Sporting hero songs?

Subject: RE: Sporting hero songs?
From: Mark Cohen
Date: 20 Aug 01 - 08:54 PM

The Stan Rogers song is Flying. And in looking for it I found a fantastic Stan Rogers website that I never knew about.

Aloha,
Mark

Subject: RE: Sporting hero songs?
From: McGrath of Harlow
Date: 20 Aug 01 - 08:35 PM

I remember that one, Jimmy come lately - just the other day for some reason I was looking over that thread where you posted it, Mark.

That might have been one of the things that set me thinking about this thread. That and watching a game of hurling - the thing about hurling is that it is an oddly heroic game, a succession of skirmishes, and feats of skill and daring.

Subject: RE: Sporting hero songs?
From: Mark Cohen
Date: 20 Aug 01 - 08:22 PM

Fred Small has one about a retired college basketball coach, "Jimmy Come Lately" (it's a true story; I'm still trying to find out the name of the coach). And Stan Rogers did one about a hockey coach; I can't remember the name just now. Since I referee kids' soccer games but don't play myself, I like the ones about the ones who help out!

Aloha,
Mark

Subject: RE: Sporting hero songs?
From: Steve Latimer
Date: 20 Aug 01 - 07:58 PM

Catfish by Bob Dylan about pitcher Catfish Hunter. It was covered by Joe Cocker.

Subject: RE: Sporting hero songs?
From: Susanne (skw)
Date: 20 Aug 01 - 07:10 PM

Benny Lynch, Who Killed Davy Moore?, and Flowers of Manchester

Subject: RE: Sporting hero songs?
From: nutty
Date: 20 Aug 01 - 06:53 PM

How about John Peel (D'ye ken John Peel) and Bellman (he was a "proper" hound)

Subject: RE: Sporting hero songs?
From: GUEST,Neil Comer
Date: 20 Aug 01 - 06:43 PM

There's always Master McGrath (even though he was a greyhound) and Stewball

Subject: RE: Sporting hero songs?
From: Kim Hughes
Date: 20 Aug 01 - 06:28 PM

A couple that come to mind are "He's Fitbaa' [football] Crazy, He's Fitbaa' Mad" and "Old Bob Ridley" (which I guess is more a boasting song, but all the boasts are about sports.) A.L.Lloyd did a whole record of these, possibly with Ewan MacColl. I don't have the reference to hand, but could track it down if requested.

cheers, kim

Subject: RE: Sporting hero songs?
From: McGrath of Harlow
Date: 20 Aug 01 - 05:32 PM

There are couple of sprting songs in the DT - there is The Football Match, and the Last Game of the Season.

But what I'm after are the ones with names and places, the ones that displace the imagery of the warrior into th e context of sporting campaigns.

Subject: Lyr Add: JOHNNY THOMPSON
From: McGrath of Harlow
Date: 19 Aug 01 - 07:23 PM

Well, here is JOHNNY THOMPSON(from Alex Campbell's songbook - not that Alex wrote it, or ever suggested he did). John Thompson was killed when he dived at the ball at the feet of Rangers'forward Dammy English, and was accidentally booted in the head.

There was a lad named Johnny Thompson
From the Fifeshire coast he came
To play for Glasgow Celtic,
It was a team of storied fame.

On the 5th day ofSeptember,
When the Rangers Club he played
Johnny Thompson saved the Celtic goal,
For his club his life he gave.

I took a trip to Parkhead
To see them play a game
As the players came running out,
it did not seem the same

A famous face was missing
From the Green and White brigade
And they told me Johnny Thompson
His last game had played.

The fans they now are silent,
As they travel far and near,
No more will they cheer John Thompson
Who was football's brightest star.

So come on Glasgow Celtic
Stand up and play the game
For in your goal a spirit stands,
John Thompson is his name.

Subject: RE: Sporting hero songs?
From: Gareth
Date: 19 Aug 01 - 07:20 PM

Mind back into gear - far too many pints of Breakspears at the Bell at Grove.

