Clark, no black cat, and no billy goat
No cursing billy goat

Pinella didn't come to Chicago
Just to contend
Time to win it again cuz
Time to win it again

Ernie Banks will be there
Tears of joy in his eyes
Ron Santo will moan with ecstatic surprise
forgetting nineteen sixty-nine

Harry Caray will look down from heavenly skies
It's two thousand and ten cuz
World Champion time

Time to win it again
Two thousand and ten
Time to win it again

Vintage Song Sunday: Love is Like a Baseball Game

Formed in Philadelphia in 1960, the smooth stylings of The Intruders were a part of the development known as the Philadelphia Soul movement, which included artists such as The Delfonics, Patti LaBelle, The O'Jays, The Stylistics and even Daryl Hall & John Oates.

Consisting of lush musical arrangements combined with funk, and often strings and horns, the Philly Soul movement was the perfect arrangement for any love song.

So this Sunday night, pull the curtains closed, dim the lights, put some candles around the room, order out a few hot dogs with mustard and a pickle (no ketchup please), and put on today's Baseball Song of the Day...

"Love is Like a Baseball Game" by The Intruders:



The song hit #26 on the billboard charts back in 1968.

BSOD 4/11/2010: Love is Like a Baseball Game
Artist: The Intruders
Released: 1968

Love is Like a Baseball Game Lyrics

Love is just like a baseball game
Three strikes you’re out

Up to bat
I thought I hit a love run
But to my surprise
I found I didn’t hit none

Threw her love so fast
She put me in a daze
Never knew that love
Could come so many ways

Strike one -- She took me by surprise
Strike two -- Right in front of my eyes
Strike three -- Oh, I was out without a doubt
Oh, I was out

Love is just like a baseball game
Three strikes you’re out
Whether you win or lose
Love is just like a baseball game
Three strikes you’re out
Everybody’s got to pay some due

Oh, I’m up to bat
I’m gonna try love one more time

I really love this girl
And I’m gonna make her mine

I ain’t never won
When I played a baseball game
Now it seems that love
And baseball are just the same

Strike one -- Oh, she did it again
Strike two -- Looks like I’m never gonna win
Strike three -- Oh, I was out without a doubt
I was out

Love is just like a baseball game
Three strikes you’re out
Whether you win or lose
Love is just like a baseball game
Three strikes you’re out
Everybody’s got to pay some due
-- You got to pay some due

Love is just like a baseball game
Three strikes you’re out
-- Three strikes you’re out whether you win or lose
Love is just like a baseball game
Three strikes you’re out
Everybody’s got to pay some due
-- Got to say it again

Love is just like a baseball game
Three strikes you’re out
-- Three strikes you’re out whether you win or lose

Related Links:
http://www.soulwalking.co.uk/Intruders.html

*not to be confused with the Vancouver, Canada  Rock and Roll band "The Intruders"

The Garfoose on the Loose

There's been a bird (Mark Fidyrich), a few mooses (Moose Haas, Moose Skowron), a penguin (Ron Cey), an antelope (Emil Verban), a cobra (Dave Parker), a rhino (Ryne Sandberg), and even a kangaroo (Davy Jones). But baseball has never had or seen anything like The Garfoose.

The Garfoose, a fire breathing, magically empowered, indestructible, wifi enabled, half giraffe half moose is the protector of the sacred Baseball Grove where the world’s most perfect baseballs are found, hanging in bunches upon baseball trees.

Some say like a Cubs World Series Championship, he doesn't actually exist. Some say he's an imaginary friend, second cousin to Harvey the Rabbit.  Some say he's a creation of the mind of pitcher Dirk Hayhurst.

BSOD says, "Phoooey", he does exist, and we have the interview to prove it.  Our original plan was to sneak into the Baseball Grove where he lives and protects the sacred baseballs (or Garfooseberries as they know them), and to capture him by blaring music by umpire Country Joe West until he just couldn't take it anymore.

