An Exploration of Bob Dylan’s Love of Baseball

 

 

Meta: According to reports, Bob Dylan, one of the world’s most iconic singers, is also a baseball fan, even mentioning the sport in one of his songs.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Long after Bob Dylan has gone, he will be remembered as one of the world’s most talented musical geniuses. He will also be remembered as a major figure in popular culture in a glittering career, which has so far spanned six decades.

Some even regard him as the Shakespeare of his generation, having been able to resonate with millions of people across the world through his work. However, not many people will remember him as being a baseball fan. He even wrote a song in 1975 based on a famous pitcher called James ‘Catfish’ Hunter.

How much of a baseball fan is Bob Dylan?

Baseball is one of Bob Dylan’s favourite sports. However, he isn’t a baseball fan in the traditional sense of the word. He is more of a fan of individual players as opposed to teams.

He once talked about the problem with teams is that baseball players inevitably get traded to a new team and that when your favourite players get traded out, the team is no longer the same, so how can it still be before your favourite team when all the players you like are no longer there.

Some people would agree, and others would disagree, saying he’s not a true club supporter. He once wrote a song called Catfish for the 1976 album Desire about an iconic American pitcher, James ‘Catfish’ Hunter, purely because he admired Catfish as a player and all he had achieved throughout his career.

Are there any other songs about baseball?

There are a handful of songs about baseball, which most music fans, baseball fans, and UK betting sports fans will likely have never even heard of before. Examples include a song from Dropkick Murphy’s called Tessie, Les Brown’s Joltin’ Joe Di Maggio, and Bruce Springsteen’s Glory Days.

Other famous songs about baseball that you may or may not also be familiar with are the following:

• The Greatest by Kenny Rogers
• Load Up the Baseballs (aka The Baseball Song) by Whiskey Falls
• Centerfield by John Fogerty
• Joe DiMaggio Done It Again by Wilco
• Night Game by Paul Simon
• Talkin’ Baseball by Terry Cashman
• Right Field, by Peter, Paul, and Mary
• America’s Favorite Pastime by Todd Snider
• Say Hay (The Willie Mays Song) by The Treniers

You can now listen to many of these songs on free streaming sites like YouTube. They can also be purchased or listened to for free on several other trusted audio streaming sites, such as Spotify and Amazon Music.

Honourable mentions

If you enjoy listening to any of these baseball songs and want more, you also have That’s the Way Baseball Go by Merle Haggard, Piazza, New York Catcher by Belle and Sebastian, Cheap Seats by Alabama, and The Baseball Song by Corey Smith.

Others include the D-O-D-G-E-R-S Song by Danny Kaye, Saga of Dandy, the Devil & Day by Ultramagnetic MCs, and Knock It Out of the Park by Sam & Dave, to name just a few.

Fun facts about Bob Dylan

The 82-year-old singer/songwriter Bob Dylan was born in May 1941 in Duluth, Minnesota. His full name is Robert Allen Zimmerman. In 2016, he received the 2016 Nobel Prize in Literature (for having pioneered a new form of poetic expression within America’s tradition of great songs).

Throughout his successful career, which has lasted for more than half a century, he has sold tens of millions of albums to fans across the globe, and he has written over 500 songs that have been recorded by more than 2,000 artists.

He was also once part of a supergroup of musicians called The Traveling Wilburys, which included himself, George Harrison, Roy Orbison, Jeff Lynne, and Tom Pettey. Hit tunes to listen out for are ‘Handle with Care’ and ‘Don’t Back Down.’