Since the glory days of the 1970s, the Baltimore Orioles have played John Denver's "Thank God I'm a Country Boy" during the seventh-inning stretch. I have never understood this tradition. I grew up in Maryland - granted DC area, not Baltimore. I know the town well enough to say that it's about as urban as an American city can be. How anyone in Baltimore can claim to be a country boy (or girl) is beyond me. Maybe Earl Weaver was a John Denver fan.
At any rate, it's a fun song. My favorite rendition, however, is Jim Nabors's performance on The Muppet Show:
Nabors is actually quite an accomplished singer - his recordings a fair sight better than the usual celebrity vanity project. He made his television singing debut as Gomer Pyle - his career-defining role - on The Andy Griffith Show:
My Baseball Fantasy
Vermont League: won, 6-4 (36-27-7 overall, 1st place out of 12 teams)
Maryland League: lost, 3-6-1 (34-33-3, 4th of 10)
Public League: 84 Rotisserie points (2nd of 12)
My Player of the Week: Carlos Gonzalez (Left Fielder, Rockies) with 3 home runs, 8 RBI, 8 runs, 3 stolen bases and a .375 batting average
I'm sure there's some anecdotal explanation somewhere. John Denver was pretty awesome.
ReplyDeleteHe made one of his last public appearances at Camden Yards, dancing atop the dugout as the song played.
DeleteBaseball is a fine art. How good is .375?
ReplyDelete.300 is a benchmark for excellence. No one's hit .400 for a season in 73 years.
DeleteCricket fan?
Blech. I'm not much of a country fan myself. But whatever gets the team going, I guess.
ReplyDeleteHave a great weekend Squid.
For the most part, I agree with you, though I have a soft spot for John Denver. My wife harbors no such affection and routinely rolls her eyes when his songs come up on my Pandora stations.
DeleteYou, too, jaybird! I hope it's drier in Jersey than it is here.