A Pinstriped Playlist for Those Damn New York Yankees

True baseball confession: I'm a recovering New York Yankees fan, now living in Los Angeles, but working for the next week or so in Nashville, Tennessee. In other words, I was on the verge of not even watching the World Series at all after that first lousy game. But then, last night, those damn Yankees somehow made a fan of me all over again. So here's my pinstriped playlist for the Bronx Bombers. As for those bum umpires last night, here's one song just for you: "Eyesight To The Blind" by Sonny Boy Williamson.

"HEART" -- The Original Broadway Cast of "Damn Yankees"
"PLAYING WITH FIRE" -- Brad Paisley
"GAMES PEOPLE PLAY" -- Joe South
"PLAYING YOUR GAME, BABY" -- Barry White
"LEARNING THE GAME" -- Buddy Holly
"SECONDARY PLAYERS" -- The Pop Project
"THE WINNER TAKES ALL" -- ABBA
"WICKED GAME" -- Chris Isaak
"PLAY THE GAME" -- Queen
"WINNING" -- Santana
"PLAY IT AS IT LAYS" -- Patti Scialfa
"PLAY ME" -- Neil Diamond
"PLAY IT ALL NIGHT LONG" -- Drive-By Truckers
"THE SCORE" -- Fugees
"CENTERFIELD" -- John Fogerty
"PARADISE BY THE DASHBOARD LIGHT" -- Meatloaf
"HIGH ENOUGH" -- Damn Yankees

Whether you're a Yankees fan or a Phillies fan, what songs make your World Series starting lineup?

 

 

Follow David Wild on Twitter: www.twitter.com/Wildaboutmusic

Comments

[PhilTListener]

The Boys are Back in Town! - Thin Lizzy


Turning Japanese - The Vapors - Tribute to Hideki Matsui, first time a Japanese player won the series MVP!

[joelaf]

Romeo Void Never say never

[Aramingo]

I was hoping the Evil Empire would "Fall in Philadelphia", but that hasn't turned out to be the case.

[Citizen54]

Sorry if someone mentioned this already (didn't see it): Bob Dylan's "Catfish," about the great Catfish Hunter. It's on one of the first of those Dylan "bootleg" series.

Lazy stadium night
Catfish on the mound
"Strike three," the umpire said
Batter have to go back and sit down
.

Come up where the Yankees are,
Dress up in a pinstripe suit,
Smoke a custom-made cigar,
Wear an alligator boot.

Catfish
Million-dollar man
Nobody can throw the ball
Like Catfish can....

-- Bob Dylan & Jacques Levy (c) 1975 Ram's Horn Music

[David Wild - Huffpost Blogger]

Love "Catfish" -- the man and the song.
He is missed, but he is watching tonight, and not on cable.

[argentino]

dylan can't hit a curve...

[Sportswoman]

I have a lightly DIFFERENT take on the best team $$ can buy...Then­, too, I am more a football and basketball fan. Baseball has been such a disappointment on so many levels...
C.R.E.A. M.: Cash Rules Everything Around Me--Wu Tang Clan
Til The Money Runs Out--Tom Waits
Can't Buy Me Love--Beatles
Don't You Ever get Tired of Hurting Me?--Eddie Cochran
Even The Losers--Tom Petty
Fools Rush In--Rick Nelson
Money (That's What I Want)-- Barrett Strong
For the Love of Money--O'Jays
Opportunities: Let's Make Lots of Money--Pet Shop Boys
Cover Me--Bruce Springsteen (for the betters)
Glory Days--Bruce
Boom Boom--John Lee Hooker
Walking By Myself--Jimmie Rodgers
Walk This Way--Aerosmith
Slippin and Slidin--Little Richard
I Walk The Line--Johnny Cash
Hit me With Your Best Shot--
Break My Stride-Mathew Wilder
Runnin On Empty-Jackson Browne

Big Boss Man--Charley Rich
Money--Pink Floyd
Winner At a Losing Game--Rascal Flats

[David Wild - Huffpost Blogger]

"Even The Losers" I LOVE
Thanks. You watching the game? The Yanks are showing some heart, at any pay rate.

[Sportswoman]

Nah...I can't get into this series sine my Angels were knocked out. I'm a sore loser. I'm a UCLA fan having fun watching USC get clobbered by Oregon! Schadenfreude!

[PhilTListener]

Great game last night. Good to see Swish come out of the slump.
And the "core four" - Pettitte, Jeter, Posada and MO?
What else is there to say other than:
"The Times They Are a Changin'"

CC you later!

[PhilTListener]

"New York, New York"

"I wanna wake up, where the city never sleeps.
To find we're King of the Hill, top of the heap"

"Mrs. Robinson"

Where have you gone, Joe DiMaggio, our nation turns its lonely eyes to you

"New York State of Mind"

"I know what I'm needing, and I don't wanna waste more time,
I'm in a NY State of Mind"

"Great American Passtime"

"Great American Passtime, it's not the sport of kings,
Great American Passtime, let's hope the fat lady never sings"

[David Wild - Huffpost Blogger]

Very good, ashamed I didn't include "New York State Of Mind."

