As I typed that I was in my Chiropractor's office and am on a first name basis with my Urologist. I'm an old soul with an old body! Lol

Well, my two cents.

Bryce Harper is skilled, but a loser on so many levels. You can't not know that. I'm waiting for him to grow up and mature. But it is painful to watch and listen to.

Walk up music is simply ridiculous. When I heard Chipper Jones walk up, I lost a lot of respect for him. Not that it matters to him. I can't go further into it, due to forum rules. But I think enough said there.

The music you listen to, the movies you watch, the places you go all point to who you are. That simple. It is the sum of how you live your life.

Finally, music is defined by the music, not the lyrics. But lyrics are constructed to fit the genre. Rap lyrics would never work in country music and vice-versa. Just my take on this discussion.

Can someone give me an example of a walk up song they were appalled with that wasn't but a black rapper? Are any of the people on this board aware of with the misogyny in some Steely Dan songs? Just wondering. Or in some country songs.

I could give you 50 classic rock songs that you've been listening to your whole life with terrible lyrics that you wouldn't bat an eye at if it wasn't sung by Ice T or Ice Cube.

Sorry Steely Dan never portrayed women in anywhere near the vulgar terms that are fashionable today in some rap lyrics. And if you are suggesting that it is somehow racist hypocrisy to object to some of the rap lyrics, well, we disagree.

Spiraling quickly.

Rolling Stines misogyny? Would you like a few examples.

The Police?

John Lennon?

Jimi Hendrix?

I could give you a Gilbert O Sullivan song that you wouldn't believe in the misogyny scale. Still played on the radio today.

Only sort of on topic...watched Bryce hit his 100 tonight. The grand slam bounced off the facing and landed less than 5 feet from me. I can see why Bryce rubs people the wrong way...but I like hearing what he has to say (even if I don't always agree)...and really do love watching him play.

You want to compare A Woman's Place with lyrics about bitches and hoes? OK.

...or, as one of Jim Carrey's alter-egos once famously said, 'Would it kill you to play a little Foghat?' :D

(Now, that's some walkup music!!)
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The discussion is about the lyrics of a particular song, not about a musician/group. You can like a musician/group, but not like one of his/their songs and you can like a song without liking the artist. And I understand what you are saying. There are certain songs that come on the radio that I object to the lyrics but like the musician, but I still change the station anyway. If you have no objection to the song in question, pull it up on Youtube and sit down with your kid(s) and listen to it as a family. Ask them what they think about it. No kids? Listen to it with your parents and ask them what they think about it. Let us know how it goes. And you slso need to read post #155 in this thread. If you want to continue the discussion, your full name really needs to be in your post.

"You're a bad dog, baby, but I still want you 'round." Haven't thought about that song in years :).

I thought he meant A Woman's Place.

Oops, my bad. I'm not even familiar with "A Woman's Place", I looked it up and it only reached #42 in the UK in 1974 and didn't chart at all in the US. I just figured he meant "Get Down", which was his last big hit in 1973, is certainly misogynist, and is occasionally played on oldie stations.

You could well be right that that's the one he had in mind. In any event, again, it seems a long way from that song to some of the rap gems.

When I read those lyrics you posted it absolutely validated my disgust for MLB and the fact I haven't liked it since the strike in '94.
So glad I am on the other side of the fence. And MLB actually thinks regular folks want to PAY to hear that kind of crap? I think it should almost be a crime to play it, seriously. And if I had kids there is no way in heck I would bring them to a game to hear that kind of "Music". Totally disguisting to me.

Edited to add, the lyrics were almost edited out of this thread.....but reality is, they already gets played at games. I really can't believe they allow it.

I do have kids and It makes me nervous about taking them to the Ballpark in Arlington this summer if that's the kind of stuff they play.

