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{{Short description|1981 baseball themed song by Terry Cashman}}
'''Talkin' Baseball''' is a 1981 song written and performed by ]. The song describes the history of American ] from the 1950's to the beginning of the 1980's.
"'''Talkin' Baseball (Willie, Mickey & The Duke)'''" is a 1981 song written and performed by ]. The song describes the history of American ] from the 1950s to the beginning of the 1980s. The song was originally released during the ], and was inspired by a picture of the three outfielders of the title (], ], and ]) together. (] was also in the photograph, but he was left out of the song and airbrushed from the record's picture sleeve.) The original sheet music for the song is a part of the Cooperstown Collection, and Cashman was honored at the 2011 Hall Of Fame weekend.<ref></ref>


Each version begins with a ] version of the first ten notes of the song "Take me Out to the Ballgame", before the singing starts. Each version ends on a fade.
==Lyrics==
The lyrics to the original 1981 recording:


A parody of the song, entitled "Talkin' Softball", also sung by Cashman, appeared in the 1992 episode of '']'' ("]").<ref></ref> It can also be found on the 1999 CD compilation '']''.
The Whiz Kids had won it,<br>
Bobby Thomson had done it,<br>
And Yogi read the comics all the while.<br>
Rock 'n roll was being born,<br>
Marijuana, we would scorn,<br>
So down on the corner,<br>
The national past-time went on trial.<br>


Talkin' Baseball closes out the '']'' episode "The Gang Beats ]", and would also feature in a later follow-up episode, "The Gang Beats Boggs: Ladies Reboot".<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.imdb.com/title/tt3111340/soundtrack?ref_=tt_trv_snd|title="It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia" the Gang Beats Boggs (TV Episode 2015) - IMDb|website=]}}</ref>
We're talkin' baseball!<br>
Kluszewski, Campanella.<br>
Talkin' baseball!<br>
The Man and Bobby Feller.<br>
The Scooter, the Barber, and the Newc,<br>
They knew 'em all from Boston to Dubuque.<br>
Especially Willie, Mickey, and the Duke.<br>


==References in song==
Well, Casey was winning,<br>
Hank Aaron was beginning,<br>
One Robbie going out, one coming in.<br>
Kiner and Midget Gaedel,<br>
The Thumper and Mel Parnell,<br>
And Ike was the only one winning down in Washington.<br>


===Direct player references===
We're talkin' baseball!<br>
The song's refrain of "Willie, Mickey and the Duke" refers to Willie Mays, Mickey Mantle, and Duke Snider, three Hall-of-Fame center fielders, all of whom played in the same city at the same time—Mays for the ], Mantle for the ] and Snider for the ]. Other players and managers are referred to in the song, some by full name, some partial name, and some by nicknames. Those mentioned, in order, are:
Kluszewski, Campanella.<br>
Talkin' baseball!<br>
The Man and Bobby Feller.<br>
The Scooter, the Barber, and the Newc,<br>
They knew 'em all from Boston to Dubuque.<br>
Especially Willie, Mickey, and the Duke.<br>


* ]
Now my old friend, The Bachelor,<br>
* ]
Well, he swore he was the Oklahoma Kid.<br>
* ]
And Cookie played hooky,<br>
* ]
To go and see the Duke.<br>
* ] (The Man)
And me, I always loved Willie Mays,<br>
* ]
Those were the days!<br>
* ] (The Scooter)
* ] (The Barber)
* ] (The Newk)
* ]
* ]
* ] (One Robbie going out)
* ] or ] (One Robbie...coming in)
* ]
* ] (Midget Gaedel)
* ] (The Thumper)
* ]
* ]
* ]
* ]
* ]
* ] (reference to ], who played Alexander in the 1952 film '']'')
* ]
* ]
* ]
* ]
* ]
* ]
* ]
* ]


"The Bachelor" and "Cookie" mentioned in the song's bridge are not baseball figures, but childhood friends of Cashman's: Mike Green and Bobby Cook.<ref></ref>
Well, now it's the 80's,<br>
And Brett is the greatest,<br>
And Bobby Bonds can play for everyone.<br>
Rose is at the Vet,<br>
And Rusty again is a Met,<br>
And the great Alexander is pitchin' again in Washington.<br>


