10/24/05 Nancy Faust

My mom, brother and I had fun last night listening to Nancy Faust's organ music at the White Sox game. (Note to my sister-in-law: You were sitting too far from me... I don't know if you were part of these conversations or not). The music she plays for opposition hitters is an important part of the White Sox experience. It can become a fun game to figure out how the song relates to the player. For example, she likes to play songs with the player's number. Like the theme to Three's Company, "One is the loneliest Number", "Take Five" - things like that.

My mom had to explain that one song was about Camelot and was in reference to Lancelot when Lance Berkman came to bat. Sometimes she pushes it. Probably a decade or so ago, I remember Randy Milligan on the Baltimore Orioles - She would play the theme to Gilligan's Island (Get it? Milligan? Gilligan?). Then sometimes she really stretches things - She'd play "Inna Godda Davida" for Pete Incaviglia. And there are plenty of times, where none us of have any clue why she plays a song. Last night, for Willie Taveras, she kept playing "Head, shoulders, knees and toes". My brother suggested that a "willy" is just another part of the body. I'm guessing she had something else in mind. Ideas? I'm looking for some sort of website that keeps track of the songs she plays for different players. But so far, I'm coming up dry.

I pose 2 questions for the day:

1) What's your favorite Nancy Faust song for an opposition player?
2) Which was more improbable:

• Jake Taylor (the over-the-hill catching with real bad knees) beating out a bunt with Willie Mays Hayes on 2nd.

OR

• Scott Podsednik (The speedy, base-stealing leadoff hitter with 0 homeruns during the regular season) hitting a homerun in the bottom of the 9th off of Brad Lidge to win the game?

Alright - One more thing. The Sports Guy's World Series thoughts. Among them:

• Every big Paul Konerko moment, as his winter pricetag continues to rise, as does the inevitability that he'll be hitting .224 for the Angels next June as announcers say things like, "Here comes Paul Konerko, last year's World Series hero ... just hasn't been able to get it going this year ... the Angels would LOVE to see him get it going ..."

(And if he's batting .224 on the Red Sox next June, I'm going to jam a kabob skewer into my own throat.)