ESPN.com - Giving baseball some street cred

ESPN.com: Page 2

Tuesday, April 1, 2003
Updated: April 2, 2:08 PM ET
Giving baseball some street cred

By Gino Bona
Special to Page 2

Three things are certain once the seventh inning rolls around:

1. The Devil Rays are losing again.
2. Chuck Knoblauch has been pulled in favor of a defender with marginal ability.
3. An eclectic mix of carefree children and drunken adults sing "Take Me Out To The Ball Game."

Baseball's mid-game anthem was born in 1908. Jack Norworth penned the lyrics on a train ride to Manhattan and the song became an instant hit. However, a century later, Norworth's lyrics no longer speak to our current times and it's a contributing factor for baseball losing its youthful fan base.

Let's face it: Major League Baseball desperately needs to throw a changeup to "Take Me Out To The Ball Game." And what better person to put some shizzle into MLB's hizzle than Snoop Dogg!

This cat made up his own language and, remarkably, he's able to communicate with everyone on a ghetto-fabulous level. Oh yeah, Sir-Pimp-A-Lot is the perfect choice to funkify Norworth's classic hit.

No hate, Jack Daddy. We got nuttin' but love for your song as we do it ... Doggy style.

Take Me Out To The Ball Game
By Jack Norworth

Take My A$$ To Tha Ball Game
By Snoop Dogg

Nelly Kelly love baseball games,
Knew the players, knew all their names,
You could see her there ev'ry day,
Shout "Hurray," when they'd play.
Her boy friend by the name of Joe
Said, "To Coney Isle, dear, let's go,"
Then Nelly started to fret and pout,
And to him I heard her shout.

"Take me out to the ball game,
Take me out with the crowd.
Buy me some peanuts and cracker jack,
I don't care if I never get back.
Let me root, root, root for the home team,
If they don't win it's a shame.
For it's one, two, three strikes, you're out,
At the old ball game."

Nelly Kelly was sure some fan,
She would root just like any man,
Told the umpire he was wrong,
All along, good and strong.
When the score was just two to two,
Nelly Kelly knew what to do,
Just to cheer up the boys she knew,
She made the gang sing this song.

"Take me out to the ball game,
Take me out with the crowd.
Buy me some peanuts and cracker jack,
I don't care if I never get back,
Let me root, root, root for the home team,
If they don't win it's a shame.
For it's one, two, three strikes, you're out,
At the old ball game."

D-O-double-G luvs baseball games,
I know all tha players, I know all da names,
Ya see me pimpin' there ev'ry day,
Holla "Snoop Dogg," when I'm cruisin' through Shea.
I got a boo by the name of Shante
She ain't been leftover from Dre,
She likes it when I bank a quarter mill,
And I'm barkin' dis rhyme in my Snoop Deville.

"Take my a$$ to tha ball game,
Take my a$$ wit da crowd.
Buy me some peanuts and craaacker jax,
I'm gonna drop dis beat out on 8-track.
Let me root, root, root for the Dogg Pound,
If they don't win ain't no thang.
For it's one, two, three tricks, ya out,
And you gotz no game."

I'm a funkadelic shiznit of a fan,
I flow off tha stats and my homies yell, "Hot damn!"
Told Blue he wuz straight trippin',
All along it wuz the chronic he wuz hittin'.
When the score wuz jus two to two,
I put da rowz in my 'fro and tightened up my 'do,
Crack a forty in the bleachers and one for my G's,
I want everyone in tha LBC to sing dis wit me.

"Take my a$$ to tha ball game,
Take my a$$ wit da crowd.
Buy me some peanuuuts and gin-n-juice,
I jus want all my pimps to get loose.
Let me root, root, root for the Dogg Pound,
If they don't win ain't no thang.
For it's one, two, three tricks, ya out,
And you gotz no game."

Gino Bona brings a fistful of funk on his "Wink & The Gun" site, which can be reached at www.winkandthegun.com. Send him an electronic shout at gino@winkandthegun.com.