REINVENTING THE YANKEE WALK UP SONGS: PART 1

Now that baseball season is finally here fans are going to flock to the stadium for nine innings of baseball, a hot dog or two and maybe even a beer. Hopefully, by the end of it all it comes with a Yankee victory too. One thing that I look forward to is listening to the walk up songs blare through the speakers as our boys come up to the plate. Last year at BYB, we did a casual and humorous piece titled: WHICH YANKEE WALK-UP SONGS WOULD YOU CHOOSE? It became an instant classic here at BYB.  So we thought we'd bring you a series.  Each of us will come up with our own combination of songs to fit the players. 

Now, we all know that the guys have picked some good ones on their own, but I have my own ideas for what I would pick for them. It's been a little bit of a rough first week so, let's have some fun with this.

Derek Jeter: Remember the Name by Fort Minor. Not that it is possible to forget the Captain because he is a Yankee icon. When I hear the lyrics "This is ten percent luck, twenty percent skill, Fifteen percent concentrated power of will, Five percent pleasure, fifty percent pain. And a hundred percent reason to remember the name!"

It sounds like a quote the captain would say when talking to the media. As if anyone could forget his name. Plus the instrumentation and the beat in this song will get your head bopping.

Alex Rodriguez: Already Home by Jay Z featuring Kid Cudi. Once Alex comes back he is going to make a statement, and I hope he does it with his bat. A lot of fans are frustrated with him, some have given up on him and are just ready for him to be gone. The lyrics in this song sound like they could come from Alex, because he keeps telling the fans he isn't going anywhere. This song would definitely make that statement.



Robinson Cano: Empire State of Mind by Jay Z. I am going to stick with the Jay Z theme here. Now that Cano has dumped Boras and is collaborating with Jay Z I am really hoping this keeps him in the Bronx and a deal is made befroe the end of the season. Cano wants to be a Yankee, Jay Z loves the Yankees and he raps about them in this song. Sounds like a match made in heaven to me. Maybe Cano will take my advice and make the nice gesture! It can't hurt.

 Mark Teixeira: No Sleep Till Brooklyn by the Beastie Boys. Tex is my favorite player, I just think he is always so poised. If it were my choice, I would give him a song with some more attitude. I liked when he used "I wanna Rock" because it got me pumped up everytime he walked up to the plate. I like the two songs he picked this year because they are very different from each other, but I just imagine hearing the Beastie Boys echo through Yankee Stadium and it gives me chills and I know Tex can pull it off.

Ichiro Suzuki: Speed Demon by Michael Jackson. I can just picture this in my head. I thought his use of the Mario Brothers theme was genius, but pair his gift of speed with a classi Michael Jackson song and you just cant go wrong. Who doesn't love Michael Jackson? I can just see him walking up to the mound with the King of Pop playing in the background. It's just crazy enough to work.

Eduardo Nunez: Rompe by Daddy Yankee. This may seem a little predictible, but I think this song is the perfect fit for Nunie. I love to see Nunez in his goofy moments and I can just picture him busting a move when he isn't working on the field.

Kevin Youkilis: Welcome to the Jungle by Guns 'N Roses. For many years Youkilis played for the other team, and now he is in pinstripes. It is a whole new ballgame and this really is unknown territory for both him and the fans. I know I am still getting used to him. So I think the song is approprate, welcome to the concrete Jungle Youkilis. Game on!

Brett Gardner: Didn't Even See the Dust by Paul Brandt. Truth is, I don't even know how this song got on my IPod but as I was writing this I took a listen and it fits. Brett Gardner and country music go together like peanut butter and jelly, and if he can stay healthy and steal bases like he did for us in 2011 then the only thing the opposing team will be seeing is his dust as he leaves them behind. The song is pretty upbeat and cool, I can see him walking out to the plate with that. Talk about foreshadowing!

Curtis Granderson: Yeah! by Usher. I am a huge Usher fan and I can just see Granderson strolling out to the mound playing the song. Granderson likes R&B and hip hop, he probably should have just went stright to that because he could have avoided all of THIS but it was very funny for us to watch. I ont know whenever I see Usher and Curtis I just think those two make the perfect combination. The song has an infectious beat too so maybe that will give him some extra pop in his bat.

Jayson Nix: Hard Workin Man by Brooks and Dunn. I have no rhyme or reason for this. I just know that Jayson is a good guy from Dallas, Texas and he has worked hard for his opportunity here. It is easy to overlook him. I can see him walking up to the plate using this song as motivation to makethose big hits.

Vernon Wells: Feel This Moment Pitbull featuring Christina Aguilera. As soon as I listened to Vernon talk about how shocked and surprised he was to be traded to New York and that this was the perfect time for it to happen, this song popped into my head. Say what you want about the Wells trade, but he is excited about this and he wants to be here. He is enjoying the moment, why not bring that feeling out to the batters box with you? It works!

Brennan Boesch: Come As You Are by Nirvana. Boesch has thatheavy rocker in some of his pictures. He looks like the kind of guy that can just cut loose and do some head banging. He also has a lot of motivation to prove the Tigers wrong since they cut him lose so come  as you are, Boesch! We need believers right now. I love how the angst and his rock and roll image (at least in my imagination) make this combination just work so well.

Chris Stewart: Numb by Linkin Park. I think Stewart has that composure on the field, but when he isn't on the field he is secretly rocking out. I personally, can see and hear the haunting sounds echoing through Yankee Stadium as Stewart comes up to the plate. Some say his bat is non-existant, but this song could cath everyone off gaurd. I like the possibility.

Francisco Cervelli: Let's Get It Started by Black Eyed Peas. Come on, picture it. Cervelli is a guy that has tons pf passion just flowing through his veins and he looks like he is working hard and having fun out on the field at the same time. Plus, I can totally see him using this song to pump people up. He's got that fun, carefree personality going for him. Not only that, but I can see Cervelli strutting up to the mound with this song playing. Who else could pull this song off better than him?

So what songs would YOU pick for our guys? Comment and let us know. It's always fun to use your imagination and let it take over. Stay tuned for more song choices from us because we are just getting started!

Look for more lists from our writers here at BYB... this is a series and we plan on having fun with it!

--Jeana Bellezza, BYB Writer and Editor

Twitter: @NyPrincessJ

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