However as we moved in closer, and finally caught a glimpse of the Garfoose via telescopic camera, one sight of those teeth and glare (see picture above), we thought better of it.  So, we took the next best approach.  We decided to Angus MacGyver (yes, Angus was MacGyver's first name) the scope with a coat hanger that we carry around, and send electronic messages directly to the Garfoose via it's wifi enabled antlers.

In this Baseball Song of the Day elusive exclusive (we were only able to capture and hold his attention for a few minutes before he escaped), we were able to find out the following information:

Hello Mr. Garfoose. Thank you for taking time out of foraging for baseballs to answer a few questions.

Q: Do you have a first name?

Garfoose! (Garfoose)

Q: I've heard that you are wifi enabled. If so, do you download or stream music? Are you a Pandora, or last.fm kinda Garfoose, or do you prefer to download?

Garfooooooooooose! (Pandora)

Q: What are some songs that you have been listening to lately?

GARFoooooooSE (White Knuckles by OK GO, Jumping Jack Flash by the Rolling Stones, and the entire In Rainbows album from Radiohead)



Q: What's your favorite baseball related song?

GARFOOOOOSE!!!!!!! (I hate baseball songs, I hear then every freaking day and I can't take them anymore!)

Q: If you were manager and had to select from the following to pitch the 7th game of a World Series, whom would you choose: Dick Drago, Bob Moose, Joe Berry, Steve Fireovid, or "Moose" Skowran?

GarfOOOse? (None of the Above. I would take Snake Plissken, though I know he's not a baseball player per say, I think he could get it done)

Thank you Mr. Garfoose. Looking forward to writing about you and reading and promoting your friend Mr. Hayhurst's book.

Garfoose =) ( No, THANK YOU, and if I was to eat you or any of your friends, don't take it personally).

Majestically yours,

The Garfoose

BSOD 4/10/2010: White Knuckles
Artist: OK Go
Released: 2010


White Knuckles Lyrics



You'll never get that taste, out of your mouth
You'll never get the paw prints, out of the hen house now
And you can't go back, same way you came
Round all the pieces up, but they just dont fit the same


White knuckles
Maybe it's not so bad
So let your hair down now


White knuckles
Yeah maybe it's not so bad
Aww go ahead and let it down


So come and let it all out, let it bleed
Did you get what you want? Did you get what you need?
Behind the lines, behind the walls
Tell me what's the bet you made, was it that bad after all?


White knuckles
Yeah maybe it's not so bad
So let your hair down now


White knuckles
Aww maybe it's not so bad
Just let it all come down now


So just have fun, it's far enough
Everybody needs to sleep at night, everybody needs a crutch
But couldn't good, be good enough?
Cause nothin' ever doesn't change but nothin' changes much


Yeah, maybe it's not so bad
So let your hair down now
White knuckles


Aww maybe it's not so bad
Just let it all come down now


Yeah maybe it's not so bad
Just let your hair come down now


Oh maybe it's not so bad
Just let it all come down



Related Links:
http://www.dirkhayhurst.com
http://www.dirkhayhurst.com/Dirkhayhurst.com/Garfoose.html

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The Garfoose is a good friend of Dirk Hayhurst; pitcher for the Toronto Blue Jays who recently underwent shoulder surgery and will be rehabbing in 2010 on his way back into the game.

Dirk has chronicled his way through the minor leagues and into "the bigs" and has just released a book titled, "The Bullpen Gospels" which is receiving massive praise from the baseball pundits and fans alike.   Here's some reviews:

Bullpen Gospels is a rollicking good bus ride of a book. Hayhurst illuminates a baseball life not only with wit and humor, but also with thought-provoking introspection.

--Tom Verducci, Sports Illustrated.

 “Bull Durham meets Ball Four in Dirk Hayhurst's hilarious and moving account of life in baseball's glamor-free bush leagues.”