===Other references===
I'm talkin' baseball!<br>
Explanations of some other references in the song:
Like Reggie, Quisenberry.<br>
* "The Whiz Kids": a nickname for the ] in the early 1950s, especially their ].
Talkin' baseball!<br>
* "Bobby Thomson had done it": In 1951, Thomson hit what became known as the ] to win a playoff between his team, the ], and the ], their arch-rival.
Carew and Gaylord Perry,<br>
* "Yogi read the comics...": ] was known for enjoying comic books.
Seaver, Garvey, Schmidt and Vida Blue,<br>
* "Marijuana, we would scorn": The ] was signed into law in 1952. It called for a minimum sentence of 2-10 years for cannabis possession.
If Cooperstown is calling, it's no fluke.<br>
* "The national pastime went on trial": Baseball has been called the national pastime since the 1800s. In the 1950s, there were attempts to overturn baseball's exemption from anti-trust laws, especially in '']''.
They'll be with Willie, Mickey, and the Duke.<br>
* "Well, Casey was winning...": ] was the manager of the perennially great ] from 1949 until 1960, during which time they won the ] seven times.
* "Midget Gaedel": In 1951, ] owner ] hired Gaedel for a one-day stunt, sending the 3-foot, 7-inch Eddie Gaedel up to the plate as a pinch-hitter.
* "And Ike was the only one winning down in Washington" refers to U.S. President ]. The ] baseball club was a perennially losing team.
* "The Oklahoma Kid": This refers to Mantle, who was from Oklahoma.
* "Bobby Bonds can play for everyone": Bonds played for eight teams in his career, and by 1981 had played for all eight of those teams within eight seasons.
* "Rose is at the Vet": After spending 16 years with the ] in 1978 ] joined the ], who at the time played at ].
* "Rusty again is a Met": Staub had been traded away by the ] following the ] but returned in ].
* "And the great Alexander is pitchin' again in Washington" is actually a double reference--to ] and to U.S. President ]. When the song was released, Reagan had recently assumed the presidency; the line refers to the fact that in his former career as a film actor Reagan had portrayed Alexander in the movie ].
* "If Cooperstown is calling, it's no fluke": The ] is sometimes referred to metonymically as "Cooperstown", as it is located in the town of ]. As of 2022, only five of the players mentioned in this verse have been elected to the Hall of Fame. Jackson, Seaver, Carew, Perry, and Schmidt made it; Quisenberry, Garvey and Blue have not.
* "Say hey": Used in the final chorus, Willie Mays was known as "The Say Hey Kid."
* The refrain of the first two verses includes the line "They knew 'em all from Boston to Dubuque". In the baseball-themed movie '']'', released eight years after this song, the Field was (and still is) located outside of ], approximately 25 miles west of ].


==Later versions==
Willie, Mickey, and the Duke. (Say hey, say hey, say hey)<br>
The song quickly gained popularity among baseball fans, and soon Cashman began recording alternate versions of the song, each focusing on a single major-league team. In some cases, the team-specific versions have been rewritten and updated over time.
It was Willie, Mickey and the Duke (Say hey, say hey, say hey)<br>
I'm talkin' Willie, Mickey and the Duke (Say hey, say hey, say hey)<br>
Willie, Mickey, and the Duke. (Say hey, say hey, say hey)<br>
Say Willie, Mickey, and the Duke. (Say hey, say hey, say hey)<br>


==Chart performance==
==References in song==
{| class="wikitable sortable"
The song's refrain of "Willie, Mickey and the Duke" refers to ], ], and ], three Hall-of-Fame center fielders, all of whom played in the same city at the same time--Mays for the ], Mantle for the ] and Snider for the ]. Other players and managers are referred to in the song, some by full name, some partial name, and some by nicknames. Those mentioned, in order, are:
!Chart (1981)
!Peak<br>position
|-
|align="left"|U.S. ''Billboard'' ]<ref>{{cite book |title= Top Adult Contemporary: 1961-2001|last=Whitburn |first=Joel |authorlink=Joel Whitburn |year=2002 |publisher=Record Research |page=50}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title=Terry Cashman: Adult Contemporary chart history |url=https://www.billboard.com/artist/terry-cashman/chart-history/asi/ |website=Billboard |access-date=23 May 2023}}</ref>
|align="center"|28
|}


