"8th Inning Sing-Along"

[Gwreck]

First time I've ever seen this at Shea. Middle of the 8th, sponsored by XM Radio. "Fans, please get up out of your seats and join us in singing along to the 8th inning singalong sponsored by XM Radio!"

And what do they play?

Sweet Caroline.

And what did everybody do? Sing along. Loudly. Like the Mets created this idea. Sheep blindly following what the scoreboard says to do. Baaaaa.

Attention Morons: We DON'T NEED ANYBODY ELSE'S TRADITION!!

This is worse than the idiots doing "roll call" at Shea.

The idea is intriguing -- a sing-along could be fun -- but how about we get our OWN FREAKING SONG.

Suggestion: Glory Days, Bruce Springsteen. Fun, well-known, upbeat, easy chorus, baseball content, and not somebody else's freakin' tradition.

[/rant]

[metirish]

WOW that sucks, I would like to hear them go with "celebrate" from a band from Ireland called "An Emotional Fish"...great bloody song...

] She insists that she's a lunatic, closer to the bone She hardly ever visits upstairs, ride the telephone Well I guess beauty does what beauty does best It's beautiful See that's the trouble with reality, it's taken far too seriously I do hope God is good to me and Santa Claus to the children Celebrate This party's over I'm going home Celebrate This party's over I'm going home His essential complications are hung up and confused It's a planet full of traffic lights and traffic light abusers But that's no stranger than strange Or any other stranger He claims it's dangerous to be innocent 'cause you're the victim every time Histories of insanity intruding on the sane Celebrate This party's over I'm going home Celebrate This party's over I'm going home Histories of insanity intruding on the sane Even if your problem is the problem do we have to play those games? But all these dizzy numb For anyone to shoulder See that's the trouble with reality, it's taken far too seriously I do hope God is good to me and Santa Claus to the children Celebrate This party's over I'm going home Celebrate This party's over I'm going home Celebrate This party's over I'm going home Celebrate This party's over I'm going home

[Willets Point]

CPF'ers have already selected quality songs for Shea singalongs, including "I Touch Myself" by the Divinyls and "Breakout" by Swing Out Sister.

[nymr83]

]This is worse than the idiots doing "roll call" at Shea.

nothing is worse than that, but yeah we do need our own song, i like the idea of a sing along though. how about Billy Joel?

[Guest Edgy DC]

"She, Sheila" by The Producers.

Really, can we do better than "Der Kommisar"? I don't think so.

[Guest KC]

Well - the house is a rockin dont bother knockin
Yeah - the house is a rockin dont bother knockin
Yeah - the house is a rockin dont bother come on in

Kick off your shoes start losin the blues
This old house aint got nothin to lose
Seen it all for years start spreadin the news
We got room on the floor come on baby shake sumpin loose

Well - the house is a rockin dont bother knockin
Yeah - the house is a rockin dont bother knockin
Yeah - the house is a rockin dont bother come on in

Well - the house is a rockin dont bother knockin
Yeah - the house is a rockin dont bother knockin
Yeah - the house is a rockin dont bother come on in

Walkin up the street you can hear the sound
Of some bad honky tonkers really layin it down
Theyve seen it all for years and got nothin to lose
So get down on the floor shimmy til you shake sumpin loose

Well - the house is a rockin dont bother knockin
Yeah - the house is a rockin dont bother knockin
Yeah - the house is a rockin dont bother come on in
I said the house is a rockin dont bother come on in

[Guest ScarletKnight41]

How about The Curly Shuffle?

[seawolf17]

ScarletKnight41 wrote: How about The Curly Shuffle?

Yes!

[Guest Iubitul]

ScarletKnight41 wrote: How about The Curly Shuffle?

You asked for it, we've got it...

[Guest SwitchHitter]

The best singalong song is Clementine.

To the tune of Beethoven's 9th.

[Diamond Dad]

They've used it twice recently and both times the Mets came from behind to win. I say we stick with it!

[Guest Johnny Dickshot]

The singalong was Sweet Caroline again last nite... pathetic.

They played the Curly Shuffle during a pitching change.

The 80s video quiz writers were reading the CPF:

1. In a Big Country -- Big Country
2. What's Love Got to Do With It -- Tina Turner
3. Everybody Wants to Rule the World -- Tears for Fears

The contestant was not, who guessed No. 2 was called "She works hard for the money."

