(Lifesong, 1982)Hate, as they say, is a strong word. And I hate this record. It’s a laid-back, amiable swing through the history of baseball, employing sappy Billy Crystal-style nostalgia for the sport and a chorus melody (“I’m talkin’ baaaaseball”) that’s both memorably annoying and annoyingly memorable – I can just imagine some bozo like Jayson Stark totally digging it. Dire treacle, the whole thing, and Cashman has been flogging the song for decades, re-recording its lyrics to fit dozens of teams and seasons. This is the Cubs edition, and so it gives us a list of Great Cubs Moments, touching on Ernie Banks, Fergie Jenkins, and other faves before expressing optimism for the ’82 squad (which ended up going 73-89). It seems that Terry’s still churning ’em out, too, as he recently released something called Talkin’ Baseball: 2008 Spring Early Pennant Contenders, which features up-to-the-minute versions for ten ’08 teams that look strong as the season begins. God help me. God help us all.
