2010-07-12: New York City

This is a story I wrote for ESPN to accompany the latest installation of the Broadside Ballads, one one-a-month series that we're doing for their website this year. Bear with me even if you don't care about baseball--you'll see by the end that it's a pretty universal story:

I remember when David Clyde made his debut at age 18 for the Texas Rangers back in 1973. I was pretty excited. After all, I was just 13 years old, not even old enough to drive, and here was a guy just five years older than me starting a major league baseball game. It was a big deal. He had gone straight from high school to the majors. And he won that first game. But he didn't win many more after that, victim of a questionable call to rush him along too quickly.

I'm not saying that Stephen Strasburg is the same story by any means. He's already older and much more seasoned than David Clyde even though he is only 21. And he certainly has the stuff. I think he's here to stay—and it doesn't hurt that he'll have Bryce Harper in the lineup before too long.

But I wanted to write the song from his imagined perspective, a little wary of all of the early praise, a little fearful that the glory and the magic could fade away at any time and merely wanting to keep his head down and begin a distinguished, long career.

It's a story that I can certainly relate to as can, I'm assuming all of my Baseball Project band mates. We have all experienced the flush of early success, a rush that feels like a dream and then worked our way through all of the ups and downs, keeping focused and putting together various bodies of work (is there a musical Bill James figure who can tell me how many CDs that Linda, Peter, Scott and I have made in our combined careers?). We've all had good days and bad days (hopefully more of the former) but after several decades of making music we are all proud of what we've done.

It would be accurate to say that the members of The Baseball Project are more Jamie Moyer than David Clyde and also that it would be the choice Strasburg would make as well. Then again, he just might be more like Walter Johnson. Time will tell.

Anyway, enjoy the song. After all, this phenomenal youngster might just be saying "It's better to burn out than fade away." And we can all relate to that.

Recent faves:

• BKO--Dirtmusic (CD)
• Lean On Pete--Willy Vlautin (book)
• Northern Line--Willy Vlautin (book)
• Inner Speaker--Tame Impala (CD)
• The Maid (movie)
• The Unfairground--Kevin Ayers (CD)
• Friday Night Lights (TV show)
• Abandoned Love--Trembling Bells (CD)
• Naked, Stoned and Stabbed--Mushroom (CD)