Next thing you know they'll start playing Steely Dan. :eek:

The whole idea of walkup music is stupid IMO. Can't the Facebook/iphone/video game generation tolerate 10 seconds without input? I see these young people walking around or sitting at tables unable to take their eyes off the screen and just wonder what the cumulative effect is going to be.

My favorite Youtube tunes while I am on the internet are 60s-70s rock and roll, none of them have lyrics like the ones posted. If they did I wouldn't listen to them. I actually think those lyrics posted are harmful to society too. But again, all of these are just (my) opinions. Others may love that crap and I respect their right to like antyhing they want to, as long as it doesn't hurt others. However, I think those kind of lyrics ARE IN FACT harmful and should be done away with. If a player doesn't like it, who cares? They can go flip burgers or something.....

Well now I've seen plenty of players walk up to "Walk This Way" (ok, maybe not recently, but 20 years ago), which has the filthiest lyrics that no one's ever paid attention to. The first verse of the song is about a kid masturbating because he can't get laid, until his Dad tells him to go "down on a muffin." Then he finds a girl who is a "real young bleeder," and they commence to getting it on.

Different generation, different words, still explicit.

The offending lyric isn't the "little girl" part.

"I'd rather see you dead, little girl, than to be with another man...catch you with another man, that's the end. ...I mean everything I've said. Baby, I'm determined and I'd rather see you dead."

Let's see that get played in an NFL stadium today.

It's an honest lyric about jealousy, it's not degrading women in general.

It came from an Elvis song, no?

The difference is my 8 yr old won't understand the inferences in the Aerosmith song but will hear that vulgar and nauseating crap being played today. One is very explicit and one isn't. Big difference to me but we can certainly agree to disagree. There is no harm in that. I guess I would be a very poor MLB commissioner because I guarantee that vulgarity wouldn't be spewed over my loudspeakers. Yeap, different times no doubt. I need to head to the hills and be by myself (with my dogs) if that is what we are coming to :). To me it's just wrong.

I don't think I've seen this in the thread before, but forgive me if I'm wrong. Do we have any indication that any of the explicit lyrics were actually played over the PA? Usually the walkup is about 10 seconds, and you don't even get to the words. I'd imagine the Nats/Yankees/whoever would just play 10 seconds of the song without any offensive lyrics.

I think Peter just posted something about this as I didn't know but was only going by the post. That being said, I would defend the right of folks to listen to that music on their own but I don't believe it is suitable for children. And if any oldie song, which I like, has vulgar lyrics I wouldn't play it either. This isn't about what is new or what is old, this is about morals and what I want my kids to grow up around. I wish I had had it beaten into me as a kid but I didn't.
I understand children will be exposed to everything and all of the time because of the internet. But when at the ballpark maybe we could cut them some slack and make it a wholesome thing again? I would vote for it and maybe even be interested again. I completely understand I could be in the minority on my position and that is ok too. All is well and to each their own...

edited to add, it looks as though that article posted didn't answer the question. If those lyrics are not played at MLB then I will do my best Gilda Radner and go with.....Never Mind

Maybe it's to try and psych the opponent out? Maybe to amp up the batter going to the plate?

Pretty sure Mariano Rivera used "Enter Sandman" no I'm no Metallica fan but I do know that "some" people would find their music to be intimidating. Mo's job was to put the batters to sleep :D

Well I don't disagree with you about not wanting those lyrics blared over the PA. I just can't imagine that the Yankees would actually play "Fuck my enemies, fuck my foes" over the PA as Jeter steps up. Same with Harper. Yeah, Harper picked a crude song, and people who are familiar with the song would see the crudeness (and humor?) in it. But a kid at the ballpark who hears a few seconds of music without the offending lyrics included isn't going to notice anything or make that connection. So for me, unless we somehow know that the actual lyrics were played during the 10-second walkup, this seems like a nonissue.

And when the kid who worships Harper finds out what song it is and goes home and googles it?

I find the game itself sufficiently entertaining that all the music, orgasmic scoreboards, etc. are a stupid distraction. I get that the video game generation is different.