==References==
]<br>
{{Reflist}}
]<br>
]<br>
]<br>
] (The Man)<br>
]<br>
] (The Scooter)<br>
] (The Barber)<br>
] (The Newc)<br>
]<br>
]<br>
] (One Robbie going out)<br>
] (One Robbie...coming in)<br>
]<br>
]<br>
] (The Thumper)<br>
]<br>
]<br>
]<br>
]<br>
]<br>
]<br>
]<br>
]<br>
]<br>
]<br>
]<br>
]<br>
]<br>
]<br>


{{Authority control}}
The line "And Ike was the only one winning down in Washington" refers to U.S. President ]. "The Bachelor" and "Cookie" mentioned in the song's bridge are not baseball figures, but childhood friends of Cashman's.


]
The line "And the great Alexander is pitchin' again in Washington" is actually a double reference--to Grover Cleveland Alexander and to U.S. President ]. When the song was released, Reagan had recently assumed the presidency; the line refers to the fact that in his former career as a film actor Reagan had portrayed Alexander in the movie ].
]

]
Explanations of some other references in the song:
]

]
"The Whiz Kids": a nickname for the Philadelphia Phillies in the early 1950s.<br>
"The Oklahoma Kid": Mantle, who was from Oklahoma.<br>
"Bobby Bonds can play for everyone": Bonds played for eight teams in his career.<br>
"Rose is at the Vet": Pete Rose had joined the Phillies, who at the time played at ].<br>
"Rusty again is a Met": Staub had been traded away by the Mets following the 1975 season but returned in 1981.<br>
"If Cooperstown is calling, it's no fluke": The ] is sometimes referred to colloquially as "Cooperstown," the site of its location. Ultimately only five of the players mentioned in this verse were elected to the Hall of Fame. Jackson, Seaver, Carew, Perry, and Schmidt made it; Quisenberry, Garvey and Blue did not.<br>

==Use At Game==

The song was always played at ] (now the ]) games during the on-field pre-game warmup at Telus Field.
==Later versions==
The song quickly gained popularity among baseball fans and soon Cashman began recording alternate versions of the song, each focusing on a single major league team. In some cases, the team-specific versions have been rewritten and updated over time.
{{uncategorized|date=October 2008}}

Latest revision as of 19:18, 16 November 2024

1981 baseball themed song by Terry Cashman

"Talkin' Baseball (Willie, Mickey & The Duke)" is a 1981 song written and performed by Terry Cashman. The song describes the history of American major league baseball from the 1950s to the beginning of the 1980s. The song was originally released during the 1981 Major League Baseball strike, and was inspired by a picture of the three outfielders of the title (Willie Mays, Mickey Mantle, and Duke Snider) together. (Joe DiMaggio was also in the photograph, but he was left out of the song and airbrushed from the record's picture sleeve.) The original sheet music for the song is a part of the Cooperstown Collection, and Cashman was honored at the 2011 Hall Of Fame weekend.

Each version begins with a synthesizer version of the first ten notes of the song "Take me Out to the Ballgame", before the singing starts. Each version ends on a fade.

A parody of the song, entitled "Talkin' Softball", also sung by Cashman, appeared in the 1992 episode of The Simpsons ("Homer at the Bat"). It can also be found on the 1999 CD compilation Go Simpsonic With the Simpsons.

Talkin' Baseball closes out the It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia episode "The Gang Beats Boggs", and would also feature in a later follow-up episode, "The Gang Beats Boggs: Ladies Reboot".