Max Boyce.

Compilations - "Live at Treorchy" & "We all had Doctors Papers".

Special Mentions.
"The Pontypool Front Row"
"The Outsidehalf Factory",
etc.

Gareth

Subject: RE: Sporting hero songs?
From: Callie
Date: 19 Aug 01 - 05:19 PM

Australian singer/songwriter has a song titled ´Bradman´about the cricket legend Don Bradman who died recently. The song is about 15 years old.

Callie

Subject: RE: Sporting hero songs?
From: McGrath of Harlow
Date: 19 Aug 01 - 05:17 PM

There's a song lamenting/celebrating the great days of hurling that I heard, centring round some great hurler that had just died, and I just can't remember a word of it. I'm hoping someone come up with that one.

(Mind I'd say the great days of hurling are still with us, from the match I've been watching.)

Subject: RE: Sporting hero songs?
From: Gareth
Date: 19 Aug 01 - 02:48 PM

Mention it not outside of Wales, but try a delve into Max Boyce. Or possibly not in view of current Rugby form.

Gareth

Subject: RE: Sporting hero songs?
From: ard mhacha
Date: 19 Aug 01 - 01:29 PM

McGrath, An interesting aside on The Bould Thady Quill. I heard an account of the song on RTE Radio a number of years ago and the person relating the story knew the Thady Quill of the song. He went on to say that the song was a skit on Thady as he was the direct opposite to the hero of our song, being a big inoffensive person.This kind of ironic humour is to be found in a few irish songs. And how about Johnny Thompson, this song was written after the accidental death during a match of the Glagow Celtic Goalkeeper. This happened around the mid 1930`s. Slan Ard Mhacha.

Subject: RE: Sporting hero songs?
From: Sorcha
Date: 19 Aug 01 - 12:52 PM

Casey at the Bat (ok, so it's a poem.....)
Is John Peel too early to count?

Subject: RE: Sporting hero songs?
From: raredance
Date: 19 Aug 01 - 12:23 PM

Chuck Brodsky has written several about people around baseball: "Moe Berg: The Song" (a catcher in the 1920's-30's); "Lefty" (Steve Carleton a hall of fame pitcher); "Gone To Heaven" (about Max Patkin who was not a player but for half a century entertained during baseball games and was known as the "Clown Prince of Baseball").

Another baseball hero song is "Doing My Job" by John McCutcheon about Cal Ripkin and his 2000+ consecutive game record.

"Glory Bound" by James Keelaghan also comes to mind, about a hockey player, although I do not know if it is real or fictional.

rich r

Subject: RE: Sporting hero songs?
From: Uncle_DaveO
Date: 19 Aug 01 - 11:50 AM

Well, off the top of my head, there's Morrisey and the Russian Sailor, and Stewball.

Any others?

Dave Oesterreich

Subject: RE: Sporting hero songs?
From: Midchuck
Date: 19 Aug 01 - 11:07 AM

Joseph Baker (from Mick Moloney) (distance runner)

Pete.

Subject: Sporting hero songs?
From: McGrath of Harlow
Date: 19 Aug 01 - 10:38 AM

There's what you could call a sub-genre of songs about sporting heroes. But so far as I could see, we don't seem to have many in the DT. What I mean is, songs in the same kind of idiom as BOLD THADY QUIL, but more recent.

The reason I was thinking is because the TV cable service we've recently got gives us GAA sports, hurling and Gaelic football, and there's some great matches at present (Up Tipp), and it set me thinking about songs about Christy Ring and others that I've heard, but don't know.

And there's others about ordinary football (soccer) - there's a great one about Jimmy Greaves and his battle with alcoholism And other sports as well.P>

I suppose the song about my namesake, Msster McGrath falls into the genre too - as would any about racing horses.

Anyway, if anyone can come up with a few of the songs of that sort it'd be good to have them here. I had a search in the archives but I couldn't find them.