Chile's Corner
Geez, too bad the Red Sox didn't have Aubrey Huff up in the eighth inning Sunday instead of Manny Ramirez. Then when Huff struck out and the Sox went on to lose, all the fans could have gone home feeling good about the fact they spent $23 or $44 or $75 a pop to see the team lose "the right way."
Anyway, the potential worst trade in Red Sox history was averted because of Tampa Bay's apparent insatiable greed; the Friday mouth breathers all love Manny again; and we can put a wrap on yet another one of those episodes that expose all of Boston's ugly warts and leaves the city wide-open to criticism.
One thing has been amply demonstrated the past few years; this Red Sox team seems to operate best when things go haywire and the players respond when they get a fire lit under them. When the team goes into cruise control, the downsides of having a loose clubhouse become apparent. But when something seismic occurs; whether it is the Nomar trade, or finding themselves down 0-3 to the Yankees in a playoff series, or the past week's happenings, something about this team makes them kick into gear when things get nuts. I heard some commentator on ESPN radio (didn't catch the name) last night compare these Sox to the Oakland A's of the early 1970s and I think that analogy is spot-on.
Either way, end result, since Manny insisted on taking his promised day off, the Red Sox have won five in a row.
On to this weekend's installment of Chile's Corner:
KRYPTONITE
By Chile Hidalgo
Dave's World Staff Correspondent
"If I go crazy then will you still
call me Superman
if I'm alive and well, will you be
there a-holding my hand
I'll keep you by my side
with my superhuman might
Kryptonite"
The lines to the chorus of this generally awful song by 3 Doors Down probably mean a lot of things to a lot of different people. Some probably think of that time back in 2000 when their then-girlfriend talked them into going to a 3 Doors Down concert and it sucked so much that they ended up getting too drunk and hitting on the hot girl standing next to them, causing all sorts of problems. Others may be reminded of sitting up waiting for the Y2K Bug to strike and listening to Kryptonite on infinite repeat. Thanks to Jason Varitek and his entrance music, though, I'll always associate Kryptonite with being at Fenway Park.
In fact, Dave recently received a Very Special Birthday CD from me that featured, along with Kryptonite, Godsmack's "I Stand Alone," Rush's "Tom Sawyer," Danzig's "Mother," and the Dropkick Murphy's "Tessie." (For the record, the CD also included The Standells' "Dirty Water" and Neil Diamond's "Sweet Caroline (Good Times Never Seemed So Good)," John Fogerty's "Centerfield," "Zombie Nation" by TKC, the former Hartford Whalers theme song "Brass Bonanza" (the one that goes off when you score a goal in NHL 94 and you're playing with the Whalers).
Now, from a purely musical standpoint, you might be thinking to yourself, "geez, Chile, that's a whole lotta crap you shoved Dave's way." And I agree. But now Dave has the ability to recreate the effect of being at Fenway even while living in Seattle, just by cranking up the volume when Godsmack Millar or Bill Tom Mueller comes to bat. (Of course Trot "Tessie" Nixon and Keith "Mother" Foulker are taking up time on the DL.)
Entrance music at baseball stadiums is one of the little things I enjoy about going to the ballpark. The songs players pick are invariably crappy and mostly make me shake or scratch my head (except for Lyle Overbay, who allegedly has Pearl Jam's "Go" play when he steps to the plate -- yet another reason to root for the Brewers), but are always good for a laugh and a quick one-liner. I'm guessing that the practice took off back when wrestling was popular and chances were pretty good that a male aged 18-34 could tell you that Triple-H came out to the ring to that Game song by Motorhead. A couple of years ago, baseball went through an unfortunate spell where every other player came out to Nelly's "Yeah!" These days, the choices are fairly predictable, with Creed, heavy metal, salsa or merengue, and 50 Cent topping the Entrance Music Charts (based on my fairly minuscule sample size).
At some point during any baseball game, someone's entrance music will make me do a double-take. While watching the Yankees/Twins game on Wednesday night, I noted that Tino Martinez and/or Jason Giambi has apparently lifted Paul O'Neill's Baba O'Riley as their theme song. Apparently there's some sort of unspoken rule that until the Yankees win the World Series again, someone on the team has to come out to the theme music of someone on the 2000 Yankees. Oh, and A-Rod comes out to U2's Desire. I had a brief giggling fit when I heard that.
I find myself wondering if players just like the songs they pick or are trying to send the fans a message. Johnny Damon piqued my interest in 2002 when he decided to come out to Linkin Park's In The End ("I tried so hard/and got so far/but in the end, it doesn't even matter"). It's not the kind of message you'd want your leadoff hitter spreading, I always thought. Then there was Manny's infamous one-day-only curse-laden sample that allegedly scarred every young child in New England the day it was played at Fenway. (Never mind that it's OK for the 40somethings sitting behind you who are getting out of the house for the first time in four weeks to drink 47 beers and explain how every member of the Sox bullpen...well, anyway.)
I wonder if guys get grief in the clubhouse for their music selections. Say Damon decided to come out to Green Day's 'Good Riddance (Time of Your Life)' at the end of this season (presuming that he's signing with the Yankees for $57 million over 4 years in the off-season) or it turns out that Tony Graffanino comes out to Five for Fighting's 'It's not Easy.' Does everyone just kind of nod awkwardly and look the other way, embarrassed? Does someone discreetly leave a copy of Creed's Human Clay with 'With Arms Wide Open' circled on top of his locker?
I'm pretty jealous that I personally don't get entrance music. I'd definitely enjoy entrance music as I arrive at work and turn on my computer, log on to the network, and check phone messages. The music would play until I opened whatever PowerPoint presentation I was working on that day. I'd probably choose Pearl Jam's 'Hail Hail.' Or Maybe Warren G's 'Regulators.' Maybe before I made a point in a meeting or presented something on a conference call 'Evenflow' could play for a bit. I think it'd make everyone's day a bit better.
Dave's World interjects: How can I not add a postscript to a topic like this? First off, the current issue of Blender magazine (the one with Family Guy on the cover) has a really good look at baseball entrance music. It isn't one of those predictable, celebrity-jock sniffing lists a sports magazine would put together in an awkward attempt to be edgy, either, where they'd tells us what music A-Rod, Jeter and Bonds play. The list picks out really quirky stuff, like the fact that Scott Podsednik comes to the plate to Godzilla by Blue Oyster Cult, and Mike Gosling to Stinkfist by Tool, and why.
Also, absolutely no doubt what my entrance music is: Big Poppa, by the Notorious B.I.G. The greatest hip-hop video ever. As a lineman-sized guy myself, I totally envied Biggie chillin' in the limo and the hot tub while drinking champagne and smoking stogies and living the good life. Umm … I wasn't quite so envious of the part where he got shot nine times sitting in his truck, but that's a different story.
Anyway, at one point in my Sportsline experience, my friend Shawn O'Neal (senior editor of Lindy's College Basketball mag these days) and I would cue each other's music at the end of our shifts. Being West Coast, he left to Gin and Juice by Snoop; I left to Biggie. Until one day, another wiseacre in the office played Karma Chameleon instead, which is definitely not my music.
What's your entrance music?
7/17 Chile's Corner: Third Jerseys
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