--Rob Neyer, ESPN.com

“Yes, Virginia, there is a big-league ballplayer who can write a memoir all by himself that is not a whistle-blowing, naming-of-names diatribe, but rather an intelligent, articulate, profound, brutally honest, self-effacing, funny, touching book about the painful but rewarding relationship between baseball and life.  Dirk Hayhurst’s The Bullpen Gospels is a from-the-heart, refreshingly stereotype-busting account of a year in his minor league pitching career that reveals him not as a number on a uniform or a bunch of stats or a grinning face on a baseball card, but a vulnerable, humble, flesh-and-blood real person with real feelings.  Gospels is a funny bone-tickling, tear duct-stimulating, feel-good story that will leave die-hard baseball fans—and die-hard human beings, for that matter—well, feeling good.”

--Bob Mitchell, Author of Once Upon a Fastball, and Match Made in Heaven


So, what are you waiting for?  Go buy the book already.

The Voice of Summer: Ernie Harwell Tribute

The radio. For me, it's more than just background noise, and during baseball season, it's a constant companion who's always there for me seven months out of every year (eight if you include spring training games). In the days before the Internet and cell phones, listening to baseball on the radio was the only way to keep up with your team.

Whether you were at home, in the car, with a hidden earpiece connected to a transistor radio during school, at work, or in bed late at night listening to West coast games, the crackling of distant lightning strikes making it only that much more authentic and real, baseball on the radio was always by my side.

I recently read about a Detroit Tigers fan who had the same appreciation for radio and baseball and his team's announcer.

Twenty years ago, Lansing, Michigan native Ben Hassenger put his musical talents to use in writing a terrific song about the legendary and Hall of Fame announcer of the Detroit Tigers; Ernie Harwell.

The song "The Voice of Summer" by Ben Hassenger is a sweet sounding tune which instantly warms one's heart and tells about the singer's best friend who was always with him through all the important moments in his life.

Hassenger sings.."The voice of Summer, is calling on my radio, what I'd ever do without him, I don't want to know."

Sounding to me like it would fit snugly into any Subdudes album, "The Voice of Summer" frolicks along like its dancing through a lifetime of memories and steps together lightly with harmonica stylings and sweet guitar strumming. A perfect song for a warm Summer night on the back porch highlighted by some tea lights.

>> Download the song, "The Voice of Summer" for free <<

Hassenger states in a recent column at The StateNews.com ...

Growing up a Tigers fan and listening to Harwell call Tigers games his whole life, Hassenger said he always saw Harwell as a special person.

“He’s one of those guys that seems like your favorite uncle or grandfather,” Hassenger said. “And he’s like that when you meet him. He’s genuine and he won’t let you down.”

After originally writing “Voice of Summer” during his summer off in the ’80s, Hassenger and his band Mystic Shake redid the song in 2002 — the year Harwell retired.

Toward the end of the 2002 baseball season, Hassenger tried to gain exposure for the song by sending it to radio stations and other media outlets in Detroit. He also dropped a CD off at the broadcast booth in Comerica Park for Harwell, not thinking anything would come of it, until one day he received a call from the Tigers legend.

“He said, ‘I just wanted to tell you that I really appreciate you writing that song about me. I’m honored,’” Hassenger said. “I’m going ‘Geez, I listened to you my whole life, I’m honored that you called.’ Obviously it made my day.”



BSOD 4/9/2010: The Voice Of Summer
Artist: Ben Hassenger
Released: 1980?? (to be determined)

Voice of Summer Lyrics
Words and music by Ben Hassenger

The first voices I remember
Were those of my mom & dad
The second voice turned out to be
The best friend I ever had
Everywhere I'd go
And everything I'd do
I was never far from my radio
Listening to the orange & blue

And the voice of summer
He’s calling on my radio
What I'd ever do without him
I don't want to know
I guess that I'd be left there standing like a house by the side of the road
Without the voice of summer on my radio

He followed me through high school
And on to college too
And that night I cried when my grandfather died
He was there to fill his shoes
I learned so much about the game
From the stories he would share
When I couldn't make it to the park
He'd make me feel like I was there

He's the voice of summer
Calling on my radio
What I'd ever do without him
I don't want to know
I guess that I'd be left there standing
Like a house by the side of the road
Without the voice of summer on my radio

Staying up past my bedtime
Praying for some instant runs
Wondering how he ever knew
Where all the people in the park were from

