John Di Maggio

Jasmine Gehris | Tribune-Review

There are no classic songs about scoring touchdowns or blocking shots. No memorable tunes about dunks, birdies, aces or hat tricks.

Only baseball could inspire an elegant lyric the likes of: "Where have you gone, Joe DiMaggio/Our nation turns its lonely eyes to you," from Simon & Garfunkel's "Mrs. Robinson."

Only baseball has produced rock 'n' roll anthems such as Bruce Springsteen''s "Glory Days" and "Centerfield" by John Fogerty.

Only baseball seems to capture the hearts of songwriters.

"Part of it is how deeply baseball is entrenched in the country," Terry Cashman says. "No other sport goes back as far and is as uniquely American as baseball."

Cashman knows this, having mined the rich connection between the National Pastime and music for 30 years.

As a pop musician and songwriter, he had a decent career. He co-wrote the single "Sunday Will Never Be the Same" that was a hit for Spanky and Our Gang, and performed in the duo Cashman & West.

When Cashman, who played one season in the Detroit Tigers' farm system in 1960, wrote "Talkin' Baseball" in 1981, his life changed. The song that cites "Willie, Mickey and the Duke" -- stars Mays, Mantle and Snider, respectively -- became a staple at ballparks. Such was the song's popularity that "The Simpsons" creators asked Cashman to write a parody of his work, "Talkin' Softball."

"That did bring the song to another audience," says Cashman, who will be honored by the Baseball Hall of Fame this year for his musical contributions to the sport.

Cashman has written versions of the song for every major league baseball team, but the Baseball Project has taken the concept a step further. The band, which recently performed at the Three Rivers Arts Festival, explores the lore and legends of baseball on its two albums "Frozen Ropes and Dying Quails" and "High and Inside."

The Baseball Project celebrates folk heroes in "1976," about Detroit Tigers' pitcher Mark Fidrych, and "Ichiro Goes to the Moon," about Seattle Mariners' Ichiro Suzuki.

The band explores the sport's mishaps and tragedies, too. "Buckner's Bolero" is about the error by Boston Red Sox first basemen Bill Buckner that allowed the New York Mets to win the 1986 World Series. "Here Lies Carl Mays" recounts the story of the New York Yankees' pitcher who killed a man with a pitch.

"One of the things that's appealing about baseball is that it really is a game of defined outcomes," Baseball Project singer and guitarist Steve Wynn says. "You either shine or fail.

YouTube - Heath Ledger, John Dimaggio, and Mark Hamill Joker ...

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