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

Opening Day: Dre to Tyler to Diamond

They're no Tinker to Evers to Chance, but in the world of music they're a very solid trio.

Sunday April 4th kicked off the 2010 baseball season with the 2009 World Series Champions; the New York Yankees meeting their rivals the Boston Red Sox at Fenway Park.

Over the last few years Fenway has seen a revival in their stadium's appearance and popularity and combine that with the appeal of Opening Day and you have a fantastic venue for some top name acts.

Appearing first on the day was hip-hop's very own Dr. Dre. Dre as he took batting practice sporting a Red Sox jersey and hawking his new "Beats by Dr. Dre" Red Sox headphones. With him was Interscope chairman Jimmy Iovine who stated that he's from Brooklyn and was originally a Mets fan, but today is rooting for Boston.



Up next was fresh out of rehab - Steven Tyler, the lead singer of Aerosmith performing "God Bless America" at the bottom of the 7th inning. I have an open mind when it comes to music and differing versions of songs, but in all honesty, even though I enjoyed his effort, I found the version off putting and would have enjoyed a more traditional sound for one of our country's respected songs. Performing acapella, with his daughter Chelsea joining in at the very end (I rather liked that part), Tyler's voice is just too raw and screeching for the song. A hit, and a miss.



Finishing up the trio was Neil Diamond sporting a Red Sox hat, and a dark black blazer with the words, "Keep the Dodgers in Brooklyn" in white lettering on the back.

Diamond was definitely showing his age, and the song was definitely "schlocky" and that's alright with me. This man has been around for years and years and having his song being adopted at the park for the 8th inning in which everyone (I'm sure there's some holdouts) joins in and sings "So good, so good, so good" back to him is nothing but silly fun. Racing sausages (in Milwaukee) are ok but singing "Sweet Caroline" isn't?



BSOD 4/5/2010: Sweet Caroline - 8th Inning Stylee
Artist: Neil Diamond and the Boston Red Sox Fans
Released: 4/4/2010

"So good, so good, so good!!!"

Note: The Red Sox beat the Yankees 9-7

Opening Day Song: Life's Good Again

I'm not sure what its like for those of you that live in warm weather climates.  But for those of us who experience a full Winter where the only green we see comes from the Christmas tree, the warm winds of Spring can never come soon enough.  The daffodils peeking out in front of the leftover snowmobile trail signs, the rippling of the water from once frozen over streams, all remind us, that Spring has sprung, and life begins its cycle once again.

It's this anticipation, for what is to come, that inspires us, and gives us hope in our lives.  To enjoy life's outdoor activities once again, not encumbered by three layers of clothing.  To ride a bicycle, plant vegetable seeds, watch a movie at a drive in, eat roasted-dipped in a vat of butter-salted corn on the cob, and the most wondrous of all, catch a game at the ole' ballpark.

To this we salute the most righteous of Spring's offerings; Baseball Opening Day, with a look at a homegrown "Baseball Opening Day" song from "Regular Rob" Crawford; Vice President of Red Sox Nation.

Opening Day 2010 begins on April 4th with the World Series Champs of 2009, the much loved and hated New York Yankees appearing at Fenway Park.  Our pick for this year's Opening Day song, goes to "Regular Rob" Crawford.

"Crawdaddy" Crawford as he was known before trying for presidency of the Red Sox Nation (Boston maniacal fans who live and die for their team), is a father of five who, by his own accord is dominated in his life by parenthood and baseball. On his blog, "Regular Rob" writes about why he loves baseball, "The leathery-dirt smell of a Rawlings baseball glove. The feel of a high-seamed baseball under my fingertips. Kids imitating their heroes’ batting stances. Defensive replacements in the 9th inning. The allure of an expansive green lawn."

His list of reasons why he loves baseball continues on a very looooooooong page, and it contains one of my favorites, "Old men and women who keep score, every game." It is just this passion that he is referring to, when he wasn't able to find an adequate song about his feeling for baseball and Opening Day. So, what's a man to do but... write an Opening Day song of his own.

The weekend before the 2008 opening day game for the Boston Red Sox, "Regular Rob" Crawford snuk on down to the basement (aka the "daddy bunker") when the kids were asleep and put together a terrific song about what baseball's opening day means to him, and in essence, like any good song, to all of us too.

There's only one thing left to say..."Play Ball!"

>>> Listen to the Song (right click to save it) or go to Rob's Blog and hear it there

BSOD 4/2/2010: Opening Day! (song)
Artist: Rob Crawford
Released: 2008
www.crawdaddycove.com

Opening Day! Lyrics
by Rob Crawford (ASCAP)

Well it’s Opening Day
Winter’s gone, let’s celebrate
Skipping school for the game
Got no choice, it’s in my D.N.A.
Baseball everyday ’til fall
Sing Spangled Stars, then let’s play ball
Yes it’s Opening Day
Life’s good again

Opening Day!
Opening Day!

Well it’s Opening Day
Winter’s gone, spring starts today
Skipping work for the game
Guess I’ll update my resume
From Japan to Canada
U.S.A. to Latin America
Yes it’s Opening Day
Life’s good again

Opening Day!
Opening Day!
This year our team’s going all the way
It all starts on Opening Day

Well it’s Opening Day
Winter ended yesterday
Skipping school for the game
It’s baseball’s own religious holiday
And the rockets’ red glare
The bombs bursting in air
Yes it’s Opening Day
Life’s good again

Baseball everyday ’til fall
No more hot stove, let’s play ball
Yes it’s Opening Day
Life’s good again

Opening Day!

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

Note: What's a great opening day performance???
How about this: Karl "Tuffy" Rhodes hit three home runs on Opening Day in 1994 for the Chicago Cubs.  Acquired in the off season from the KC Royals, Tuffy had only played in less than 100 games in the major leagues before the Cubs gave him the nod.  What's more, Karl hit the home runs off of....Dwight Gooden.  Tuffy then went on to Japan where in the 2001 season, he hit his 55th homer to tie Sadaharu Oh's Japanese League single season home run record, set in 1964.  View other great Opening Day Bests at: http://baseballhistorian.com/html/opening_day.htm