Oakland A's 1969 Turn-Back-The-Clock Day Playlist

It was 1969 Day at the Oakland Coliseum. This is a marketing situation where uniforms are authenticated from the by-gone era, making modern-day players look quaint and even more baseball-y than usual. There was no such thing as walk-on music for batters in 1969, but we live in a time in history when music is pumped into our very brain cells whether we want it or not. So the A's roster got to pick their walk-on music from days gone by. The pre-game hosts explained that most of the players were too young to be familiar with the music from 1969, except for James Brown or Creedence Clearwater Revival, but once they heard it, they were quoted thus, "That sounds kind of familiar..." and "Oh, my DAD used to play this!"

*sigh*

Anyway, There was barely any hitting until the A's pulled it out in the bottom of the seventh inning, eventually beating the Angels 3 -1 - HA! And a win for starting pitcher Tommy Milone.

In the meantime, I entertained myself by noting the walk-on music that was hand-picked by the batting order. I figure someone grasping for music from before his time would be letting us into a little window of his mind. Maybe even more so than with modern music picks. What do you like from the distant past that has nothing to do with you personally? It's gotta grab ya. Who picked what? Let's find out!

Lead-off batter, Josh Donaldson, went all hippie-dippie, perhaps knowing that his at-bat would set the tone for 1969 Day. By the way, the franchise encouraged people to dress as if it was 1969, but advised everyone to "go easy on the tie-dye, Moonbeam." Well, guess what? Out of 33,000 fans, approximately two dressed up: Keith wore a paisley shirt that used to be my Dad's (a day of Dad stuff), and I wore a loose, flowing top. Thank God I didn't wear my flower skirt--that would have been really embarrassing. Anyway, where was I? Oh yes...

Josh Donaldson - For What It's Worth by Buffalo Springfield (plus bonus Neil Young doing Mr. Soul, because that's even cooler). Josh Donaldson--next time pick Neil Young and maybe you'll get hot again.




Coco Crisp - It's Your Thing by The Isley Brothers. Coco Crisp is one of the coolest players in the Major League, and this just seals the deal. Everyone loves Coco and everyone loves the Isley Brothers—a great combination.




Eric Sogard - The Lion Sleeps Tonight by The Tokens. Eric Sogard's got nerd power and this song just proves it. Every time he came up to bat, we giggled good-naturedly. Good vibes!




Jed Lowrie - Grazing in the Grass by Friends of Distinction. Jed Lowrie's got it going on, choosing this big hit that might be about cows having a good munch, or maybe people smoking their brains out—plus he got a RBI—I can dig it!




Derek Norris - Communication Breakdown by Led Zeppelin. Turns out Zeppelin may have been key to the A's success today. Norris got a pinch-hit two-run homer, giving the A's the lead in the seventh. Because, like Zeppelin, he RAWKS.




As for closing pitcher, Grant Balfour, he seems to have missed the memo on 1969 Day. He'll be sticking to his Metallica, thank you very much. Don't mess with success.