One of the perceived strengths of the 2008 Dodgers was the team’s bench and bullpen playlists. This year, Nomar and his “Low Rider” 45 are gone, Jeff Kent and his battered copy of Santana’s “Oye Como Va” are gone, and Joe Beimel’s cool mix of ’60s stoner rock and White Stripes are hitting the golf links in Colorado. The 2009 team’s 84-year-old backup catcher, Brad Ausmus, brings it, however, with Jimi Hendrix‘s “Fire,” but Mark Loretta‘s use of a Creed song, “My Sacrifice,” won’t advance the runner. The bench player who’s always given the Phillies the most fits over the course of his career, Juan Pierre, uses the following song of praise.
Yeesh!
The only new additions to the Phillies’ bench are Ben Francisco, who accompanies his trips to the plate with some Kanye West song; Miguel Cairo, whose tuneage I cannot determine; and Paul Bako, whose steady defense, heady play, and weak bat are well-represented by this journeyman song:
Advantage: Dodgers, solely on the strength of Ausmus’ walk-up song.
Among the new starters for each team, Phils fans have fallen in love with the determined, focused professionalism of Raul Ibanez. His choice of Pearl Jam‘s “Save You” will play a key role in this series, as it has done throughout the veteran’s season of walking on water.
Whether the Dodgers start Orlando Hudson or Ronnie Belliard at second base, the former’s “Mr. President” by Young Jeezy or the latter’s – possibly “Groove With Me Tonight,” by MDO, which I could verify he used from 2004-2007, add nothing. In fact, if Belliard is still using this outdated boy band song it might counteract the benefits gained by Derek Lowe leaving the team.
For more on the Dodgers’ at-bat song, click here and here.
The 2009 Phillies still come at you with a combination of hardcore hip-hop, reggae, classic rock, and half-decent modern rock. For a while, in fact, Jayson Werth put aside his standard Sammy Hagar tune, “Heavy Metal,” and broke out Kings of Leon‘s “Sex on Fire.” Werth reclaimed Hagar for the stretch run, however, and the results have been as plain as day. No one in the Dodgers’ starting 8 brings anything half as cool as Shane Victorino‘s “Buffalo Soldier” to the plate. Shane’s sending this one out to you, sammymaudlin!
With another year of experience under their belt and Jeff Weaver’s use of “Crazy Train” in the ‘pen, the Dodgers should be a formidable foe. There is, however, one major flaw in the Dodgers’ attack, which we’ll examine in more depth following Game 4, in Philadelphia. Pitcher Randy Wolf, a phormer Phils player and once phan phavorite who is scheduled to start Game 4 back in Philly, is identified with two songs: 1) Tool’s “Jambi” (which kicks off this thread), to get him psyched up for pitching, and 2)…well, I’ll let you judge his at-bat song for yourself:
Wow, what an opening game.
I’ll say one thing: the Phils need to flush the toilet while Cole Hammels showers tonight. No one shows up Chase and Jimmy the way he did after that error! The Baseball Gods took care of him through Manny’s home run.
George Shirrell’s first taste of the postseason was nothing like his experiences closing in Baltimore. Raaauuuuuulllll!
I think a veteran like Matt Stairs needs to “talk” to Hamels and tell him the next time he does something like that he’s going to get his ass hammered and then stuffed in his locker
When I look at Cole, I see a young John Cleese. Seeing his displeasure with the blown double play, I assumed he was just recreating his exasperated pet shop customer in the dead parrot sketch. He was just lightening the tension.
Other random thoughts. Mary Hart is a true Dodgers fan. She sat through the whole game behind the plate. And she looks like she’s sitting with her Dad. New respect.
Anyone counting how many times we’ve been subjected to that awful Cat Stevens song for the phone commercial?
Don’t recall the products, but there were 2 muzak versions of Beatles songs played during commercials. Come Together (for Macy’s or Target, maybe?) and Hello Goodbye. What happened? I remember the huge deal it was to use the real Revolution for Nike. When did the flood gates for crapified versions used for commercials open?? Did Yoko die and I missed it? Or did some copyright expire??
The shitty Beatles covers in commercials thing has been happening for a few years now. I assume it had something to do with Sony getting the rights Michael Jackson had when he went broke.
My biggest musical pet peeve in sports right now is the overuse of that “Zombie Nation” song after homeruns and goals. That’s the “ooohh oooooh oooohh OOOOOOHHHH oooohh ooooh oh oh” song that makes it sound like the crowd is chanting in unison when they’re not. Total phony attempt to create a soccer-ish atmosphere. Almost as annoying as a game a few months earlier where the Mets played the “Cha-Cha Slide” (ev-ery-body-clap-your-hands) seemingly after every pitch.