References in song

Direct player references

The song's refrain of "Willie, Mickey and the Duke" refers to Willie Mays, Mickey Mantle, and Duke Snider, three Hall-of-Fame center fielders, all of whom played in the same city at the same time—Mays for the New York Giants, Mantle for the New York Yankees and Snider for the Brooklyn Dodgers. Other players and managers are referred to in the song, some by full name, some partial name, and some by nicknames. Those mentioned, in order, are:

"The Bachelor" and "Cookie" mentioned in the song's bridge are not baseball figures, but childhood friends of Cashman's: Mike Green and Bobby Cook.

Other references

Explanations of some other references in the song:

  • "The Whiz Kids": a nickname for the Philadelphia Phillies in the early 1950s, especially their 1950 pennant winner.
  • "Bobby Thomson had done it": In 1951, Thomson hit what became known as the Shot Heard 'Round the World to win a playoff between his team, the New York Giants, and the Brooklyn Dodgers, their arch-rival.
  • "Yogi read the comics...": Yogi Berra was known for enjoying comic books.
  • "Marijuana, we would scorn": The Boggs Act was signed into law in 1952. It called for a minimum sentence of 2-10 years for cannabis possession.
  • "The national pastime went on trial": Baseball has been called the national pastime since the 1800s. In the 1950s, there were attempts to overturn baseball's exemption from anti-trust laws, especially in Toolson v. New York Yankees.
  • "Well, Casey was winning...": Casey Stengel was the manager of the perennially great New York Yankees from 1949 until 1960, during which time they won the World Series seven times.
  • "Midget Gaedel": In 1951, St. Louis Browns owner Bill Veeck hired Gaedel for a one-day stunt, sending the 3-foot, 7-inch Eddie Gaedel up to the plate as a pinch-hitter.
  • "And Ike was the only one winning down in Washington" refers to U.S. President Dwight Eisenhower. The Washington Senators baseball club was a perennially losing team.
  • "The Oklahoma Kid": This refers to Mantle, who was from Oklahoma.
  • "Bobby Bonds can play for everyone": Bonds played for eight teams in his career, and by 1981 had played for all eight of those teams within eight seasons.
  • "Rose is at the Vet": After spending 16 years with the Cincinnati Reds in 1978 Pete Rose joined the Philadelphia Phillies, who at the time played at Veterans Stadium.
  • "Rusty again is a Met": Staub had been traded away by the New York Mets following the 1975 season but returned in 1981.
  • "And the great Alexander is pitchin' again in Washington" is actually a double reference--to Grover Cleveland Alexander and to U.S. President Ronald Reagan. When the song was released, Reagan had recently assumed the presidency; the line refers to the fact that in his former career as a film actor Reagan had portrayed Alexander in the movie The Winning Team.
  • "If Cooperstown is calling, it's no fluke": The Baseball Hall of Fame is sometimes referred to metonymically as "Cooperstown", as it is located in the town of Cooperstown, New York. As of 2022, only five of the players mentioned in this verse have been elected to the Hall of Fame. Jackson, Seaver, Carew, Perry, and Schmidt made it; Quisenberry, Garvey and Blue have not.
  • "Say hey": Used in the final chorus, Willie Mays was known as "The Say Hey Kid."
  • The refrain of the first two verses includes the line "They knew 'em all from Boston to Dubuque". In the baseball-themed movie Field of Dreams, released eight years after this song, the Field was (and still is) located outside of Dyersville, Iowa, approximately 25 miles west of Dubuque, Iowa.

Later versions

The song quickly gained popularity among baseball fans, and soon Cashman began recording alternate versions of the song, each focusing on a single major-league team. In some cases, the team-specific versions have been rewritten and updated over time.

Chart performance

Chart (1981) Peak
position
U.S. Billboard Easy Listening 28

References

  1. Hall of Fame to honor Terry Cashman
  2. ESPN Page 2 article on Cashman
  3. ""It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia" the Gang Beats Boggs (TV Episode 2015) - IMDb". IMDb.
  4. Talkin' Baseball Songfacts
  5. Whitburn, Joel (2002). Top Adult Contemporary: 1961-2001. Record Research. p. 50.
  6. "Terry Cashman: Adult Contemporary chart history". Billboard. Retrieved 23 May 2023.
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