[rating=7.00]
Despite some weather to the contrary, it is in fact true that baseball season is upon us. It’s that hopeful time of the year where fans of each of MLB’s 30 teams can believe that yes, “This could be the year we win the pennant”, where smaller towns can bask in the regional pride reflected in their minor league teams, and where youngsters pull on their stirrups and cleats and hit the local parks emulating the big swings and graceful pitching motions of their idols.
Here, once again to score the scene are Steve Wynn, Linda Pitmon, and the R.E.M. triumvirate of Mike Mills, Peter Buck, and Scott McCaughey, aka The Baseball Project, who are back with their latest full-length, 3rd on North Carolina’s tasteful Yep Roc Records. What began in 2007 as a side project based out of mutual fandom and admiration, has now, seven years later, turned into quite the cottage industry, as the group’s built upon their individual members’ already established fanbases to win over supporters throughout the baseball community, as well. They’ve gone from playing back porch festivals and industry spotlight gigs to jamming out on Late Night with David Letterman, showcasing at art museums, and singing the National Anthem at Fenway Park. And, as their star rises, so too, does the quality of their output, as 3rd offers forth another solid set of tunes exploring the larger-than-life characters, arcane rules, and dizzying components of America’s National Pastime.
The album opens with a squalor of feedback and the incantation of various baseball numbers-the 2,632 consecutive games played by Cal Ripken, Jr., the 363 wins compiled by ace lefty Warren Spahn, Bob Gibson’s 1.12 ERA, etc. It’s a perfect pop quiz to give to baseball fans and perfect numbers to type into a Google search for those less familiar with the game. The song is also a perfect encapsulation of the band’s direction-there’s usually something for everyone. Even casual observers will recognize the legends that pop up throughout the album’s 17 tracks, like “The Babe”, “They Don’t Know Henry”, and “A Boy Named Cy”, but these musicians’ baseball knowledge skews towards the encyclopedic, so listeners will also hear stories centered around the once-scrappily loved Mets and Phillies star, but since disgraced, Lenny “Nails” Dykstra (“From Nails to Thumbtacks”), the LSD-ingesting fireballer Dock Ellis (“The Day Dock Went Hunting Heads”), and the shoulda-been talent of a Milwaukee legend’s brother (“Larry Yount”).
And with R.E.M. members on board, there’s a pretty cool Atlanta focus to the album, as in addition to the aforementioned Henry Aaron, Mills pushes for longtime Braves outfielder Dale Murphy’s inclusion in the Hall of Fame (“To The Veterans’ Committee) and Pitmon takes the mic to tell the goofy story of pitcher Pascual Perez’s geographically challenged attempt to drive to Fulton County Stadium in time to make his scheduled start on the mound.
“We don’t have any rules about what constitutes a baseball song”, McCaughey has been quoted as saying. And while this mantra can lead to the occasional misstep or stretch of boundary, it definitely serves The Baseball Project well, as their talent lies not only in crafting great, catchy hooks, but in additionally serving as an advanced and entertaining primer about the game. Statheads and “Inside Baseball” fanatics will find little to argue with in terms of the details, and casual observers or complete non-sports fans will appreciate the humanistic portraits each story paints. Baseball is full of colorful characters and illuminating anecdotes, so it’s likely The Baseball Project can keep chugging out these collections every couple of years to help soundtrack us through the hopeful oncoming of spring and long, dog days of summer.
