The Return of Tunes on 2s!
Centerfield - John Fogerty (1985)

Hard to believe my last Tunes on 2s was April 2, 2009! So this one is in honor of the one who requested its comeback...

Got a beat-up glove, a homemade bat, and brand-new pair of shoes;
You know I think it’s time to give this game a ride.
Just to hit the ball and touch ’em all - a moment in the sun;
It’s gone and you can tell that one goodbye!

Oh, put me in, coach, I’m ready to play-today;
Put me in, coach, I’m ready to play-today;
Look at me, I can be centerfield.

Listen/watch here

Ahh, baseball. This song hands down, reminds me of my brother Josh. I seem to recall countless repeats of this on the little tape deck we had; the same tape deck that I used to record my favorite songs off Casey Cassem's American Top 40, hoping I hit the record button(s) at exactly the right moment between when he started talking and the first lyric was sung. If I remember right, I think we actually had an actual cassette tape of Centerfield, so the full experience was available. I have a distinct memory of listening to it in the little bedroom off to the left of the top of the stairs. The tape deck was sitting on the floor under the window by the door.

Josh was Mr. Baseball of our family. He was always on some kind of baseball team, all the way into his college years. His love certainly didn't spring from nothing - my dad is a longtime Baltimore Orioles fan, and we would make trips up to Minneapolis to see the Twins battle the orange and black in the Metrodome. Since the Mets won the World Series in 1986, Josh and I were fans. Another family trip to St. Louis involved a Mets game, and I remember also fitting in a Colorado Rockies game into a vacation in 1993 (their inaugural season).

"Centerfield" also recalls my own love and nostalgia for the game. There is just something about baseball - especially attending a game in person. I align myself more with the Twins these days, and even living in a city where Major League Baseball is so accessible, I still find myself excited every time I walk into a ballpark. Over the years I have added to my list of stadiums visited, including: Miller Park (Milwaukee Brewers, Mets games with Josh and Abbey), Camden Yards (Baltimore Orioles), Shea Stadium (New York Mets!), and of course, Target Field, the new home of the Minnesota Twins. I plan to visit more, and pass down that excitement to my daughter. I foresee her Uncle Josh participating in that, and with his own daughter!

It's said this Centerfield was inspired by Fogerty's childhood memories of baseball. Considering it went to #1 on the Billboard chart, I'd say it resonated with a lot of people in the same way. For me, it's mostly about my lip-syncing, practice-swinging little brother blasting it from the room at the top of the stairs.