Five Songs About Baseball to Make You Joyful Before the Playoffs

Alright, Bay Area baseball fanatics -- this is your moment. Because yes, the Oakland A's have made it to the playoffs for the first time in six years. And yes, AT&T Park is hosting playoff games for the Giants on both Saturday and Sunday this week. This is that magical period where anything could happen; when the World Series is just sitting on the horizon, giving us a wink and a butt squeeze and cooing "C'mon, you guys! You've done it before... Let's do this thing again! Let's win that shiny gold trophy!" As such, we'd like to take a moment to get happy about America's favorite pastime. Here are five baseball songs that'll fill you with joy, in no particular order.

"Black & Orange," San Quinn, Big Rich, Cellski, Da Vinci and Roach Gigz



What we still can't fathom is how this isn't played routinely at AT&T Park during games -- it's the coolest Giants theme ever written, and it shits all over Journey's "Don't Stop Believin'" as an anthem for the city's 2010 World Series triumph. Boiling over with city pride, insider references, and real San Francisco edge, "Black & Orange" is the bomb. Aside from anything else, this thing is catchy! That chorus gets stuck in your head for days after one listen. C'mon AT&T Park -- give the fans what they want. Start playing this between innings or at the end of games -- the bleachers will go nuts, we promise.

"Centerfield," John Fogerty



Here's the weird thing about this song. It's totally hokey. It resorts to terrible cliche after terrible cliche... But if you put "Centerfield" on in a room of rabid baseball fans -- even super cool, Mission District hipster ones -- when there's about to be an important game, they will all dance like drunk uncles at a wedding party and sing along. "Centerfield" leaves unbelievable joy in its wake. Despite that fucking organ. Go figure.

"Batter Up," St. Lunatics



No, no. Your eyes don't deceive you. That is Nelly. Turns out that, in addition to encouraging people to take off all their clothes when it's hot (in herre), Mr. Nelly likes goin' to the game. We have to admit though, it's not so much the song that fills us with joy here, but the insane video. This thing is seriously crazypants -- just a series of unrelated, increasingly stranger tableaus that make baseball seem like the most undignified game on earth. Thusly, it is hilarious. Enjoy.