Leon -and others-, I find it safe it assume that the Ballpark (and the Nationals) don't allow parts of the song/s with questionable or offensive lyrics to be played in front of thousands of people. I could be wrong (haven't been to a home Nats game since 2010), but rational expectation leads me to believe that. My 4 year old son received the newest Chipmunks movie for Easter. I came home from last week to find him and my wife singing Sir Mixalot while sitting the table as evidently three talking squirrels sing it in the movie. I didn't go back and watch the film to make sure no questionable lyrics for kids were mentioned because A) the previous Chipmunk films I watched were god awful and B) I have a reasonable expectation that 20th Century Fox didn't include "Alot of pimps won't like this song 'cause them punks lie to hit it and quit it, But I'd rather stay and play 'cause I'm long and I'm strong, And I'm down to get the friction on" in a children's movie about talking squirrels that somehow grossed a quarter of a billion dollars. I would find it safe assume that 85% of people who will hear or heard the portion played before Harper's at-bat have no idea what the song is or what it is about. The other 15% probably have it on their iphone. You could argue that your kid might google it because he heard at the ballpark, but in that case your son/daughter knows how search the web and there is an entire universe of information and content they are likely already filtering through. Less disagreeably, if you haven't been a fan of the game since 94' I implore you to come back. The league currently has the greatest influx of young talent in a half a century.


I've had two careers in two vastly different industries. I previously worked for a University and I currently run a restaurant. I enjoyed my time in education and other than I was offered more money to switch I'd likely still be there. I'll say this though, the people I have a pleasure to work with now are some of the greatest collection of human beings on the planet. The music you listen to, the movies you watch, and the places you go do not define you. How you live your life in treating those both stranger and kin define who you are. I don't consider my age (32) "old" but there is clearly a generation gap between me and the majority of my employees (18-23). They listen to music I find absurd, watch movies I'll likely never view, snapchat incessantly, and everyday there is a new word to describe how cool or uncool something is. Those that aren't in the college age demographic often have had a personal issue or two. You don't set out to be a middle aged line cook or waiter, although some of them make great money. Out of my 45 employees there might be five who under this absurd definition of character would qualify as upstanding or however we're judging people by their media consumed, language used, clothing worn, or places attended. What they do, however, is work hard for long hours with a smile and high five at the end of day and night. Some of them work 50-55 hours a week, raise kids, and go to school. When a fellow employee lost everything in a fire they raised and contributed enough time and money to immediately house the family, put clothes on their back, and replace the kids' favorite toys and electronics even though for most it was needed or could be used in their own household. Yet, when the doors are locked and last customer leaves they play their own music which often includes lyrics similar to what has been copied and pasted here - and I'll take them over many of the more "professional" peers I've interacted with in my lifetime.


Steven Finley

Bravo, all of that.

Not exactly an apples to apples comparison, but
 

When I was a senior in high school, for the school's airband competition, the sophomore class's theme was England, so their songs were all from British bands, including One Direction. They wanted to include Live While We're Young, which the principal objected to because one of the lines is

Hey girl it’s now or never, it’s now or never
Don't over-think just let it go
And if we get together, yeah, get together
Don’t let the pictures leave your phone

In the end, what happened is kind of what Bliggity described. They used part of the refrain of the song, not the part I quoted above. The lines that made the final cut were:

Hey girl I’m waiting on ya, I’m waiting on ya
Come on and let me sneak you out
And have a celebration, a celebration
The music up, the windows down
(...)
Let’s go crazy, crazy, crazy ’til we see the sun
I know we only met but let’s pretend it’s love
And never, never, never stop for anyone
Tonight let’s get some and live while we’re young

Still suggestive, but in the same way that I Want To Hold Your Hand is (Paul didn't just want to hold her hand). If it's the same way with walk up music, where the explicit parts aren't played, I wouldn't have an issue with it.

