Mortimer the Mariner Moose had a Nightmare in 1999 and a Dance-Off years later – perhaps he should play Centerfield or just Swing!

Hello, my favorite Monday peeps! Looks like we’re winding down our April showers as April comes to an end – sunny weather in the forecast for the foreseeable future! Loving the 70-degree weather we’re currently having – if it wanted to stay that way all summer long, I would be a happy camper, vs. the heat I know is coming for the summer months. 😆

Meanwhile, since it is Monday, you know that Monday means music! This week’s theme is “America’s favorite pastime for many starts up again for professional baseball players. You don’t have to be a fan, but it could be fun to pick songs that include the team’s mascot. Stretch this prompt to fit your play set however you want!” Let’s get this baseball party started!

The Mariner Moose (Mortimer) is the official mascot of the Seattle Mariners MLB team, known for riding an ATV on the field, high-energy dancing, and community appearances since 1990. Created from a contest-winning idea by 5th grader Ammon Spiller, the mascot is a large, hairy creature in a #00 jersey. He frequently visits schools and community events.

Just for fun, here’s the history of the Mariner Moose:

And way back in 1999, there was a funny commercial starring the Mariner Moose with “Moose’s Nightmare”:

And for even more entertainment value, I found a video of the Mariner Moose battling the bat boy in a dance off to see who has better moves (spoiler alert: the bat boy won):

Next up, in keeping with the baseball theme (and it could be a song a lot of people share today), I had to include this song, which comes from this artist’s first solo album, released after he took a nine-year hiatus following his departure from Creedence Clearwater Revival.

The album combines two of this artist’s favorite passions – baseball and rock & roll. He drew his inspiration from center field at Yankee Stadium. When he was growing up on the West Coast, there was no Major League Baseball team to root for, and the closest thing his area had to a team was the New York Yankees, which had San Francisco native Joe DiMaggio on its team.

The song was also inspired by his frustration watching a struggling team on TV, where he would imagine himself to be a rookie sitting on a bench, yelling, “Put me in, coach, put me in!”

Fun Fact: Along with “Talkin’ Baseball” and “Take Me Out To The Ballgame,” this quickly became one of the most popular baseball songs ever. It’s a fixture at ballparks between innings of games and plays continuously at the Baseball Hall of Fame in Cooperstown, New York.

Without further ado, here’s John Fogerty with “Centerfield”:

Last but definitely not least, and continuing with the baseball reference, this song was released in May 2006 as the first single from this artist’s album of that year.

The song uses a typical baseball batting practice to set up a woman’s night at a tavern, and several men’s attempts to pick her up. The first man uses cheap pick-up lines; strike one. The second asks what her sign is; strike two. The third lies about his background (claiming he attended Harvard University as a pre-med major) and reaches first, but then tells her he quit because it was too hard. Strike three.

The team can’t get one batter to hit against the pitcher, who is a self-centered egomaniac and thinks he is God’s gift to women. The crowd of fans starts to leave when the groundskeeper steps up to the plate and asks for a pitch. The pitcher is more than happy to oblige, as he had just managed to strike out the whole team.

The groundskeeper is successful in hitting a home run on a fastball and runs the bases, all the time making fun of the pitch. When crossing home, the girl jumps into his arms.

Guaranteed to put a smile on your face, here’s Trace Adkins with “Swing”:

That’s a wrap for this week – have a great Monday! See you on the dance floor!

Now, onto the particulars of Monday’s Music Moves Me:

I have the supreme honor and privilege of being a co-host with the inimitable Xmas Dolly and our musical cohort, the awesome Cathy from Curious as a CAThy, and Alana of Ramblin’ with AM!

Want to join in the fun? It’s easy – just find a tune that rocks your boat, post it, and link up! Check out the other music lovahs and let’s jam!