[PhilTListener]

I figured you would be. Especially being a NYC transplant like me.

I'm living in NH now, among RedSox fans.

Difficult for a true Yankee fan like me. I grew up in Queens during the fifties and sixties, and my dad used to take us to see the great Yankee teams, Mantle, Maris, Richardson, Whitey Ford, Elston Howard, Moose Skowron, Yogi, the list goes on and on.

Never got the Mets thing though.

Thanks for the great topic.

[ElliotCanada]

Bob Dylan - Talkin' New York
Public Enemy - Night of The Living Baseheads
Man Man - Hot Bat
The Clash - Pressure Drop
Billy Bragg and Wilco - Joe Dimmagio's Done it Again

[David Wild - Huffpost Blogger]

Like the Public Enemy change-up. Thanks

[drricklippin]

And ALWAYS for ANY Phillies team

"The Theme from Rocky"

Dr. Rick Lippin
Southampton,Pa

[David Wild - Huffpost Blogger]

Very inspiring

[drricklippin]

From a Phillies fan


"Send in the Clowns" -Stephen Sondheim/Judy Collins

Dr. Rick Lippin
Southampton,Pa

[David Wild - Huffpost Blogger]

Sometimes the clown wins

[drricklippin]

One for the phiten phils

"Right Field" sung by Paul Stokey of Peter, Paul and Mary

Dr. Rick Lippin

[David Wild - Huffpost Blogger]

I don't know that song, but I will chase it down like a foul ball. Thanks. And RIP Mary Travers.

[drricklippin]

David- A soulful song abolut a "loser" kid who always gets put in right field. But finally makes a life-changing catch

Rick Lippin

[DKlein]

“Señor (Tales of Yankee Power)”: Bob Dylan
“At Home, At Work, At Play”: Sparks
“Philiadelphia”: Magazine (which contains the line, “Maybe it’s right to be nervous now...”)
“Underdog”: Spoon
“Hand in Glove”: The Smiths
“Baby Let’s Swing”: Todd Rundgren
“Tops”: The Rolling Stones
“Till Victory”: Patti Smith Group
and one for the umps: "Can't You See": Marshall Tucker Band

[David Wild - Huffpost Blogger]

David, "Senor" -- BRILLIANT.
I am proud my old writing partner.
And I will never pass on a chance to hear "Till Victory."

[mrtinnc]

You forgot this year's hip hop entry ( a little bit of controversy as well...) Empire State of Mind- Jay-z

From another diehard Yankees fan in Los Angeles...

Here come the...Yan-­Kees...da da, da, da, da, da da

[David Wild - Huffpost Blogger]

You're right. Thanks for catching that one.

[balloonloon]

Off topic: Neil Diamond--Given the recent hoopla surrounding
the Rock N' Roll Hall of Fame, it's a damn shame Neil has
not been inducted (he's been eligible since 1989). Here is
a YouTube posting (interesting sidebar) from one of the
music execs who worked with Neil back in the day. It's
also a reminder that we lost Ellie Greenwhich this year;
Ellie and her then husband Jeff Barry produced, 'Cherry
Cherry' and are singing (the very cool) back-up vocals:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vvXCYqd8AAs

[David Wild - Huffpost Blogger]

If you read my book, or better yet BUY MY BOOK, you'll know this is my pet cause. I say no one goes to Cleveland until Neil is in the hall. It's a crime against humanity. It makes me hate rock critics, and I AM a rock critic.

[kathy001]

Ok, no Cleveland til Neil Diamond is in the Hall. Every single time they have new additions to the R&R Hall of Fame and he is left out, once again, I get fighting mad. I mean, seriously, Madonna is in and Diamond is not? How does that make sense?

[SEQUOIABISON]

David what kind of Fan would abandon their team because they lost the first game of the world series?

Lets not forget that they were still a little drowsy after celebrating winning the American league championship and perhaps they all drank too much champagne, but now they are fully awake and ready to overcome the next obstacle on their path to another big world series victory and I predict it will happen at the new stadium, a great inauguration for the house that Jeter built.

[David Wild - Huffpost Blogger]

Just practicing truth in blogging: I'm a recovering Yankees fan from childhood and now a Angeleno who mainly roots for the team I think of as the Brooklyn Dodgers West. But the Yankees won me back -- at least for this world series. I respect your more steadfast support for your -- and now our -- team.

[usna73]

Having been born in Manhattan and raised in the Bronx, from the era of three NYC teams I give you:

"Subway": Jim Nuzzo. ) Played for 2000 series.

[David Wild - Huffpost Blogger]

Just reading about this song now -- any song Baseball Digest loves, I love