Update 4-10-2025

See you at the Yell County Library, more about baseball songs, and in case you missed Babe’s “demise,” and Aaron Ward’s brief brush with baseball stardom.

I will join other local authors at the Yell County Library on Saturday, April 12. Come by and talk a little baseball. I will have some door prizes to give away.

More thoughts on “Baseball Songs”

Thank you for your emails, texts, and calls regarding the baseball songs. Baseball is the subject of dozens of nostalgic songs. They bring back cherished memories, tell memorable stories, and sometimes even move us to stand and sing along.

Middle of the 8th inning in Boston…Sweet Caroline

Those of you under 40 who “don’t get” why your grandpa loves this slow-moving game with intermittent action can sometimes pick up some of the nuances of that affection from baseball songs.

Many of you mentioned Right Field. On the surface, it is a feel-good song about a kid who was forced to play baseball because it was the only choice. A closer look describes a time when kids got on bikes, found each other, and played without supervision. We arbitrated our own conflicts, we didn’t need uniforms, and the baseball field was open to a pick-up game on Saturday.

Saturday summers, when I was a kid
We'd run to the schoolyard, and here's what we did
We'd pick out the captains and we'd choose up the teams
It was always a measure of my self-esteem

'Cause the fastest, the strongest, played shortstop and first
The last ones they picked were the worst
I never needed to ask, it was sealed,
I just took up my place in right field.

Several of you reminded me that most of us have been relegated to “right field” in some aspect of our lives, and it is not always in baseball. I hope you will listen again to this hopeful song about your grandpa’s generation.

Peter, Paul, and Mary…Right Field

Looking back two years.

This week marks our 100th attempt to save some of the stories of our state’s uniquely compelling baseball history. Together, we are creating a community of Arkansans who value the time when Baseball Was Arkansas’ Game.

THANKS

In case you missed Backroads and Ballplayers Weekly #100

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