The time's they are a'changin
Nothing seems to be the same
No more crowds at Michigan and Trumbull
And only millionaires play the game
But some things should last forever
At least that how I'd like them to stay
I'll hear Ernie inside my head
Every time I watch the Tigers play

He's the voice of summer
Calling on my radio
What I'd ever do without him
I don't want to know
I guess that I'd be left there standing like a house by the side of the road
Without the voice of summer on my radio

Related Links:
http://www.reverbnation.com/benhassenger (FREE Downloads)
http://www.youtube.com/bquietmusic (FREE videos)
http://www.facebook.com/pages/Ben-Hassenger-Music/173192460879?ref=nf (FREE fun)
http://benhassenger.blogspot.com (FREE thoughts)
http://www.myspace.com/bquietmusic (FREE space)

--------------------------------

Note: BSOD got in contact with Ben about his wonderful songs and he was kind enough to send the lyrics along right before heading out for Opening Day at Comerica Park.  (Tigers won 5-2).  Ben has also written another "Tiger tune" called "The Corner", which is a tribute to old Tiger Stadium.  I'm sure we'll catch up with Ben again to find out more about that song, and to answer a few baseball related questions that we had for him.  As they say in baseball, it's a marathon, not a sprint, so the season is still young.

---------------------------------------


As Mel Allen used to say, "How 'bout that?"  Ben quickly responded to us not long after the Tiger's Opening Day victory with answers to our questions:

1.  What's your favorite baseball song (besides your own of course)?

The first one that comes to mind is Chuck Brodsky's "Letters in the Dirt" ; he grew up a Phillies fan and wrote this amazing song about Ritchie Allen and the prejudice he faced (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0q8CHJ3i1Aw).  He's written a bunch of great baseball tunes, but this is probably my favorite of his. Of course "Take Me Out to the Ballgame" (check out my uke version at: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fSV2C5gR9sM) and "Centerfield", but there are a whole bunch more great baseball tunes. Jeff Campbell and his "Hungry for Music" organization has put together some nice collections called "Diamond Cuts": http://hungryformusic.com/cds/diamond-cuts/

 2.  Would the 1984 Tigers have won if they played the 1984 Cubs instead of the Padres?  (Yes, as a cub fan the '84 season still hurts).

I love the Cubbies too and wanted to see an I-94 World Series, but the Tigers would have killed them. The Cubs lost to the Padres, who were then swept by Detroit. The World Series title was their destiny in '84. that 35-5 start was amazing.  

3.  Trammel and Whitaker, should either be in the Hall of Fame?

Maybe Trammell. Jack Morris should probably be in there too, both have statistics that are better than some of the players enshrined. I'll see if I can use my newfound clout to get them in :)

4.  Since you wrote another song about Old Tiger's Stadium, what do you miss most about it?

Tiger Stadium (there's only one, not an old or new) was a special place for me and many other fans. Things I'll remember most include:


* Walking up that long dark tunnel to the bleacher entrance where the bright blue sky and emerald green field greeted you

* The many friends I met there in the bleachers

* The 1-0 win over the Blue Jays in the last game of the regular season in 1987 that clinched the pennant for Detroit

* The walk through the old neighborhood of Corktown on my way to the park

* The final game in 1999, I sat in the stands with many other fans long after the game was over, we didn't want to say goodbye

BSOD Editor's Note: "I went to a game at Detroit in the early 1990's and a memory I have of the game is Rickey Henderson of the Oakland A's politely giving the fans the middle finger.  I state politely because first of all, the Tigers' fans were heckling him to no end, and this included many curse words.  Rickey didn't respond for the first few innings, and then at one point, bent over with his glove and throwing hand on each knee, and looked intently towards home plate, and then put his hand behind his back and flipped the bird to the left field hecklers."

Talking Yogi Talk

"This may be the greatest music that's never been heard."

Ok, so that may not be quite up to Yogi Berra's standards, but I took a shot.

Today's Baseball Song of the Day comes from six time grammy award winner, John McCutcheon.

