Song selections:
Jose Arredondo: “Tengo To” by Monkey Black
Bronson Arroyo: “45” by Shinedown
Homer Bailey: “Fred Bear” by Ted Nugent
Bill Bray: “Dirty Deeds Done Dirt Cheap” by AC/DC
Jay Bruce: “Blow Up” by Sammy Adams
Miguel Cairo: “Sex on Fire” by Kings of Leon
Aroldis Chapman: “La Vida es un Carnaval” by Celia Cruz
Zack Cozart: “Ain’t Nothing Wrong With That” by Robert Randolph
Johnny Cueto #1: “Damn” by Daddy Yankee (Pitching)
Johnny Cueto #2: “Hello City Limits” by Breakin’ Strings (Walk-Up)
Todd Frazier #1: “Fly Me to the Moon” by Frank Sinatra
Todd Frazier #2: “Come Fly with Me” by Frank Sinatra
Ryan Hanigan #1: “All the Above” by Maino
Ryan Hanigan #2: “The Show Goes On” by Lupe Fiasco
Willie Harris #1: “Georgia” by Ludacris & Field Mob featuring Jamie Fox (start at :13)
Willie Harris #2: “For the Love of You” by The Isley Brothers
Willie Harris #3: “Otis” by Kanye & Jay-Z (start at :46)
Chris Heisey: “Get Loose” by Trip Lee (start at :20)
Mat Latos: “Miseria Cantara” by AFI
Mike Leake #1: “Dance to the Music” by Sly and the Family Stone (Pitching)
Mike Leake #2: “Put It in the Bag” by Fabolous (Walk–Up)
Sam LeCure: “Prodigal Son” by Black Angels
Ryan Ludwick #1: “We Are Young” by Fun (start at :48)
Ryan Ludwick #2: “Ghosts n Stuff” by Deadmau5 (start at 1:30)
Sean Marshall: “Kashmir” by Led Zeppelin
Nick Masset: “Joker and the Thief” by Wolfmother
Devin Mesoraco #1: “Blaze of Glory” by Bon Jovi (start at :55)
Devin Mesoraco #2: “Blaze of Glory” by Bon Jovi (start at 4:20)
Logan Ondrusek #1: “Antichrist Superstar” by Marilyn Manson
Logan Ondrusek #2: “Soldiers” by Otherwise
Brandon Phillips #1: “Everythang” by Young Jeezy (start at :15)
Brandon Phillips #2: “Magic” by Future (start at :47)
Brandon Phillips #3: “Mercy” by Kanye West (start at :04)
Brandon Phillips #4: “Slight Work” by Wale
Brandon Phillips #5: “Rack City” by Tyga
Scott Rolen: “Viva La Vida” by Coldplay
Alfredo Simon: “Dile” by Don Omar
Jordan Smith: “Devils Dance” by Metallica
Drew Stubbs: “Tattoos On This Town” by Jason Aldean (start at :50)
Chris Valaika: “Seed 2.0” by The Roots
Joey Votto: “Paint it Black” by Rolling Stones
CINCINNATI — Ever since Jack Norworth wrote “Take Me Out to the Ball Game” in 1908, music has had a place in baseball.
But with today’s billion-dollar stadiums and elaborate audio systems, baseball’s soundtrack no longer is limited to the seventh-inning stretch. And the duty of song selection extends beyond the audio engineers in a control room and all the way to the clubhouse, where players personally select the music that will play when they walk up to the plate or emerge from the bullpen.
Every Cincinnati Reds player has at least one walk-up song, and a handful of the guys have multiple tunes. Second baseman Brandon Phillips is the team leader with five.
“I pick songs based on how I’m feeling, or my personality,” said Phillips, who currently is using “Everythang” by Young Jeezy.
“I do it for the fans, too,” Phillips added. “I asked them on Twitter what they’d like to hear and went with some of the better responses.”
The amount of thought the players put into their song selection is as varied as the genres they cover.
“I’ll sit down and go through my iTunes and listen to a lot of songs, looking for one that really pumps me up and gets me going,” said relief pitcher Logan Ondrusek, whose current selections are “Antichrist Superstar” by Marilyn Manson and “Soliders” by Otherwise.