[HahnSolo]

What's "roll call"?

[Guest Edgy DC]

The best thing about "The Curly Shuffle" is that it was a failed single months old when the Mets picked it up. Hammering home proven product until all ballpark experiences are smoothed out into a flat sameness is lame-o.

[seawolf17]

I love "Sweet Caroline," but it has no business being played over the PA at Shea Stadium. Leave it in Fenway, and bring back the Curly Shuffle permanently.

[Frayed Knot]

HahnSolo wrote: What's "roll call"?

It's the 1st inning act started by those in the Yanqui Stadium OF bleachers where they chant out each starting player's name until said player acknowledges them with a quickie wave (not sure that pitcher & catcher always comply).

A handful of Met fans tried starting it during a few games this season - but it's truly a stolen act and didn't go over well ... nor should it.

[Guest Rotblatt]

Yeah, the Sweet Caroline thing last night bothered me, although I did find out via my uncle that the song is about Caroline Kennedy, which I hadn't known, so at least I learned something.

The Curley Shuffle, on the other hand--great fun!

I like the Boss idea, but I'm not sure if Glory Days is the right song . . . I'm a big fan of "I'm on Fire" but it's pretty low key. What about "Born to Run"?

Not only is it a great song, it's also got some good sing-along "ohs." Plus, with Reyes, Beltran & Wright locked up long term, we truely are "born to run."

Of course, there's always: "Beat on the Brat, beat on the brat with a baseball bat, oh yeah! Oh yeah! Oh-hoh!"

[Willets Point]

Considering Shea history, a Beatles sing-a-long would be a great tradition.

[seawolf17]

Willets Point wrote: Considering Shea history, a Beatles sing-a-long would be a great tradition.

Can I nominate "I Saw Her Standing There"?

"Woooooooooooo!"

[Gwreck]

I'm pleased to report that the Curly Shuffle replaced Sweet Caroline tonight in the 8th inning.

[Guest ABG]

Smart Red Sox fans even think it's dumb to play at Fenway.

[Willets Point]

The thing that's fun about it at Fenway is that it's a fan thing. The PA announcer announcer doesn't say it's time for a singalong, the song just plays and people singalong. I think its a Boston thing actually. When I first moved to Boston in 1998 when I went to bars inevitably the song would be played and people would singalong so that they start singing along at Fenway is not surprising. I've read recently that singalong with Neil Diamond songs is big in Ireland and Britain. The bars I went to in 1998 had a lot of people from Ireland working in Boston for the summer so they may have brought their tradition to the states. So I think it's kind of fun that way, but again because the fans at Fenway originated it as opposed to some forced enthusiasm.

The rest of the story.

[G-Fafif]

seawolf17 wrote: ="Willets Point"]Considering Shea history, a Beatles sing-a-long would be a great tradition. Can I nominate "I Saw Her Standing There"? "Woooooooooooo!"

Or, for Trachsel, "I Saw Him Standing There."

A point of dissent regarding "Sweet Caroline." The Mets used it in lieu of "Lazy Mary" during the seventh-inning stretch on two consecutive Jewish Heritage Days ('cause ya gotta match the ethnic theme to the music, apparently). I've heard it at Cyclone games (Neil Diamond being from Brooklyn). And we lustily sang along with it in bars years and years ago long before "Fever Pitch" came out. I don't consider its use as an XM promotion a total Red Sox ripoff in context.

If the Mets start leading us in a chorus of "Tessie," that's a whole other matter.

[Centerfield]

I brought this up in the Film Review Forum. There is a scene in Beautiful Girls, released in 1996, where the crew sings along to Sweet Caroline when Timothy Hutton's character plays it on the piano. The movie is set in rural Massachusetts and everyone there is a Boston fan.

I wondered if the tradition had its roots in that scene.

[Benjamin Grimm]

Tessie.
I won't cut fresh flowers for you.
Tessie.
I won't keep the wine cold for you.

[Guest Rotblatt]

Uh, I now have Sweet Caroline in my head.

It's getting kind of annoying.

[Benjamin Grimm]

="Rotblatt"]Uh, I now have Sweet Caroline in my head. It's getting kind of annoying.

That's been happening to me, too.

Where it began...

[Centerfield]

...touching hands, reaching out...

[seawolf17]

touching me... touching youuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuu...

[Willets Point]

so good, so good, so good