We’ve made it to Opening Day, a baseball fan’s holiday. We survived the cold winter and spring training, and now the first pitch beckons. To get ready for Opening Day, we’ve been counting down 10 of the best baseball songs ever recorded. Now we’re at No. 1 and I had to go with the ultimate baseball ballad, the one you hear at every ballpark.
It doesn’t get better than “Take Me Out To The Ballgame.”
We’ve been counting down 10 of the best baseball songs to get ready for Opening Day. Since we are just hours from the first pitch, I figured Cardinals fans need to celebrate the franchise’s legendary players.
The Bud Brothers did it for everyone.
We’ve been counting down 10 of the best baseball songs to get ready for Opening Day. Since we are just hours from the first pitch, I figured Cubs fans needed a moment to get themselves in the right mind to believe.
A rendition of “Go Cubs Go” does it, right?
Baseball’s Opening Day nears, and the national pastime is celebrated in so many different ways, including in music. So I figured we’d count down 10 of the best baseball-themed songs to get you ready for Opening Day.
At No. 2 is “Centerfield” by John Fogerty.
Put me in coach, I’m ready to play. Enough said.
Most teams broke camp after their final spring training game today and are headed home to prepare for Thursday’s Opening Day.
So this is the final Spring Training Trivia question for 2011. Here it is …
Albert Pujols has finished no lower than fourth in the voting for NL MVP only once in his 10-year career. What year was it, where did Pujols finish in the balloting and who won the MVP that season?
And the answer …
Pujols finished ninth in the voting for the NL MVP in 2007 when Jimmy Rollins won the award. Pujols finished that season with a .327 average, 32 home runs and 103 RBI. Those were career lows for homers and RBI.
Meanwhile, Rollins had 30 homers and 41 stolen bases as the Phillies won the NL East. They lost in the division series, getting swept by the Rockies. Coincidentally, Matt Holliday, now the starting left fielder for the Cardinals, finished second in the MVP voting when he was with the Rockies. Holliday hit .340 with 36 homers and 137 RBI in 2007.
Pujols has finished in the top three in the MVP voting eight times in 10 seasons. He finished fourth during his rookie season of 2001, second in 2002 and ’03 and third in 2004. He won his first MVP in 2005 and won the award in 2008 and ’09. He finished second in 2006 and ’10.
Thanks for participating in Spring Training Trivia. Hopefully, it has everyone prepared for the start of our national pastime.
Enjoy the season!
Baseball’s Opening Day nears, and the national pastime is celebrated in so many different ways, including in music. So I figured we’d count down 10 of the best baseball-themed songs to get you ready for Opening Day.
At No. 3 is “Glory Days” by Bruce Springsteen.
From the highly successful album “Born in the USA” and the fifth single released off it, “Glory Days” celebrates the men who look back on the days they were invincible, when they could “throw that speedball by you.”
Thursday is the day we’ve waited all winter for: Baseball’s Opening Day.
The crackle of the radio. The smell of the grass. The feel of dirt beneath your feet. The pop of the mitt. The sizzle of a fastball. The taste of fresh popcorn. The sound of an adoring crowd.
There is no game like it. There never will be.
Hopefully, Spring Training Trivia has primed you for an entertaining season. Most teams break camp on Tuesday, so this will be the final Spring Training Trivia question for this year. Thanks for playing along.
Here is the final question …
Albert Pujols has finished no lower than fourth in the voting for NL MVP only once in his 10-year career. What year was it, where did Pujols finish in the balloting and who won the MVP that season?
Check back Tuesday for the answer.
Baseball’s Opening Day nears, and the national pastime is celebrated in so many different ways, including in music. So I figured we’d count down 10 of the best baseball-themed songs to get you ready for Opening Day.
At No. 4 is “Talkin’ Baseball: Willie, Mickey and the Duke” by Terry Cashman.
Often referred to as “The Balladeer of Baseball,” Cashman is a songwriter and record producer. He was the lead singer for a band called The Chevrons in the late 1950s. He also played Minor League Baseball in the Detroit Tigers organization at around the same time. He wrote “Talkin’ Baseball” in 1981.
The Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum will honor Cashman this summer as part of induction weekend, 30 years after his song that pays homage to Mays, Mantle and Snider became a ballpark favorite. Cashman will perform his ballpark anthem once again during ceremonies on July 23, a day before Roberto Alomar, Bert Blyleven and Pat Gillick are inducted.
Brad Hamilton finished his career as the all-time leading scorer in Pittsfield history and the program’s third first-team all-stater. It places him among elite company with the likes of Tony Baker and Jamie Reel. Add in names like Stan Boyd, Tracy Shelton and Mike Fitch and the legacy Hamilton has joined is inspiring.
The senior guard, who led the Saukees to a fourth-place finish, at the Class 2A state tournament, is the 2011 Herald-Whig Player of the Year, becoming just the third Saukee to take that honor. Hamilton accepted it in his own humble way. He never sought such accolades. He simply earned them.
To hear what Hamilton had to say about the honor, the season and the Saukees’ place in program history, check out this interview:
Pittsfield senior forward Cory Roseberry played alongside Hamilton most of his life, and although he marvels at what Hamilton can do on the court, nothing the Herald-Whig Player of the Year does can surprise Roseberry anymore. Watch the video to see what he has to say about Hamilton and Pittsfield coach Brad Tomhave, who was named the Coach of the Year:
Brad Tomhave is a Saukee. Always will be. The Pittsfield boys basketball coach graduated from the Pike County hoops hotbed in 1994 and returned six seasons ago to become the head coach of the tradition-rich program. Since then, the Saukees have been on the upswing. Their 28-7 record this season marked the fourth straight 20-win season, making Tomhave only the second coach in Pittsfield history to string four such seasons together.
Legendary coach Dave Bennett put together a school-record eight straight 20-win seasons from 1989-90 to 1996-97.
However, consecutive 20-win seasons isn’t the only thing Tomhave has in common with his old high school coach. They are the only coaches in Pittsfield history to bring home a state trophy, with Tomhave accomplishing the feat this season as the Saukees finished fourth in Class 2A. They also are the only Pittsfield coaches to be named the Herald-Whig Coach of the Year, something they both have done twice with Tomhave winning his second honor this season.
To hear more about the Saukees’ season, Tomhave’s approach to coaching this team and the impact of senior guard Brad Hamilton, the Herald-Whig Player of the Year, check out this interview:
Pittsfield senior guard Brad Hamilton, a four-year varsity player, talks about the impact Tomhave has had on the program and his career.