I agree....if the explicit parts are taken out, not near as bad. I don't find these lyrics as offensive as the others. They aren't as explicit and leave it to the imagination. Children shouldn't know about a lot of those things so they have nothing to imagine :) ...I know they do BUT They have plenty of places and times to learn them, at the ballpark watching baseball doesn't need to be one of them. End of rant.....back to the cards for me, which I enjoy very much.

BTW, I love the game of baseball and am about to start playing softball again after a slight injury (old age).

Lyrics bleeped out or not, I still agree with Peter here.

Edited to add: When I was a kid, I did exactly that so I am speaking from experience. Google wasn't around back then, but there were still other sources from which I could copy lyrics. One of the songs I copied down was Quiet Riot's "Cum on Feel the Noize". I didn't even know what that meant at the time, but my mom found the lyrics I had copied down and had a cow.

Heard it on the way to work with my two older boys ages 9 and 4. That was scandalous stuff as a kid. Still uneasy with it with my kids in the car.

Whatever his walk up song, it's working. The guy is on a monster tear right now.

His last six games:

.421 AVG (9 for 21), 6 runs scored, 5 home runs (2 grand slams), 15 RBI, 2 BB, 3 K. His slash line is .440/1.143/1.583.

The Bowman Chrome auto that I've got of his is going for $1,200 on Ebay. That's insane.

I just looked, it seems there are something like 358 different versions of his rookie card. :D And that's without counting 4 years of pre-rookies.

Harper as the face of baseball? How about a bracket challenge here.

Harper, or a racist psychopath?
Harper, or a drunkard?
Harper, or an antisocial workaholic?
Harper, or a greenie-popping drunkard?
I'm sure we could go on.

Even if you think Harper is an egotistical jerk who hasn't earned the right to talk, he's entertaining. And no matter what else it is, baseball as a business is all about entertainment.

Oh, and two slams in one week? I was out with friends last night, and it seemed like every time I looked up the Nats were at bat. The Marlins must have been up during the commercial breaks. Anyway, I'd stop my conversation to watch Harper bat. Now that's Must-See TV.

Bill

Train wrecks are always attendance-getters. No doubt he has a lot of talent, so does Josh Hamilton too though. And personally, I think he (Josh) acts like an idiot. And anyone who has that crap kind of song, simlar to the one posted, for a walk up song is acting like an idiot.
And you are right, it is 100% about business. I couldn't agree more. And that is sort of unfortunate to me. I know these are "a changing times".....sigh

I would rather surf the net or play with my dogs than pay enormous amounts of money to support people like that. I know I am in the minority and that's ok too. We should all do what makes us happy as long as it doesn't hurt anyone else.

If I only cheered for sports figures who supported my view of the world I'm not sure they could field a team, much less a league.

I was in D.C. last week and actually walked to a game against the Braves on Monday night. First hint, don't walk to this ballpark, I made several "new friends" on the way and found that my my 61 year old legs still run pretty well.

It does appear that massive changes are happening around the ballpark so it should be fine in the near future.

When I walked up to the ticket window I asked what was available and was told $5.00 sit where you want! A cool night in the early season, the stadium staff was wonderful and very accommodating.

I sat near right field to watch Harper and his play was outstanding, a 2 run double and a sliding catch. He interacted well with the fans and to be very honest the walk-up music is just that music, no lyrics. Being 61 I would not have known what the music was anyway.

Not defending him just saying I saw nothing out of line, I stayed until the final out and took a cab back. The park was full of 25-35 year olds much more interested in the many bars throughout the park than the game. Once again, early season.

That is exactly why I have my view on MLB.
I support many things that are not my exact view, but ones that I will not tolerate in my life (see song lyrics), I choose not to support. And I never came back from the '94 strike anyway. We all support or don't support things for our own reasons. It's all good.

I love the game too much to walk away. I look at it like the Ocean. Never going to ruin it no matter how hard people might try.

