On one of our many research trips through the YouTube jungle we found a clip of David Oritz on Live!...with Regis and Kelly. It's amazing. Put Big Papi next to two dolts like Kelly and whoever the Regis filler is and Ortiz looks even cooler. Love the look on his face around 4:30 when he's talking about how crazy Jon Papelbon is. No idea why Ortiz thinks that:
Not too many athletes like Ortiz out there...in any sport. It's hard to believe that in 2002, after hitting 20 HR in 400 AB's, the Twins gave up on him and tried to trade him. Nobody wanted him, so the Twins released him. He was almost forced to find a job in Mexico or Japan but the Red Sox signed him and he went on to hit 31, 41, 47, and 54 home runs over the next four year. Not a bad pick up.
“He appeals to every demographic,” Red Sox general manager Theo Epstein says. “People love watching athletes who you can tell enjoy what they’re doing. And to have a guy who comes to work every day with a smile—that’s especially huge in our clubhouse, where we had problems in the past.” (Sports Illustrated)
Everybody love Big Papi. It's really surprising he isn't better marketed by the MLB and sponsors. At least we've got: - A classic SportsCenter promo featuring Jorge Posada and Ortiz - A New Era ad that doesn't actually include Ortiz but is still pretty decent - A newish commercial featuring Ortiz and Brian Urlacher playing badminton
Recently, the Australian Olympic Swim team thought it would be a good idea to embarrass themselves by recording this song and donating the proceeds to charity. Very noble of them but you think there would be a less humiliating way to earn some money.
This song reminded me of history's greatest example of a song that is pure awesome even though it is extremely crappy: This wasn't the first time a NFL team created a song for marketing purposes. That honour goes to the 1984 San Francisco 49ers who put together the creatively named 'We Are The Niners'. The Philadelphia Eagles gave it a shot in '88 with 'Buddy's Watching You' ... which is worth watching just for the awkwardness of the kicker rapping. The 1986 Dodgers gave it there best shot with the embarrassing"Baseball Boogie".
Unfortunately for mankind these three were not the last teams to hit the recording studio.
The most successful recording by an player or team would go to either Oscar De La Hoya or Liverpool FC. The Golden Boy's album featuring 'Run to Me' was nominated for a Grammy. Liverpool's 'Anfield Rap' reached #3 on the UK charts in 1988. It's corny but it has a bit of catchiness to it and it pretty comical in parts:
Most of the team songs, while painful to listen to, were made in good fun and with the idea to raise a bit of money for charity ... who is buying these albums anyway?
On the other hand, some athletes have released solo albums or songs ... usually to epic failure and ridicule.
Shaq is one of the better musical athletes out there ... which isn't saying much. He's managed to release five albums, including his debut album "Shaq Diesel" which included the classic "Shoot, Pass, Slam". If Shaq is one of the best out there Deion Sanders must be one of the worst. In the song "Must Be The Money" Sanders gargles his way through over four minutes of pure torture:
We couldn't really find many current examples of teams or athletes recording music. We here are Waikiki Hockey are hoping this changes as these videos are great for posting!
In our research we found a few other videos/songs you might find interesting...and by interesting we mean hilarious:
Tony Parker plays professional basketball, has a hot wife and is a french rap star. Here he is singing 'Balance Toi'
The Cincinnati Bengals brought in funk legend Bootsy Collins to bring some creditability to their 2005 song "Fear Da Tiger" ... it didn't work.
Ozzie Smith recorded a song called "Cupid", we'll give him points for not rapping like almost every other athlete. It does sounds like he's impersonating Kermit the Frog though.
"Waikiki Hockey" is a collection of the most obscure, weird, bizarre sport videos, pictures and stories. The best and brightest make it to the Hall of Fame. If you think we're missing something let us know.
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