Monday, May 20, 2013

Baseball Tunes: Thank God I'm a Country Boy



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

Photo via Denver Westword Blogs

6 comments:

  1. I'm sure there's some anecdotal explanation somewhere. John Denver was pretty awesome.

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    1. He made one of his last public appearances at Camden Yards, dancing atop the dugout as the song played.

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  2. Baseball is a fine art. How good is .375?

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    1. .300 is a benchmark for excellence. No one's hit .400 for a season in 73 years.

      Cricket fan?

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  3. Blech. I'm not much of a country fan myself. But whatever gets the team going, I guess.

    Have a great weekend Squid.

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    1. 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.

      You, too, jaybird! I hope it's drier in Jersey than it is here.

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