At the other end of the scale is third baseman Scott Rolen, who admitted putting zero thought into his music, opting instead to hand over the responsibility.
“I’ve never picked a song,” he said. “They can play whatever the hell they want, to tell you the truth. But when I was in Toronto they told me I had to pick a song, so I said ‘I’ll let my daughter pick it.’
“Well, my choices were Justin Bieber, Taylor Swift or Coldplay,” Rolen continued. “So obviously I went with Coldplay. She calls it our song and dances around when it comes on.”
Despite using the song “Viva La Vida” since 2009, there was a mixup at the beginning of the season, resulting in a different Coldplay song being played as Rolen strolled the plate. He never noticed, but his 7-year-old daughter certainly did.
“She was wearing me out, asking ‘Where’s our song, Daddy?’ ” he said.
The fans noticed, too, as more and more of them pay close attention to the songs their favorite players use.
Reds assistant media relations director Jamie Ramsey said he receives a “gazillion” Tweets and emails from fans regarding the issue of walk-up songs.
“It’s a very popular topic,” Ramsey said. “When I post updated songs on the (Better Off Red) blog, I compare it to feeding a bunch of wild, hungry wolves. They eat it up.”
The fans aren’t the only ones interested. Most of the Reds admitted that when they’re on the road, they pay attention to what songs other guys are using.
Sometimes it’s just for fun. Other times it provides inspiration.
“They just came back from their first road trip and already a couple of them have changed their songs,” said Adam Lane, Reds director of entertainment and productions.
The process of song selection begins in spring training when Zach Bonkowski, the Reds’ director of promotional events, gathers the list from the players.
“We remind the guys it’s a family-friendly atmosphere,” Lane said. “It’s not only the lyrics but the message within the song. We keep an eye on that as well.”
The Reds pay a licensing fee through Major League Baseball, giving them the rights to nearly all recorded music. “Basically if it’s on a label, we can use it,” Lane said.
The Reds player with the strangest song choice is rookie Todd Frazier, who uses Frank Sinatra’s “Fly Me to the Moon” and “Come Fly With Me.”
“It derives from when I was young,” Frazier explained. “My grandparents used to listen to it all the time at the house, and my high school coach, Ken Frank, would play it when we were taking batting practice and before games. I just fell in love with it.
“I think I’m the only one in the league who comes out to Frank Sinatra,” Frazier added. “A lot of fans will come up to me and say ‘You’re the Frank Sinatra guy.’ ”
Zack Cozart also has a peculiar song, “Ain’t Nothing Wrong With That” by Robert Randolph.
“I don’t even know who he is and what kind of music he plays,” Cozart said of Randolph. “My wife picked it when I was in double-A. I changed it one year to ‘Sweet Child O’ Mine,’ the Fort Minor version, but my wife said I needed to go back to the other song. So I guess it’s here to stay.”
Like Cozart and Rolen, new Reds outfielder Ryan Ludwick deferred his choice of “We Are Young” by Fun to a family member.
“I had ‘Brass Monkey’ for 11 years in St. Louis, but I switched it this year because my kid wanted me to come out to a different song,” Ludwick said. “He’s 3, so it’s his show now.”
One player who said he never intends to pass off the choice to someone else is Jay Bruce, who ranked his love of music a 10 on a scale of 1 to 10.
“I’m always listening to music, and I put a lot of thought into what song I pick,” Bruce said. “I want to enjoy what I hear when I walk to the plate, but I try to think of the fans, too. I try to pick something that’s easy on their ears.”
No one can say when the practice of playing walk-up music officially began, although most estimates have it starting approximately 20 years ago.
Two of the more recognized song/player combinations in MLB history belong to relief pitchers Trevor Hoffman (“Hell’s Bells by AC/DC) and Mariano Rivera (“Enter Sandman” by Metallica).
The Reds have been playing walk-up music since Great American Ball Park opened in 2003, and its popularity has continued to grow to the point where the team has started listing the player’s walk-up song on the scoreboard along with his height, weight, batting average and other traditional stats.
“It started with putting up their Twitter handles, and then the idea was brought up to post their walk-up songs,” Lane said. “We get so many emails from fans about what a certain song is, it only made sense. It’s something everyone is interested in.”
About the Author