* B A S E B A L L *









* B A S E B A L L *



MAY

2006













  • Take Me Out To The Ball Game - Bob Dylan (a capella) - (2006)


  • Take Me Out To The Ball Game - The Skeletons (with ukulele) - (1988)


  • Baseball Boogie - Mabel Scott - (1950)


  • Home Run - Chance Halladay - (1959)


  • Baseball Baby - Johnny Darling - (1958)


  • Baseball Canto - Lawrence Ferlinghetti


  • Three Strikes And You're Out - Cowboy Copas - (1960)


  • The Ball Game - Sister Wynona Carr - (1952)


  • Did You See Jackie Robinson Hit That Ball - Buddy Johnson - (1943)


  • Joltin' Joe DiMaggio - Les Brown & His Orchestra (with Betty Bonney)- (1941)


  • Joe DiMaggio's Done It Again - Billy Bragg & Wilco - (1988)


  • Don Newcomb Really Throws That Ball - Teddy Brannon Orchestra - (1950)


  • Newk's Fadeaway - Sonny Rollins - (1951)


  • Say Hey - The Treniers - (1954)


  • The Wizard Of Oz - Sam Bush - (2004)


  • 3rd Base, Dodger Stadium - Ry Cooder - (2004)


  • Heart - Damn Yankees (Original Broadway Cast) - (1955)













"Baseball" was the topic of the fourth "Theme Time Radio Hour".

Maybe this theme was not planned for his 65th birthday, but I would assume

Bob Dylan has some say in what show will be aired on a certain date.



And a mighty fine radio show it was, this 'Baseball' show, one of the

peaks of which for me was 'Joltin' Joe DiMaggio', sung by Betty Bonney,

a track from 1941 (as old as Dylan), featuring Les Brown & His Orchestra.

[In 1954 Joe DiMaggio was briefly married to Marilyn Monroe, whose jacket

from that wedding was stolen in 'Wonder Boys' end ended up with Oola.]



The finest of the tracks presented by Bob Dylan was another great Gospel

song, "The Ball Game", sung by Sister Wynona Carr; and the way Bob Dylan

is quoting parts of the lyrics after the song is simply priceless.






~ MP3 ~ BOB DYLAN QUOTING SISTER WYNONA CARR ~











The Ball Game
Sister Wynona Carr



Life is a ballgame

Bein' played each day

Life is a ballgame

Everybody can play

Yes you know Jesus standin' at the home plate

He's a-waitin' for you there

You know life is a ballgame

But you've got to play it fair

The first base is temptation

You know the second base is sin

The third base tribulation

If you pass you can make it in

Ol' man Solomon is the umpire

And Satan pitchin the game

He'll do his best to strike you out

Keep playin' just the same

You know Daniel's up to bat first

You know he prayed three times a day

Yes Satan pitched him a fast ball

But he hit it anyway

Yes you know Job is up to bat next

Satan struck him in every way

But Job hit a home run

And he came on in that day

Yes you know prayer is our strong bat

To hit at Satan's ball

And when you start to swing it

You've got to give it your all-in-all

Yes you know faith gonna be your catcher

And on him you can depend

For Jesus standing at the home plate

And he's waitin for you to come in

Yes you know Moses is on the side lines

Waitin to be called

You know the day he parted the Red Sea

He knew Christ all-in-all

Then John came in the ninth inning

And the game was almost done

Then God gave John a vision

And he knew he'd already won

Yes you know life is a ballgame

Bein' played each day

You know life is a ballgame

Each and everybody can play

Yes you know Jesus is standin' at the home plate

He's a-waitin' for you there

Well, you know life is a ballgame

But you've got to play it fair











Joltin' Joe DiMaggio
Les Brown & His Orchestra
(with Betty Bonney)



Hello Joe, whatta you know?

We need a hit so here I go

Ball one (Yea!)

Ball two (Yea!)

Strike one (Booo!)

Strike two (Kill that umpire!)

A case of Wheaties

He started baseball's famous streak

That's got us all aglow

He's just a man and not a freak

Joltin' Joe DiMaggio

Joe, Joe DiMaggio

We want you on our side

He tied the mark at forty-four

July the 1st you know

Since then he's hit a good twelve more

Joltin' Joe DiMaggio

Joe, Joe DiMaggio

We want you on our side

From coast to coast that's all you'll hear

Of Joe the one man show

He's glorified the horsehide sphere

Joltin' Joe DiMaggio

Joe, Joe DiMaggio

We want you on our side

He'll live in baseball's Hall of Fame

He got there blow by blow

Our kids will tell their kids his name

Joltin' Joe DiMaggio

We dream of Joey with the light brown plaque

Joe, Joe DiMaggio

We want you on our side

And now they speak in whispers low

Of how they stopped our Joe

One night in Cleveland Oh Oh Oh

Goodbye streak DiMaggio
































Totally unrelated to Bob Dylan's radio show in May 2006,

here is my little personal baseball story from July 1982.



From July 1981 to July 1982 I lived as an exchange student for a year in Ohio

(where I also saw my first Dylan concert in Cincinnati in November 1981).



At the end of that year I took a Greyhound trip out west, and on

the way back to Columbus I visited St. Louis, took an elevator up the

Gateway arch, and saw a huge stadium from above, so I went to a baseball

game between the St. Louis Cardinals and the Atlanta Braves. One thing

led to another, and as you can see my name ended up on the score board.