I love the game too and hope I play softball in the league I am in for the rest of my life. Our oldest guys are over 80. We all love the game. I just don't love MLB. I won't hold it against everyone else as well as I hope it wouldn't be held against me. If you love MLB I am happy for you (and the other 300M in the US that do). I won't try to change anyone or anything. I pray for health, happiness and world peace.

++1

agree with leon ,ever hear of albert belle omg lol

If I only cheered for people who supported my view of the world, I am not sure I could enjoy a decent game of Solitaire.

I met Albert Belle at a Spring Training game against the Marlins in 1993. He signed my ball and was amazingly nice to me. I told him I was from Baton Rouge and my parents graduated from LSU so that could have had something to do with it.

Last night I was at Citizens Bank Park in Philly, 2 hours before game time, sunny and 70, a bar beyond the wall in center field where I sat on a corner stool, drinking a large microbrew, watching the Mets batting practice. Heaven on earth. Just perfection.

To each his own. If we all liked the same thing the world would be a pretty boring place.

Well said Steve. Love the game and love the stars Trout, Harper, Kershaw... :D

Just bumping to note that Harper is now hitting .238. It seems the strategy of not giving him anything to hit for a while got to him mentally. I think the Cubs started that and other teams picked up on it.

Couldn't happen to a nicer guy....

Not the biggest fan of Harper......... That said I believe he's the modern day version of A.J. Pierzynski. If he's on your team you love him, if he's not you hate him.

Not to play devil's advocate but when I was his age, I made a ton of mistakes.

Mike Trout is benefiting greatly (IMO) from having Pujols around as a mentor...Harper, whether he'd be receptive to one or not, has never had another great hitter to learn from.

There are enough players in MLB that, if one disappoints me, I just move on to the next 'flavor of the week'.

There will always be some good, high-quality guys out there performing everyday like our opinions matter to them...and that's something to be thankful for.

I can enjoy a spectacular defensive play no matter who does it and no matter who they do it against.

Admittedly, it's a little harder to appreciate a bunch of home runs coming against your 'favorite' team (ex: this past weekend Dodgers doing it to the Braves).

I love a great pitchers' duel, though I do have my favorite pitchers and would prefer that they be the ones who come out on top.

There's a lot to like out there!


.

I blame Baker in part. When they started pitching around Harper with regularity, instead of leaving a slumping Zimmerman hitting behind him, he should have put Murphy there who is the leading hitter in baseball. Hard to pitch around a guy when a guy hitting .390 is next. He eventually did that but it took a long time. In the meantime Harper dropped like 100 points.

The Nationals are my team, but I am NOT enamored with Harper!
Val

The Nationals are a great team, and Harper is an exceptional talent. Having said that, how much does his B.S. affect the other 24 guys on the team??

What BS? Guess clueless fans following from afar typically prefer the behavior of Machado and Ventura.

Not sure what you meant, but my comment pertaining Harper was directly in relationship with his team mates and coaches, not fans. At some point, the talent of one ass hole does not trump the chemistry of the rest of the team and coaches....By the way Ken, my oldest son now lives in Alexandria! Small World....

Ill start with a disclaimer as the Nationals are my team and Harper is a player I like watching.

That said I have to agree with another posters view that he is young and we all make mistakes at that age. Couple that with being a millionaire many times over and not having to worry about your attitude at work having bearing on your job or the fear of losing said job and having to pay bills, etc. I feel old for saying this but its just his generation. If you think its bad now wait until the next out of this world heralded prospect comes along 10 years or so from now.

Unfortunately this is true. Maybe he will grow up with age. Most of us do.

Guess my point is is that he is under a microscope and held to a ridiculous standard.

No doubt about it...But he could do his self a huge favor by doing the right things in the eyes of his coaches and team mates. Forget about the media because they can't stand him. If he does the other things like I mentioned, even they will come around. I just wonder how many of his fellow team mates and coaches really like him and are willing to stand up for him....