Part of the fun of baseball games is hearing the walk-up music that a batter like Josh Reddick selects as he prepares for his at bat and walks up to home plate. Usually the walk-up music is a selection that pumps up the batter and the crowd. Songs like Lose Yourself , Seven Nation Army , and Song 2 are all examples of great music that gets hitters pumped up.
But the music that Oakland Athletics right fielder Josh Reddick has chosen might be the most hilarious — and now popular — walk-up song ever. Reddick this week began walking up to the plate to the sweet sax sounds of Wham’s Careless Whisper.
Yes, that Careless Whisper .
So, what possessed Reddick to begin using one of the sappiest saxiest love songs ever written for his walk-up music. Here is what Josh told Rolling Stone.
“Somebody had Pandora on shuffle in the clubhouse, and it got thrown into the mix. I was like ‘What would happen if I tried this?’ And baseball players are very superstitious, so I can’t imagine changing it for a while, unless something dramatic happens… and I hope it doesn’t.”
So that’s good news for us, right? Even if you are not a baseball fan, you’ve got to admit that you’d stop flipping through the channels if you saw Reddick was going to bat soon just so you could get a chance to hear the sweet saxophone play as Josh prepared to bat.
It does look like the selection is going to stay for a while. Like Josh said, baseball players are superstitious. The first day Reddick had Careless Whisper played as he walked into the batter’s box, he went 2-3 and scored two runs. The next day, Josh continued to play the music and got two more hits, including a home run. So, yep, it looks like Wham! will stay for a while with Reddick.
Reddick is embracing his newfound Internet celebrity status, even if Josh is a little surprised by it.
“It’s definitely escalated more than I thought it would. The fans are the funniest; it comes on and they’re cheering and slow-dancing in the outfield. They seem to be having more fun with my walk-up song that the actual game.”
And what if the this particular selection gets tiresome (as if that were possible)? Reddick has more Wham! choices ready to go.
“I know ‘Freedom’ and ‘Wake Me Up [Before You Go-Go].’ I wasn’t a huge Wham! fan, but, you know, I definitely respect what they did.”
What do you think about Josh Reddick’s walk-up music? What song would you choose? Let us know in the comments.