Top Ten Greatest Baseball Songs Ever

On June 12, 1970 pitcher Dock Phillip Ellis, Jr. of the Pittsburg Pirates threw a No Hitter against the San Diego Padres allegedly while on LSD. In a 1984 interview he admitted to having forgot there was a ball game that day and had "dosed" his self earlier in the day. Needless to say Ellis received much criticism for the admittance of his actions. During his career and for many years after Ellis spent time helping various charities such as, the Black Athletes Foundation for Sickle Cell Research, he contributed time to black prisoners at the Pennsylvania Department of Corrections and also was a coordinator for a Los Angles based Anti-Drug program. The song deserves to make the top ten in my opinion due to the fact Snider incorporates history with comedy and has a very creative way of doing so. Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dock_Ellis

9) Drop Kick Murphys - "Tessie"

This Drop Kick Murphys cover song from a 1902 Broadway Musical titled "The Silver Slipper" couldn't have came at a better time for Red Sox baseball fans. According to many accounts the original song was sang at the first World Series of 1903 between the Boston Americans and the Pittsburg Pirates and help Boston win the series. 1918 was the last year for Boston to win a World Series until 2004 when Drop Kick Murphys released the cover which was originally sang by an avid Boston Americans fan club the Royal Roosters. The song seems to have some sort of supernatural power boost for the Sox, lets who will cover it next to reignite the Boston Red Sox to another Series win? Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tessie

8) John McCutcheon - "I Am Here"

John McCutcheon has been a very busy man in his career; he has accumulated over 25 studio albums since the 1970's. This traditionally thought of legend of folk singers is well known for being politically outspoken and for his song "Christmas in the Trenches". John being the enthusiastic baseball fan he is must have been enthralled at the fact that Cooperstown wanted him to write a song for them to perform at the Baseball Hall of Fame. The song pays tribute to all the underdogs that gazed upon baseball with great hopes that never made it to the finish line of their goals on the diamond. Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_McCutcheon & http://folkmusic.com/bio/

7) Peter, Paul and Mary - "Right field"

Once again on the behalf of all the underdogs who were picked last for a summer's day game of baseball this song was made for you. The piece carries comedic value with a sense accomplishment when the young lad they speak of finally catches that ball that has eluded his glove for so long. For me the placement of this songs rank was difficult for several reasons, but after a long while of song rotation it finds itself nestled at number seven.

6) Jack Norworth - "Take Me Out to the Ball Game"

Even at over one hundred years old this song has stood the test of time as far as beloved songs of baseball go. "Take Me Out to the Ball Game" has been covered by countless musicians throughout the years but it all comes down to Jack Norworths original 1908 poem he wrote while riding the subway. Jack himself would not witness even a single ball game until over twenty years later. His poem was redone in 1927 and put to music by Albert Von Tilzer. With the help of his wife at the time Nora Bayes the song was made popular, as well as with the assistance of several vaudeville acts. It took many years and a huge team effort to make this song what it is, but isn't that what it's all about, team? Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jack_Norworth

5) Terry Cashman - "Talkin Baseball"

Timing is everything in many situations, baseball being no exception. The release of "Talkin Baseball" in 1981 caught the attention of many baseball fans. The 1981 Major League Baseball strike over free agent compensation brought baseball to a screeching halt. Upon Terry Cashman's debut of "Talkin Baseball" it placed upon the minds of many the greats of yesteryear and why they had all grown to love baseball so much. Terry earns fifth for giving the fans a perspective of reflections. Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Terry_Cashman & http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1981_Major_League_Baseball_strike

4) Alabama - "Cheap Seats"

Alabama has stood the test of time pretty well thus far in addition to being a band that set industry standards on what many see as "true country". "Cheap Seats" is the country boys' point view into baseball paying homage to the poor man, who just happens to love the fields of green as much as the next guy, if not more. To understand the songs impact on many you first have to imagine coming to terms with your possibly low social status or inability to afford box seating. Country music has always had a way of turning a negative into a positive and letting the middle to lower class take pride in their ability to make due with any given situation. Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cheap_Seats_%28album%29

3) Kenny Rogers - "The Greatest"

A great song with a great twist at the end, the boy who has been attempting to hit the ball he throws in the air strikes out and comes to the conclusion that he is a great pitcher. The boy doesn't at all focus on the fact that he couldn't make contact with the ball, but instead realizes there was something else he was doing that he does even better than batting. With the combination of Kenny Rogers's voice, tones the song brings and the concept behind the vocals this song put up a great fight in the race for first place, but third is well deserved.

2) Eddie Vedder - "All the Way"

Right off the bat it came as a surprise to me that Eddie Vedder even has a song about baseball. Upon further examination I found Eddie has long been a Chicago Cubs fan. The song originates from when Vedder was attending a baseball fantasy camp where former Cubs player Ernie Banks personally asked him to with a song about the Cubs. Grateful to oblige the song was completed in two nights. "All the Way" is a great song for a couple reasons. The first reason for this being such a great baseball track to me is that it brings a kind of joyous comfort for the losing team (the team being the Cubs) and gives that light at the end of the tunnel that there's always next year. Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/All_the_Way_%28Eddie_Vedder_song%29

1) John Fogerty - "Center Field"

This is like the new "Take Me Out to the Ball Game". I thought of two songs right away when I started this list, the song above and then "Center Field". This song as opposed to all the rest on the list I actually have a childhood attachment to. Ironically enough, the flashing sequence of images that play and rewind in my head are of summer days that never seemed to end. Although I was always playing baseball and had no idea what center field even was, the song motivated me. I would go for hours on end trying to be the greatest undiscovered athlete of all time, at least in my mind. I remember one time in particular that Fogerty vibrations where emitting across the airwaves. The sun was setting and I was all sweaty from a long drawn out duration of championship day training. I had been working on hitting the ball past this certain invisible line I had created across the field for what seemed like forever. As the daylight was coming to an end and dinnertime swiftly approaching, I was in the bottom of the ninth. I became very frustrated that I had not achieved my goal in perfectly simulating me being a star player at the World Series. Winning the final game to become world champions with a grand slam home run was of the utmost importance. As the last visible sunlight faded in the distance I gave the ball one final toss and made contact like never before. The baseball flew through the air, twisting and carving its own path reaching further past where the imagined line lay. A giant grin covered my face I knew I could do it. This song by far stands out to me above all the rest for this reason as well as it being a really catchy tune for the underdog crew.