A Blue Jays post-season YouTube playlist
Here’s a surefire way of telling whether or not your home baseball team is having a good season: go on YouTube and see if people have started praising them in song. The Blue Jays have inspired no fewer than five pop ballads since the start of September. Are the tunes any good? Will they fill you with team spirit? Does anything rhyme with “Tulowitzki”? Answers are below:
“’92”
Song parodied: Taylor Swift’s “22,” a song about being a 22-year-old woman.
The artists: A Calgary band called Swift Oliver (no relation to Taylor) and Aaron Pollock, another Calgary musician.
Baseball knowledge: They seem to know the names of many of the players, which is more or less commendable. Mention of a “wicked lineup” is rock solid from a fact-checking point of view, as is the claim that “the Jays are cruisin’.” However, the bat grip at 0:53—an over-rotated box grip, the opposite of the “knocking knuckles” approach most often coached in little league—reveals these artists as thin on game’s finer points. D+.
“Official Coca-Cola Blue Jays Song”
Song parodied: A similar Coca-Cola ad spot that aired in 1993.
The artists: Unknown.
Baseball knowledge: The only reference to a player is a lyric about having an “ace on the mound,” so they seem to know about David Price at the very least. Otherwise, this song could have been recorded three years ago. Drink Pepsi. F.
“Home Run Anthem”
Song parodied: None. This is an original track.
The artist: Local-ish rapper Brendan Richmond (or, um, B Rich), who is not new to the YouTube fame game.
Baseball knowledge: B Rich and his cool-glasses–wearing friend spit a hot bar about the Jays bullpen being really “stacked”—yet the Jays’ relief corps had the MLB’s 19th best ERA and was 11th best in Wins Above Replacement, soooo… but wait! They convinced Kelly Gruber to participate (and coolly nod his head), which automatically negates any dubious claims. Bonus points for recycling, too. C+.
“First Place”
Song parodied: Taylor Swift’s “Blank Space,” a song about starting a romantic relationship with a guy.
The artist: Local songwriter Adam Jesin, whose oeuvre also includes the lesser-known “All About Those Jays”.
Baseball knowledge: “JoDo solo oppo taco” is both fun to say and factual: 16 of his 41 home runs went to centre or right field this year. “A lineup full of mashers” is likewise correct—the Jays scored 122 more runs than the next-best team. And “rotation’s been insane” holds up, especially in the second half, when the Jays’ starters posted the fifth-best ERA in the league, at 3.34. A-.
Blue Jays Got Me Thinking ’92
Song parodied: The Weeknd’s “I Can’t Feel My Face,” a song about not being able to feel one’s own face.
The artist: Toronto soul musician Lester McLean.
Baseball knowledge: The reference to lineup protection—essentially, the idea that a batter sees more hittable pitches when the following batter is intimidating—shows that whoever wrote these lyrics knows their baseball. Also: great reference to Price’s nasty cutter, and an appropriate split-letter font choice. A+.
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"'92"
Song parodied: Taylor Swift's "22," a song about being a 22-year-old woman.
The artists: A Calgary band called Swift Oliver (no relation to Taylor) and Aaron Pollock, another Calgary musician.
Baseball knowledge: They seem to know the names of many of the players, which is more or less commendable. Mention of a "wicked lineup" is rock solid from a fact-checking point of view, as is the claim that "the Jays are cruisin'." However, the bat grip at 0:53—an over-rotated box grip, the opposite of the “knocking knuckles” approach most often coached in little league—reveals these artists as thin on game's finer points. D+.
"Official Coca-Cola Blue Jays Song"
Song parodied: A similar Coca-Cola ad spot that aired in 1993.
The artists: Unknown.
Baseball knowledge: The only reference to a player is a lyric about having an “ace on the mound,” so they seem to know about David Price at the very least. Otherwise, this song could have been recorded three years ago. Drink Pepsi. F.
"Home Run Anthem"
Song parodied: None. This is an original track.
The artist: Local-ish rapper Brendan Richmond (or, um, B Rich), who is not new to the YouTube fame game.
Baseball knowledge: B Rich and his cool-glasses–wearing friend spit a hot bar about the Jays bullpen being really “stacked”—yet the Jays' relief corps had the MLB's 19th best ERA and was 11th best in Wins Above Replacement, soooo... but wait! They convinced Kelly Gruber to participate (and coolly nod his head), which automatically negates any dubious claims. Bonus points for recycling, too. C+.
"First Place"
Song parodied: Taylor Swift's "Blank Space," a song about starting a romantic relationship with a guy.
The artist: Local songwriter Adam Jesin, whose oeuvre also includes the lesser-known "All About Those Jays".
Baseball knowledge: "JoDo solo oppo taco" is both fun to say and factual: 16 of his 41 home runs went to centre or right field this year. "A lineup full of mashers" is likewise correct—the Jays scored 122 more runs than the next-best team. And "rotation's been insane" holds up, especially in the second half, when the Jays' starters posted the fifth-best ERA in the league, at 3.34. A-.
Blue Jays Got Me Thinking '92
Song parodied: The Weeknd's "I Can't Feel My Face," a song about not being able to feel one's own face.
The artist: Toronto soul musician Lester McLean.
Baseball knowledge: The reference to lineup protection—essentially, the idea that a batter sees more hittable pitches when the following batter is intimidating—shows that whoever wrote these lyrics knows their baseball. Also: great reference to Price’s nasty cutter, and an appropriate split-letter font choice. A+.
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