#TuesdayTop10: Baseball Fight Songs

baseball fight songs, reel big fish, frank sinatraWith the baseball season beginning last week, it has already been a dismal season for me and many of my readers. I am a Red Sox fan so the 0-3 start has brought out my “sky is falling” nature. Statistically, New York City contains the most readers of Surviving the Golden Age. The Yankees also started 0-3 with a painful sweep at the hands of their divisional foes, the Tampa Bay Rays. My Mets fan readers are probably slightly happier with their 3-0 start but they must remember, they are still the Mets.
On today’s #TuesdayTop10 we look at the best baseball fight songs.

10. Dropkick Murphys “Tessie”
For such a high profile team, the Red Sox really do not have a great fight song. The original “Tessie” was from the 1902 Broadway musical The Silver Slipper. The newer song Dropkick Murphys‘ version recounts how the singing of the original “Tessie” by the Royal Rooters fan club helped the Boston Americans win the first World Series in 1903. I, unlike most Red Sox fans, do not really like the song and much more prefer The Standells‘ “Dirty Water.”
MP3: Dropkick Murphys “Tessie”

09. The Baseball Project “Giants Win The Pennant”
Featuring Peter Buck, Scott McCaughey, Steve Wynn and Linda Pitmon, the baseball-themed rock supergroup, The Baseball Project released “Giants Win the Pennant” in 2010 as part of an ESPN.com series. Coincidentally the song was recorded after the Giants won the pennant, little did the band know that the Giants would go on to win the World Series.
MP3: The Baseball Project “Giants Win The Pennant”

08. Captain Stubby and the Buccaneers “Let’s Go, Go-Go White Sox!”
Recorded in 1959, “Let’s Go, Go-Go White Sox!” sounds like it is from the 50s. With its marching band pathos and antiquated phrasings like “middle west,” the song is as cheesy as humanly possible. No wonder the track is rarely heard in U.S. Cellular Field.
MP3: Captain Stubby and the Buccaneers “Let’s Go, Go-Go White Sox!”

07. “We Are The Marlins!”
The Miami Marlins are new as of this year, so why a theme song was created for them that sounds straight out of the Little Mermaid is beyond me. There has been a whole bunch written online about this track and how it is not official but that does not change the fact that someone wrote it.

06. “Brewer Fever”
Written in 1980, “Brewer Fever” has a leg up over many other fight songs. Because it is more modern, it features a super hip disco beat along with Disney sing-along-style group vocals. Also unlike many fight songs it is surprisingly long…like unnecessarily long. See if you can make it through the whole thing. I couldn’t.
MP3: “Brewer Fever”

05. Ozomatli “Can’t Stop the Blue”
I like it when real bands create fight songs for teams but Ozomatli really did not do the Dodgers any favors with “Can’t Stop the Blue.” From the laughable video to the Wild Cherry-esque song itself, I am not sure who this song really pumps up. I do not think Matt Kemp has this on his iPod and he jams to it while on the treadmill.

04. Vega Heartbreak “Go Cards (The Rally Song)”
A St. Louis rapper not named Nelly released a Cardinal themed track. Vega Heartbreak‘s “Go Cardinals” track is actually not bad as far as “unofficial theme songs” go. Of course the track references Albert Pujols which makes it pretty null and void at this point. Also, the track seems to borrow a little bit from Vanilla Ice‘s “Ninja Rap.”
[soundcloud url=”http://api.soundcloud.com/tracks/25447989″ iframe=”true” /]

03. Reel Big Fish “Trendy”
While not officially a fight song, Reel Big Fish‘ “Trendy” became synonymous with the Florida Marlins starting in 1997. To be more specific, the intro of “everybody’s doin the fish” became synonymous with the Marlins. I doubt the rest of the track ever echoed through Sun Life Stadium.
MP3: Reel Big Fish “Trendy”

02. “Meet the Mets”
The Mets became a team in 1962. To celebrate their inaugural season, Ruth Roberts and Bill Katz wrote “Meet the Mets.” The track has had updates (most notably in the 80s) but the original is still the best. With the manic banjo and accent horns, the song is the essential old-timey baseball anthem.
MP3: “Meet the Mets”

01. Frank Sinatra “New York, New York”
Did you know that the official fight song of the New York Yankees is “Here Come the Yankees”? You are not the only one to have no idea. The song most closely associated with the Yankees is, by far, Frank Sinatra‘s “New York, New York” which is played in the stadium after home games. There was clamoring after 2009 to have Jay-Z‘s “Empire State of Mind” replace “New York, New York” but let’s be honest, Jigga ain’t no Ol’ Blue Eyes.
MP3: Frank Sinatra “New York, New York”

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