Born in Wisconsin (and a Milwaukee Braves fan), McCutcheon has produced over 30 albums during his career and has received some high praise from such artists as Johnny Cash who called him, "The most impressive instrumentalist I’ve ever heard.” Mainly a folk singer, McCutcheon plays a variety of instruments including a 12-String Guitar, Fancy Banjo, Fiddle, Hammered Dulcimer, Nyckelharpa, and something called a Piano too.

(photo by Gary Harrison, May 6, 2001 at the Baseball Hall of Fame)

From his biography on his web site: http://www.folkmusic.com/bio, one of McCutcheon's greatest gifts are to bring all types of people together through his music, which ranges from political, to the everyday (a child's haircut) to one of my favorite subjects, Baseball.

“Some of them know me through my albums for children,” he explains. “Some know me as a hammered dulcimer player. Some know me for writing topical songs. Yet all of these people find themselves sitting next to one another at my shows. They laugh and cry. They get nostalgic and they think about the future. They think about their kids and their ancestors. They get inspired and energized. And this inspires and energizes me too."

In 2008 McCutcheon recorded an album dedicated to the subject of baseball called "Sermon On the Mound" in which he honored a few of the games heroes (Cal Ripken Jr., Roberto Clemente, Jackie Robinson), discusses the dark side of the game (John Rocker and the steroids issue) and catches many bittersweet moments.

From an article by Mike Tierney on the Atlanta Journal Constitution web site, McCutcheon explains about a few of the songs meanings...

"Doin' My Job" recognizes Cal Ripken's consecutive games streak while equating it to common people going to work every day.

"One More Mountaintop" relives Mark McGwire's record-breaking home run from the perspective of the groundskeeper who retrieved the ball and honorably gave it to McGwire rather than sell it to a collector.

"Cross That Line" revisits pioneer Jackie Robinson's integration of the major leagues made easier with a simple but profound gesture by teammate Pee Wee Reese. Its message: Seize the moment when one arises for a positive impact.

Not every McCutcheon number is wrapped in warm nostalgia. He bemoans the infiltration of steroids in "Big." He tosses melodious beanballs at the former Braves pitcher/sociopolitical observer in "John Rocker." ("You want him in the bullpen, you want him in the zone, but you want him far away from a microphone.")

---------------

Another song on the album; "Sermon on the Mound" is today's Baseball Song of the Day, "Talking Yogi Talk" which highlights many of the New York Yankee and Hall of Famer Yogi Berra's famous sayings.



BSOD 4/8/2010: Talking Yogi Talk
Artist: John McCutcheon
Released: 2008

A sampling of the lyrics from Talking Yogi Talk by John McCutcheon

"I wanna tell you a little story
about a hero of mine
I was six or seven
at the time
learned to catch behind the plate
when up steps the yankees number 8

one of the best to ever play the game
enshrined in baseball's hall of fame
Yogi Berra could hit, he could throw
but when he opened his mouth
(laughs) well...you just never know

he hits from both sides of the plate
heeee's ammmmmmmmphibious

the future ain't what it used to be
i won't buy encylodpedia for my kids
let them walk to school like i did

sometimes he said things that actually sounded profound
like..in theory there is no difference between theory and practice
in practice, there is

Related Links:
http://www.folkmusic.com
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5xwfFc-42k4
http://www.ajc.com/lifestyle/folksinger-happy-to-be-440043.html?cxtype=rss_news_128746

Drilling in a Pitch in Tulsa

Tim McGraw to throw out first pitch at the Tulsa Driller's Opening Game.  It's the first professional game in Tulsa in 80 years.

From: TulsaWorld.com ...

Country music singer and actor Tim McGraw will throw the ceremonial first pitch at ONEOK Field for the Tulsa Drillers' sold-out opening game Thursday.

"We are very fortunate to have Tim McGraw agree to do this. He's a busy man," Drillers owner Chuck Lamson said Monday.

McGraw is scheduled to play a concert at the BOK Center on Thursday.

Lamson said it is fitting that McGraw throw the pitch because he has a baseball connection — his father, Tug McGraw.

