Who knew that indie rockers loved baseball so much? The Baseball Project, a new collaboration between R.E.M.'s Scott McCaughey and Peter Buck, Steve Wynn (Dream Syndicate, Gutterball) and Linda Pitmon (Miracle 3) marries a love of America's favorite pastime with college rock for 13 tracks about the summer sport on Volume 1: Frozen Ropes And Dying Quails, due out July 8 via Yep Roc. Though they aren't donning stirrups or singing "Take Me Out To The Ballgame," this group sets tales from baseball lore to music and re-imagines many of the mythic and iconic people and events, both past and present. On the track "Past Time" many indie rock kiddies might mistake the line "So long ago, so long/Pastime, are you past your prime?/The DiMaggios, Shoeless Joe, Minnie Minoso, Yo La Tengo" as a random call out to the Hoboken band. Not so. It's actually a tip of the hat to the inaugural 1962 Mets season where the phrase, Spanish for "I got it!," was used by centerfielder Richie Ashburn to signal to the shortstop Elio Chacon, who didn't speak much English, to back off the play to prevent a collision. Unfortunately, there are no references to the buried curse-inflicting Boston Red Sox jersey in the new Yankee Stadium that was dug up or any shout-outs to the Chicago Cubs extending their streak of 100 years without a World Series ring. Tracklist For Volume 1: Frozen Ropes And Dying Quails: 01. Past Time 02. Ted Fucking Williams 03. Gratitude (For Curt Flood) 04. Brook Man 05. Satchel Paige Said 06. Fernando 07. Long Before My Time 08. Jackie's Lament 09. Sometimes I Dream Of Willie Mays 10. The Death Of Big Ed Delahanty 11. Harvey Haddix 12. The Yankee Flipper 13. The Closer www.yeproc.com