The real development of last night’s game: before he got hurt a few weeks back, Chan Ho Park had started to struggle a bit after being one of their best pitchers out of the bullpen. This coincided with his curious decision to shave off what was, at the time, the single finest beard in professional sports. After he got hurt, Park went into hiding, and it turns out he put his time away to good use, because the beard was back in majestic form last night and Park was tremendous in relief as a result.
I think the deal with Beatles songs in commercials is this: Paul, George, Ringo and Yoko sued Nike for using the actual Beatles recording of “Revolution.” These re-recordings are not actionable.
Total agreement, Magic. Their hitters were flummoxed by the sight of an Asian man with a beautiful Just For Men style beard.
Alexmagic, great point about the return of Chan Ho’s beard. What’s especially cool about it – and I’ll say this at the risk of sounding highly inappropriate – is that he’s got not only a thick beard fit for a movie set in Medieval times or a Bee Gees album cover shot, but he’s an Asian guy with such a beard! It’s not often you see an Asian man with anything but a wispy beard, like Ichiro’s or that Japanese musician Hrrundivbakshi once tried to place into his Holy Trinity of Rock.
chickenfrank, you know what the Dodgers should do for Mary Hart when she’s seated behind home plate? Put a spotlight on her gams!
It’s shame she can’t be sitting behind a desk behind home plate.
Pedro today!
That Blackberry commercial with the rerecording of All You Need Is Love makes me want to blow up the TV. Just now in the 8th inning break in the Yankees/Angels game, I heard that, some muzak version of Be My Baby for Cialis, and some product with the original Yes recording of, is it Roundabout? I guess they don’t expect anyone under 50 to be watching. Now McCarver is giving me another reason to turn the sound off. He’s worse than Joe Morgan, I swear. (Christ, he just called Damon a gamer, give me the remote!) But seeing ARod get upended at home plate cheered me up.
Yeah, I forget what Yes song it is they play on a commercial. That was really weird to hear. The version of “All You Need Is Love” for Blackberry is terrible, and what annoys me most is watching the “drummer” not have a clue how to sync up and air drum with that lousy arrangement.
Pharmaceutical ads are typically mystifying. Viagra makes sense: the guy is getting some action again and he’s walking tall, but most other pharma ads make me wonder what they’re thinking. There’s one with a woman talking about some drug while she’s in silouette the whole time, even while walking through a well-lit, animated set. How can she be credible when she’s portrayed as a Mob turncoat?
Sammy, did you get the message Shane sent you tonight? The hex is broken!
I clicked over to the link for the 2008 NLCS Rate-A-Record, and look what I saw:
I’m surprised I haven’t heard more crowing.
I tried crowing for a while, but nobody believed, or remembered, or cared about, my incredible 2008 ESBP prediction. Foolish mortals!
Incidentally, Townsman Rick, I found this today and for some reason — after cleaning up the mess from my spit-take — I thought of you:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M0XEi-hJMbs
Mr. Mod, I’ve been seeing Dodgers propaganda on the RTH heading at various times today. Who is putting out this subversive material? Someone who actually believes that the World F**king Champions can actually be beaten by the Dodgers?
P.S.: It was a drag seeing Pedro’s effort go for naught.
I’m no Dodgers fan, but I did bust out laughing at the homoerotic Abercrombie & Fitch Phillies billboard at the top of the page. For shame! (Snort.)
Hmmmm….I see that the weisenheimers who put up the pictures on the RTH masthead have just suddenly changed their tune & have started putting up Yankees porn after continuing w/the Dodgers stuff up to this AM. A not-so-subtle rebuke to the authority of Mr. Mod, perhaps?
Sammy, maybe you’d like to add this shot to the banner. I know it’s a former Phillies player, but it’s in the same spirit as your one-track-mind perception of our boys:
http://philliesphollowers.mlblogs.com/Burrell%20p.jpg
Is that from your Phillies 2008 calendar you carry around with you?
That pic is so porn-like. I couldn’t believe how much the recent Eagles cheerleader’s calendar looked like a seventies Penthouse…
I have no idea why youthought of me, Hrrundi, but I love it – especially with the pictures!
I guess I thought you’d get a kick out of it in the same way you’ve always appreciated the Phil Lynott stage banter that precedes “The Rocker.”
Oh, no, no, no-no-no-no-NO!
Phillies Fans interruption!
What was the point of forming a man crush on Cliff Lee?? He’s gone. Traded to pick up Halladay. Lee was stunning in the series. If Halladay stumbles even a little, he’ll be compared unfavorably. Hope you didn’t buy a Lee jersey this year.
I’m following this closely, chick – too closely. More thoughts later.