JANELLE STRAWSBURG
Staff Writer
They make the crowd tap their feet in rhythm to the beat. They cause adults to catch themselves crooning along with the lyrics. But mostly they send an electrifying jolt through one player pumping them up before they head out onto the field.
It’s a baseball walk-up song, the last sound a player hears before walking up to the plate to hit. And with every new season comes a new lineup of songs to compete for the title of crowd favorite. Some players stick with the classics from years past, hoping to continue to ride on the good luck it may have brought; others switch it up, to shake off any superstition from last season. But whatever the reason for a walk-out selection, all hope for the same result: an adrenaline rush before facing the fastball in high pressure situations.
Picture this: Bases loaded, bottom of the ninth, down by two, two out, and the announcer comes over the loudspeaker, “And now pinch hitting for the Waves…” Cue music….ready…and…walk it out.
Adrian Ortiz: “Dame Lo Que Quiero” by Rakim & Ken-Y
“It gives me a feeling of being back home and it’s something I really like.”
Danny Worth: “Deliverance” by Bubba Sparxxx
“I’ve never found a better walk up song. Bubba and I go way back and it was his personal request that made me choose it in 2005, so I’m sticking with it for a third year.”
Eric Thames: “Hardball” by the Lil Rascals
“It is the theme song from the movie Hardball, which is about baseball. The opening line of the song says it all for me… ‘Throw me the ball and watch what I do with it.’”
Chase d’Arnaud: “I’m So Fly” by Lloyd Banks
“I had a really tough time deciding so Adam Olbrychowski helped me choose it. I sing it in my head as I’m walking out, or out loud if I’m feeling like it.”
Luke Salas: “Ants Marching” by Dave Matthews Band
“I’ve picked this song for four years because its one of my favorite songs by Dave Matthews Band, and I’m a huge DMB fan. Also, the song has treated me well since I’ve been here so I might as well stick with it till the end.”
Don Brown: “Return of the Mac” by Mark Morrison
“I just like to groove and it’s a grooving song. I decided to switch it up this year do something a little more fun a little less serious.”
Matt Aidem: “Veteran” by Ignite
“I chose it because it pumps me up, they are a politically conscious group, and I usually try to pick something that not that many people know.”
Travis Tartamella: “Above Me” by Rufio
“I chose this song because they are from Rancho Cucamonga, and my sister knows them pretty well.”
Joe Evans: “Boom” by Nelly
“I saw it on the Longest Yard and I thought the song pumped me up.”
Barry Enright: “I’m Shipping Up to Boston” by Drop Kick Murphys
“I went and saw ‘The Departed’ and it was in that I saw that and it had a little Irish jig to it and that is my background so it fit. You know it’s actually hard to hear the song because you are so focused and trying to stay in the zone but when I do hear it, it is an uplifting song so I like it a lot.”
Brett Hunter: “Lights Out” by Letter Kills
“The name explains it all. I want to be lights out every time I step on the mound.”
Adam Olbrychowski: “What You Know” by T.I.
“I just think it gets me pumped up, it’s a good song and it actually won a Grammy this past year. I like T.I.’s music and it seems like people enjoy it also.”
Dylan Gonzalez: “In the Air Tonight” by Nonpoint
“To be honest it reminds me of Miami Vice, the movie. It reminds me of my childhood.”
Jason Dominguez: “Californication” by The Red Hot Chili Peppers
“I chose that song because there is no better place in the world than California and there is no better band in the world than the Red Hot Chili Peppers…except for maybe ABBA, but they are not walk-out material.”
03-01-2007