Tug McGraw was a premier relief pitcher for the Philadelphia Phillies and the New York Mets. He died in 2004.

In the 1980 World Series, Tug McGraw earned the final out against Kansas City with a strikeout, giving the Phillies their first world championship.

He was twice selected to play in the MLB All-Star game, and he is in the New York Mets Hall of Fame and on the Philadelphia Phillies Wall of Fame.

Tim McGraw attended Northeast Louisiana University on a baseball scholarship.

When Lamson and others realized that Tim McGraw would be in Tulsa the same night as the Drillers' opening game and debut of the new downtown ballpark, officials began efforts to see if McGraw would throw the pitch.

"When it was all said and done, it was some Louisiana connections that made this happen," Lamson said, pointing to Mike Neal, CEO and president of the Tulsa Metro Chamber, and Paul Wilkening, former chief deputy for the Tulsa County commissioners.

Neal's wife went to college with Tim McGraw at Northeast Louisiana, and later the children of Neal and Tim McGraw competed in sports against each other. Wilkening was a fraternity brother of McGraw's in college.

Neal said it's a huge plus to have the superstar in town.

"Albeit, we would prefer to not have the opening night of the Drillers in competition with a Tim McGraw concert, but everything worked out ideally with Tim's willingness to participate in the ceremonial first pitch," he said.

"I'm sure there will be a lot of us start out at the ballgame and move over to Tim's concert later," Neal said. "That just shows how our two venues can complement one another. Downtown Tulsa is certainly going to be hopping Thursday night."

Lamson said he is excited to have such "a great guy bring a blend of country music and baseball to really kick off this new era of Drillers baseball."

Read more from this Tulsa World article at http://www.tulsaworld.com/news/article.aspx?subjectid=408&articleid=20100406_11_B1_Countr962831

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Watch Tim McGraw talk about how he discreetly spread his father's ashes on the mound at the World Series in 2008.  

Watch today's Baseball Song of the Day, "Live Like You're Dying" by Tim McGraw




BSOD 4/7/2010: Live Like You're Dying
Artist: Tim McGraw
Released: 2004


Live Like You're Dying Lyrics



He said: "I was in my early forties,
"With a lot of life before me,
"An' a moment came that stopped me on a dime.
"I spent most of the next days,
"Looking at the x-rays,
"An' talking 'bout the options an' talkin’ ‘bout sweet time."
I asked him when it sank in,
That this might really be the real end?
How’s it hit you when you get that kind of news?
Man whatcha do? 


An' he said: "I went sky diving, I went rocky mountain climbing,
"I went two point seven seconds on a bull named Fu Man Chu.
"And I loved deeper and I spoke sweeter,
"And I gave forgiveness I'd been denying."
An' he said: "Some day, I hope you get the chance,
"To live like you were dyin'." 


He said "I was finally the husband,
"That most the time I wasn’t.
"An' I became a friend a friend would like to have.
"And all of a sudden goin' fishin’,
"Wasn’t such an imposition,
"And I went three times that year I lost my Dad.
"Well, I finally read the Good Book,
"And I took a good long hard look,
"At what I'd do if I could do it all again,
"And then: 


"I went sky diving, I went rocky mountain climbing,
"I went two point seven seconds on a bull named Fu Man Chu.
"And I loved deeper and I spoke sweeter,
"And I gave forgiveness I'd been denying."
An' he said: "Some day, I hope you get the chance,
"To live like you were dyin'." 


Like tomorrow was a gift,
And you got eternity,
To think about what you’d do with it.
An' what did you do with it?
An' what can I do with it?
An' what would I do with it? 


"Sky diving, I went rocky mountain climbing,
"I went two point seven seconds on a bull named Fu Man Chu.
"And then I loved deeper and I spoke sweeter,
"And I watched Blue Eagle as it was flyin'."
An' he said: "Some day, I hope you get the chance,
"To live like you were dyin'." 


"To live like you were dyin'."
"To live like you were dyin'."
"To live like you were dyin'."
"To live like you were dyin'." 


Related Links:
http://www.tugmcgraw.org
http://www.tulsadrillers.com