Rant #16 - "Zing! Boom! Tararrel!"

It's April. That means a couple things...it means that there will be a bunch of rain and it means baseball is starting up. And I know I'm about a week late on this post - but forgive me. I LOVE baseball. I especially my hometown team, the Milwaukee Brewers. It doesn't really matter if they're good or bad or somewhere in the middle. It's fun going to games, bs-ing with good friends and enjoying a day at the ball park. In fact, they don't even always have to be good friends. Typically if you just go to the game, everyone seems to speak stadium language. Keep the conversation going and keep it light. You don't need to be at the game talking about your problems. It's a time to relax and enjoy the show. I don't want to get all nostalgic, but watch the movie 'Field of Dreams'. That's really what baseball is all about.

Alas, this isn't a sports blog, so writing two pages about why the Brewers are outstanding and the Cubs stink isn't going to happen today. But one of my favorite things to do at the park is listen to all the music that gets playing during the game. Sometimes, you probably even find yourself cheering, clapping, booing or leaving subliminally based on the music they play. You may not want to stomp your feel and clap when 'We Will Rock You' comes on - but you do. And when that guy comes on and says, "Every-body clap your hands!", you do it. And you feel good doing it.

There are some songs I enjoy hearing that I can relate to certain aspects of baseball. And I've compiled a short list of them. Feel free to add yours on or introduce new songs that I don't have listed. No matter what, get out to a game and take some friends and fire up a grill. You'll thank me later.

Best Post Strikeout Song: Hit the Road, Jack - Ray Charles. Think about it. You're a player and you just whiff with runners in scoring position. BAM! This song plays and the crowd mockingly sings along. It stings, but the song is so damn catchy, you're tapping your toes a bit. Maybe you even sing along to a couple notes. Embarrassing.

Best Walk Song: Walk Of Life - Dire Straits. This is probably my bias, because I love Dire Straits. It's a jazzy uptempo song that uses the high end synth. It's a fun little ditty that makes you feel a little better when your guy is trotting to first.

Best Stolen Base Song: Smooth Criminal - Michael Jackson. Yeah, yeah - we all know I'm not a big Jacko fan. But this song was literally meant for stolen bases. It's got that nice guitar riff and simply perfect lyrics. "You've been hit by, you've been struck by - a smooth criminal!" Yep, base stealers are criminals...and smooth at that.

Best Caught Stealing Song: Been Caught Stealin' - Janes Addiction. Duh. I mean, the title says it all. The dogs bark at the beginning which is fun, or you could play the high pitched "I been caught stealin' once, when I was five..." I love hearing it everytime I'm at a game.

Best At Bat Song: Here I Go - Mystikal. So, every player is allowed to choose what song he comes up to bat to. And last year, the Brewers had a guy Joe Inglett who was mostly a pinch hitter type guy. Well, he had this song that everyone in the stadium would nod their head to, but no one knew what it was. Well fans, it was Mystikal and it was the opening to 'Here I Go'. Flat out awesome intro.

Best 'Get Pumped' Song: Blitzkreig Bop - The Ramones. I don't really know why, but whenever the "Hi-Ho--Let's Go!" starts to blare through the stadium, I get a little extra pumped. There are a MILLION, literally a million songs you could insert here, I just feel this one is most common for baseball. Many of the songs could be played at any sports venue, but this one only gets major baseball play. Don't know why, it's a really good song.

Best Intimidation Song: Hells Bells - AC/DC. Yeah, if you're a Brewers fan or a Padres fan, you know what I'm talking about. Trevor Hoffman, the all time saves leader, used to come out to this song before wrapping up the game. As a fan, you waited for the bells to chime and you just lost it. I've heard other players talk about when Trevor was in his prime, how truly intimidating that was. The whole stadium stopped, the song played as loud as possible, and he'd come in and stare a hole through you. It worked, as he is one of the best ever.

I'd be slightly sad if I didn't mention my headline track, 'Roll Out The Barrel' to you guys. I know it's a Milwaukee thing, and you probably won't get it if you're not into polka, but it's fun. It's a great little pick-me-up during the 7th inning stretch of any Brewers home game. The fans sing along and maybe even dance along. Just makes for a fun time.

If this has done nothing else, hopefully it transformed you into thinking you were at the park for 10 minutes while reading it. I know I escaped while writing, and that made me feel all good inside.

Happy Friday B Siders!