* B A S E B A L L *
MAY
2006
- Take Me Out To The Ball Game - Bob Dylan (a capella) - (2006)
- Take Me Out To The Ball Game - The Skeletons (with ukulele) - (1988)
- Baseball Boogie - Mabel Scott - (1950)
- Home Run - Chance Halladay - (1959)
- Baseball Baby - Johnny Darling - (1958)
- Baseball Canto - Lawrence Ferlinghetti
- Three Strikes And You're Out - Cowboy Copas - (1960)
- The Ball Game - Sister Wynona Carr - (1952)
- Did You See Jackie Robinson Hit That Ball - Buddy Johnson - (1943)
- Joltin' Joe DiMaggio - Les Brown & His Orchestra (with Betty Bonney)- (1941)
- Joe DiMaggio's Done It Again - Billy Bragg & Wilco - (1988)
- Don Newcomb Really Throws That Ball - Teddy Brannon Orchestra - (1950)
- Newk's Fadeaway - Sonny Rollins - (1951)
- Say Hey - The Treniers - (1954)
- The Wizard Of Oz - Sam Bush - (2004)
- 3rd Base, Dodger Stadium - Ry Cooder - (2004)
- Heart - Damn Yankees (Original Broadway Cast) - (1955)
"Baseball" was the topic of the fourth "Theme Time Radio Hour".
Maybe this theme was not planned for his 65th birthday, but I would assume
Bob Dylan has some say in what show will be aired on a certain date.
And a mighty fine radio show it was, this 'Baseball' show, one of the
peaks of which for me was 'Joltin' Joe DiMaggio', sung by Betty Bonney,
a track from 1941 (as old as Dylan), featuring Les Brown & His Orchestra.
[In 1954 Joe DiMaggio was briefly married to Marilyn Monroe, whose jacket
from that wedding was stolen in 'Wonder Boys' end ended up with Oola.]
The finest of the tracks presented by Bob Dylan was another great Gospel
song, "The Ball Game", sung by Sister Wynona Carr; and the way Bob Dylan
is quoting parts of the lyrics after the song is simply priceless.
The Ball Game
Sister Wynona Carr
Sister Wynona Carr
Life is a ballgame
Bein' played each day
Life is a ballgame
Everybody can play
Yes you know Jesus standin' at the home plate
He's a-waitin' for you there
You know life is a ballgame
But you've got to play it fair
The first base is temptation
You know the second base is sin
The third base tribulation
If you pass you can make it in
Ol' man Solomon is the umpire
And Satan pitchin the game
He'll do his best to strike you out
Keep playin' just the same
You know Daniel's up to bat first
You know he prayed three times a day
Yes Satan pitched him a fast ball
But he hit it anyway
Yes you know Job is up to bat next
Satan struck him in every way
But Job hit a home run
And he came on in that day
Yes you know prayer is our strong bat
To hit at Satan's ball
And when you start to swing it
You've got to give it your all-in-all
Yes you know faith gonna be your catcher
And on him you can depend
For Jesus standing at the home plate
And he's waitin for you to come in
Yes you know Moses is on the side lines
Waitin to be called
You know the day he parted the Red Sea
He knew Christ all-in-all
Then John came in the ninth inning
And the game was almost done
Then God gave John a vision
And he knew he'd already won
Yes you know life is a ballgame
Bein' played each day
You know life is a ballgame
Each and everybody can play
Yes you know Jesus is standin' at the home plate
He's a-waitin' for you there
Well, you know life is a ballgame
But you've got to play it fair
Joltin' Joe DiMaggio
Les Brown & His Orchestra
(with Betty Bonney)
Les Brown & His Orchestra
(with Betty Bonney)
Hello Joe, whatta you know?
We need a hit so here I go
Ball one (Yea!)
Ball two (Yea!)
Strike one (Booo!)
Strike two (Kill that umpire!)
A case of Wheaties
He started baseball's famous streak
That's got us all aglow
He's just a man and not a freak
Joltin' Joe DiMaggio
Joe, Joe DiMaggio
We want you on our side
He tied the mark at forty-four
July the 1st you know
Since then he's hit a good twelve more
Joltin' Joe DiMaggio
Joe, Joe DiMaggio
We want you on our side
From coast to coast that's all you'll hear
Of Joe the one man show
He's glorified the horsehide sphere
Joltin' Joe DiMaggio
Joe, Joe DiMaggio
We want you on our side
He'll live in baseball's Hall of Fame
He got there blow by blow
Our kids will tell their kids his name
Joltin' Joe DiMaggio
We dream of Joey with the light brown plaque
Joe, Joe DiMaggio
We want you on our side
And now they speak in whispers low
Of how they stopped our Joe
One night in Cleveland Oh Oh Oh
Goodbye streak DiMaggio
Totally unrelated to Bob Dylan's radio show in May 2006,
here is my little personal baseball story from July 1982.
From July 1981 to July 1982 I lived as an exchange student for a year in Ohio
(where I also saw my first Dylan concert in Cincinnati in November 1981).
At the end of that year I took a Greyhound trip out west, and on
the way back to Columbus I visited St. Louis, took an elevator up the
Gateway arch, and saw a huge stadium from above, so I went to a baseball
game between the St. Louis Cardinals and the Atlanta Braves. One thing
led to another, and as you can see my name ended up on the score board.
