What to listen to on a baseball-themed road trip?
May 2, 2022 7:42 AM Subscribe
I'm going on a baseball-themed road trip with my 14 year old nephew. What baseball-related things can we listen to on our drive?
We will have 2 long drives of around 2 hours each, plus driving around a city for a day. I'm up for anything, but I think short bites of things would be better than longer things, and spoken word stuff is probably better than music (unless the music is really good). I'm thinking more along the lines of snippets from Ball Four from Jim Bouton than things like Centerfield by John Fogerty or Dan Bern's baseball songs. Bonus points for anything related to the Toronto Blue Jays.
We will have 2 long drives of around 2 hours each, plus driving around a city for a day. I'm up for anything, but I think short bites of things would be better than longer things, and spoken word stuff is probably better than music (unless the music is really good). I'm thinking more along the lines of snippets from Ball Four from Jim Bouton than things like Centerfield by John Fogerty or Dan Bern's baseball songs. Bonus points for anything related to the Toronto Blue Jays.
Best answer: You probably need to slip in Abbot and Costello's Who's on First? somewhere in there, especially if your nephew has never heart it. He may think it's dumb, but it's still a classic.
posted by bondcliff at 7:53 AM on May 2, 2022 [5 favorites]
posted by bondcliff at 7:53 AM on May 2, 2022 [5 favorites]
NPR Driveway Moments Baseball seems like it would be a perfect fit for this.
posted by timestep at 8:01 AM on May 2, 2022 [1 favorite]
posted by timestep at 8:01 AM on May 2, 2022 [1 favorite]
A dying Cubs fan's last request
The Big Rapids Timbers of sleep baseball, if you think the kid will be sufficiently adept at keeping you awake through it (or if your roadtrip includes overnights)
Piazza, New York Catcher from Belle and Sebastian if you want to play decipher the references a bit
posted by the primroses were over at 8:04 AM on May 2, 2022
The Big Rapids Timbers of sleep baseball, if you think the kid will be sufficiently adept at keeping you awake through it (or if your roadtrip includes overnights)
Piazza, New York Catcher from Belle and Sebastian if you want to play decipher the references a bit
posted by the primroses were over at 8:04 AM on May 2, 2022
How about listening to the 1949 Yankees vs Dodgers World Series, called by Red Barber, with color commentary by Mel Allen, brought to you by Gillette and Archive.org.
The players in that series included many future Hall of Famers:
Yankees
Dodgers
posted by Winnie the Proust at 8:40 AM on May 2, 2022 [1 favorite]
The players in that series included many future Hall of Famers:
Yankees
Yogi Berra
Joe DiMaggio
Johnny Mize
Phil Rizzuto
Casey Stengel (manager)
Dodgers
Roy CampanellaIt probably goes without saying, but don't tell your kids who ended up winning.
Gil Hodges
Duke Snider
Pee Wee Reese
Jackie Robinson
posted by Winnie the Proust at 8:40 AM on May 2, 2022 [1 favorite]
An audiobook chapter of Michael Lewis Moneyball: apparently free to hear here.
posted by BobTheScientist at 8:43 AM on May 2, 2022
posted by BobTheScientist at 8:43 AM on May 2, 2022
Some This American Life pieces include Aces are Wild and Yerrrrr Out!. I haven't watched it yet, but I knew there'd be some longform Studs Terkel on baseball, and the Library of Congress has this conversation.
posted by knile at 9:03 AM on May 2, 2022
posted by knile at 9:03 AM on May 2, 2022
Best answer: The Dollop podcast has many baseball eps that are great fun. The Rube is my favorite. It includes some rude behavior, but I don't think would be inappropriate for a 14 year old. Jackie Mitchel is also good, if a bit less funny. (The Yankee Pitcher Switch and the Cocaine Pirates might make you uncomfortable as a parent. Ten cent beer night and Disco Demolition Night will depend on your willingness to share stories of adults behaving badly in ways that aren't worse than any pg-13 action film.)
posted by eotvos at 9:06 AM on May 2, 2022
posted by eotvos at 9:06 AM on May 2, 2022
Check out the audiobook version of Summerland by Michael Chabon if you want a fantasy fiction addition to the media diet!
posted by alicat at 9:19 AM on May 2, 2022 [1 favorite]
posted by alicat at 9:19 AM on May 2, 2022 [1 favorite]
Audio book by Ray Kinsella (he of Field of Dreams fame).
I have the MLB season package (thanks TMUS!). When I have the time, I will sometimes listen to an inning of an exciting game from both teams announcer. Say the Cubs scored 5 in the 3rd inning against the Cardinals. I would go back and listen to the inning from both the hitter's team and the pitcher's team standpoint. One team's seeing eye single is another team's hard hit RBI.
posted by JohnnyGunn at 10:11 AM on May 2, 2022
I have the MLB season package (thanks TMUS!). When I have the time, I will sometimes listen to an inning of an exciting game from both teams announcer. Say the Cubs scored 5 in the 3rd inning against the Cardinals. I would go back and listen to the inning from both the hitter's team and the pitcher's team standpoint. One team's seeing eye single is another team's hard hit RBI.
posted by JohnnyGunn at 10:11 AM on May 2, 2022
Who’s On First!
posted by rrrrrrrrrt at 11:35 AM on May 2, 2022 [1 favorite]
posted by rrrrrrrrrt at 11:35 AM on May 2, 2022 [1 favorite]
Audio copy of The Summer Game by Roger Angell
Audio copy of The Glory of Their Times by Lawrence Ritter
posted by oflinkey at 12:24 PM on May 2, 2022
Audio copy of The Glory of Their Times by Lawrence Ritter
posted by oflinkey at 12:24 PM on May 2, 2022
I kind of love at bat music for its unusual blend of reggaeton and country. If you can get ahold of any playlists of current team's at bat music it might be fun to listen to them before the games you are going to. You could make it into a guessing/trivia game- play the songs and guess which player they belong to.
posted by emd3737 at 2:18 PM on May 2, 2022
posted by emd3737 at 2:18 PM on May 2, 2022
Oh! The novel The Art of Fielding is fiction about a college baseball phenom and is really great. You could get the audiobook.
posted by emd3737 at 2:23 PM on May 2, 2022
posted by emd3737 at 2:23 PM on May 2, 2022
Right Field, Peter, Paul and Mary
The Marvelous Toy, Peter, Paul and Mary
There are songs listed under "baseball songs" on YouTube, but nothing I recognize.
posted by TrishaU at 1:29 AM on May 3, 2022
The Marvelous Toy, Peter, Paul and Mary
There are songs listed under "baseball songs" on YouTube, but nothing I recognize.
posted by TrishaU at 1:29 AM on May 3, 2022
Anything off of Baseball's Greatest Hits?
My elementary school music class had a unit centered around baseball one year (why? no ideaand my mom was the music teacher and i never thought to ask) that used some of the songs off the first cd, and they still bounce around in my head to this day.
posted by emmling at 2:38 AM on May 3, 2022
My elementary school music class had a unit centered around baseball one year (why? no idea
posted by emmling at 2:38 AM on May 3, 2022
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posted by Hypatia at 7:48 AM on May 2, 2022