For an upcoming "Hall of Names" feature, I need to gauge Box opinion on this topic: what do you think of Terry Cashman's baseball music?
| He's baseball's balladeer, The Great Game's Poet Laureate; he deserves his own wing in Cooperstown. |  3 (2.97%) |
| He's no Lennon or McCartney, but I can't help it -- I like his stuff. | 10 (9.90%) |
| Meh. | 12 (11.88%) |
| Don't like it, but won't spill my beer rushing to change the radio station. | 0 (0.00%) |
| Eternally alternating "Willie, Mickey and the Duke" and Manilow's "Mandy" defines Dante's eighth level of hell. | 8 (7.92%) |
| All I know is that song from The Simpsons, but that was cool. | 21 (20.79%) |
| Terry who? Is he related to Brian? | 47 (46.53%) |
101 votes | 12 featured comments
After I read the question, and before I saw the choices, I actually said to myself, "Is he related to Brian?".
I thought *everybody* knew the talking baseball song. It's a great piece of Americana (okay, yeah, so most of us are in Canada).
Apparently he did a version of the song for every MLB team during the '81 strike. Anyone know where I could find a copy of those songs? I'd love to hear the Expos one.
Apparently he did a version of the song for every MLB team during the '81 strike. Anyone know where I could find a copy of those songs? I'd love to hear the Expos one.
Forgive my ignorance, but is that song from the Simpsons "Baby Elephant Walk"?
The song from The Simpsons is "Talking Softball" from the classic episode with the power plant softball team featuring Clemens, Canseco, Griffey, Scioscia, Mattingly, Sax, Ozzie, Boggs (?) and of course Strawberry.
Thanks, Brian. I have seen that episode for n times, yet I can't even remember that song.
Starting lineup for the power plant team: # Player Pos 1 Steve Sax 2B 2 Wade Boggs 3B 3 Darryl Strawberry RF 4 Jose Canseco LF 5 Don Mattingly 1B 6 Ken Griffey, Jr. CF 7 Mike Scioscia C 8 Ozzie Smith SS 9 Roger Clemens P And the song: Well, Mr. Burns had done it. The power plant had won it. With Roger Clemens clucking all the while. Mike Scioscia's tragic illness made us smile. While Wade Boggs lay unconscious on the barroom tile. We're talkin'...Softball. From Maine to San Diego. Talking'...Softball. Mattingly and Canseco. Ken Griffey's grotesquely swollen jaw. Steve Sax and his run-in with the law. We're talkin' Homer...Ozzie, and the Straw. We're talkin'...Softball. From Maine to San Diego. Talkin'...Softball. Mattingly and Canseco. Ken Griffey's grotesquely swollen jaw. Steve Sax and his run-in with the law. We're talkin' Homer...Ozzie, and the Straw.from here
"Baby Elephant Walk" == Henry Mancini!
*also The Pink Panther and more*
*also The Pink Panther and more*
Apparently he did a version of the song for every MLB team during the '81 strike. Anyone know where I could find a copy of those songs? I'd love to hear the Expos one.
Back in 1996 as part of the Blue Jays' 20th anniversary, The Fan 590 did flashbacks to all of the team's past seasons. During one they played Cashman's "Talkin' Baseball" song for the team, which celebrated the team's 10th season (instead of "Willie, Mickey and the Duke" it had "Ten years with the Jays"). That's the only time I've heard it.
Somewhere around here I still have my old PC baseball game Front Page Sports: Baseball '96, which had a soundtrack that included the standard version of "Talkin' Baseball" as well as "Play by Play (I saw it on the radio)".
I think some of his ballads are cures from insomnia but for the most part, I actually like it. I have all the "Talkin' Baseball" songs from 1996 - he did one for each team and he did one for the Mariners 2001 season and for each of the New York teams and a Subway Series version in 2000.
When I was younger, it was a neat way to learn about the historical players for each team and each song has little facts that make it pretty cool.
I have the 1996 Blue Jays version:
'77 was the Jays' first year Toronto fans could finally cheer As Ault hit two home runs in our first game Bob Bailor was number one Jerry Garvin's pickoff gun The wins were few And the team was new But the fans still came We're talkin' baseball Rick Cerone and Luis Gomez Blue Jays baseball Ron Fairly, Hector Torres Big John and Griff and Otto all could play Roy Howell, Rico Carty, Dave McKay I'm talkin' baseball Baseball and the Jays Bosetti had a flair for style Danny Ainge just stayed awhile Clancy, Garth and Ernie were the core Bobby Cox, he took the reins And the Jays made instant gains In '85 a winner arrived It's what we waited for I'm talkin' baseball Bell and Moseby did the sluggin' Blue Jays baseball Steve and Lamp, they did some chuckin' Garcia and Fernandez made the plays Upshaw, Barfield; and Henke saved the day We're talkin' baseball Baseball and the Jays When you're talkin' Toronto baseball Sam Ewing, Tom Underwood Hartsfield and Mattick both had class The Princess Gate through which we passed Carter's homer was the crowning blow A Series ring, you know Well '96 is another year The Blue Jays had their game in gear They're headed for The Classic in the fall Cito pulls the strings We're hoping that it brings A championship to Toronto so let's play ball I'm talkin' baseball Sprague and Carter do the sluggin' Pat and Erik do the chuckin' Olerud and Alex make the plays Otis Nixon and Green and there's Jose We're talkin' baseball Baseball and the Jays
Yeah, some of those '96 names were downright scary. Erik Hanson? My goodness.
For Mike Moffatt and other Expos fans, here's the Expos '96 version:
The Royals had those baseball greats Who made their names back in the States Then expansion made its way to Parc Jarry Le Grand Orange came here The fans began to cheer And baseball in Montreal was on its way I'm talkin' baseball Bobby Wine and Coco Expo baseball Marshall, Mack and Renko Claude Raymond, McGinn, Ron Hunt, Boots Day Ken Singleton, he proved that he could play I'm talkin' baseball Les Expos all the way Better players soon assembled The Expos then resembled A team that had a chance to reach the top Rogers and Perez Woody Fryman and Ellis Soon there was no telling where Montreal would stop I'm talkin' baseball Gullickson and Dawson Expo baseball Gary Carter, he was awesome Cromartie, Scott and Wallach all could play Reardon comin' in to save the day I'm talkin' baseball The Expos all the way When you're talkin' Expo baseball Boccabella and Gene Mauch No hitters, Stoneman he threw two Duke and Dave up in the booth Carl and Dawson rookies of the year Listen to the cheers Well '96 is another year So Felipe's got the team in gear They're headed for the Series in the fall New names join the old Another team unfolds They'll do all right with Rondell White So let's play ball I'm talkin' baseball Cliff and Moises do the sluggin' Expo baseball Jeff and Carlos do the chuckin' Tony, Mike and David sure could play Rojas coming in to save the day I'm talkin' baseball The Expos all the way
I had to look some of the names up on the '96 team. I mean, Tony, Mike and David are pretty generic names. Tony Tarasco, Mike Lansing and David Segui. And who can forget Mel Rojas?
After reading the lyrics I had an A-Ha moment. Oh Yeah, I remember that song now.
Ugh. He sucks.
Ugh. He sucks.