Extra Innings

***Extra Innings*** is the third album by The Boston Baseball Band, the first ever sports band. It is among many people's favorites, being more musically and lyrically more refined than the band's previous 2 albums. At 31 minutes long, it is about the length of *Go Red Sox!* and *11 in 10* combined (both 16 minutes). Like those albums, some songs were released on The Boston Sports Band of New England's only album, *Celtics, Red Sox, Patriots, Bruins, and The Media*, released in 2011 as a sort-of compilation album for all of his New England sports efforts.

As stated above, the musicality of this album is top-tier, utilizing catchy hooks, backing vocals, and multiple instruments to create the first top-tier sports band album. Other than that, it talks about terms, journalists, players, and other people rooted in the mythology of the Boston Red Sox, Farley's local baseball team (both at the time and currently). Most of the songs are above or just below the 2 minute mark, though the quality of the songs is what makes it a fan-favorite.

## Notes

* **David Ortiz** was a designated hitter and first baseman for the Boston Red Sox from 2003 to 2016, when he retired from the MLB. He is often considered among one of the greatest hitters in the history of the game, scoring an astonishing **541** homeruns over the course of his 13 year career. He is often nicknamed "Big Papi" and was mentioned in the 2004 song "ALCS 2004 (Red Sox v. Yankees)" by Moes Haven.
* **Jacoby Ellsbury** was a center fielder for the Red Sox from 2007 to 2013, trading to the Red Sox's main rival, the New York Yankees in 2014 (though when this song was written, Ellsbury was still a newcomer to the game and hadn't become a "traitor".)
* **Joe Castiglione** has been the radio announcer for the Red Sox for 37 years (since 1983), which means he makes official announcements for the Red Sox on radio (i.e., draft picks, game announcements, etc.).
* **Peter Gammons** is an American journalist and songwriter that has a bias in favor of the Red Sox. Gammons' Wikipedia page mentions this song, and Farley mentions his phone number, (603) 644-0048. Interestingly, the line "I wanna do some jammin'" uses the exact same timing and melody as the titular line in 2014's "Have You Seen Dooma Blooma?" by Projection From The Side's *Basement Reunion*.
* On June 24, 2004, after a nasty insult battle between Red Sox catcher **Jason Veritek** (1997 – 2011) and Yankees shortstop **Alex Rodriguez** (2004 – 2016), a brawl started between the two teams, which many point to be the peak of the rivalry. Many also believe this brawl is what motivated the team to rise above the Yankees and try their best to win the World Series. The Red Sox did win the World Series that year, the first time in 88 years.
* **Doug Mirabelli** was a very well-liked and very good catcher for the Red Sox between 2001 to 2007. He was nicknamed "The Miracle", as many believe he played a big part in the Red Sox winning both the 2004 and 2007 World Series. To the public's disbelief, Mirabelli was released from the team despite his contract to play for the team in the 2008 season, being replaced with Kevin Cash. This caused outrage to both the team and fans, as the Red Sox had spent 2 players and $100,000 on getting Mirabelli back from the San Diego Padres. This caused many (including Farley) to rally for Mirabelli's reinclusion into the 2008 season. It was never realized. This is the second song about Mirabelli, with "Doug 'The Miracle' Mirabelli" on *Go Red Sox!*.
* **Curt Schilling** was a pitcher for the Red Sox from 2004 to 2007, and was very well-liked by fans. He is another fan-favorite and reason the Red Sox won the 2004 and 2007 World Series. Like Ortiz, Schilling is mentioned in the ALCS 2004 song.
* **Mike Lowell** was a third baseman for the Red Sox from 2006 to 2010, and was named MVP of the 2007 World Series, a high honor. Due to this, he was highly acclaimed by Red Sox fans. The song tells the story of Lowell's first years with the Red Sox. Lowell, in 2006, was considered out of his prime (having been with the New York Yankees in 1998 and the Florida Marlins from 1999 to 2005).
* **Tim Wakefield** was a pitcher for the Red Sox from 1995 to 2011, making him have the longest tenure on the Red Sox team, and one of the few baseball players to stay with a single team for 10 years. The song, unfortunately chanting "he's gonna pitch 'til he's 50" is mostly a mockery of Wakefield's age, especially for the sport. Baseball usually has people retire in their 30's, so it was uncommon to see someone in their 40's and play so well. Wakefield eventually retired in 2011 at the age of 45. He is one of their most acclaimed players, being in the Hall of Fame, winning the World Series twice, and winning the 2009 MLB All-Star game.
* **Bill Buckner** was a first baseman for the Red Sox from 1984 to 1987, and again in 1990, which is odd because most of the Boston Baseball Band's songs talk about events or players from the 2000's. Buckner is most famous for his massive error, which cost the Red Sox the 1986 World Series. In Game 6 of the Series, he let a ball unintentionally slip through his legs, making the Red Sox lose the game and in turn the Series. Buckner was blamed for perpetuating the "Curse of the Bambino" into the late 1980's, and was mocked for many years. When the curse was broken in 2004, Buckner was publically praised for his records being shattered. Sadly, Buckner passed away from dementia in 2019.
* **Dustin Pedroia** was a second baseman for the Red Sox from 2006 to 2019. Pedroia was "The Rookie of the Year" in 2007, but would actually outlast everybody in the 2006 – 2007 season, officially retiring in 2021, but ceasing playing in 2019. He won the American League MVP of 2008 award, as well as winning the 2007 and 2013 World Series.
* **Gino Castignoli** was an architect for the new Yankee Stadium, being built in 2006, and an avid Red Sox fan. While working on the building, Castignoli cemented and buried a replica jersey of David Ortiz into the stadium's floor. It was eventually removed.
* A **pink hat** is a signifying aspect of a 'fake Red Sox fan', people who jumped on the Red Sox's bandwagon after winning two World Series. This sparked outrage in Red Sox Nation, being a notable marker as someone who didn't know about the strict "white hat rule". As Matt states in the song, so-called "pink hats" wouldn't actually be interested in the sport, only trying to support a winning team. This pink hat hate bandwagon really died out after 2008, as old Red Sox fans became more supportive.
* **Daisuke Matsuzaka** ("**Dice-K**") was a pitcher for the Red Sox from 2007 to 2012. He is the first player to win a World Series and a World Baseball Classic. He gained the MVP for the 2006 and 2007 World Baseball Classics. During his short tenure with the Red Sox, he helped win them the 2007 World Series, joining after being considered the greatest Japanese pitcher of his time. He has a 22 year long career, starting baseball in 1999.
* **Josh Beckett** was a pitcher for the Red Sox from 2006 to 2012. He is considered to be one of the greatest pitchers in baseball history, pitching a no-hitter in 2014 for the Los Angeles Dodgers. Beckett traded into the Red Sox in 2006, and helped win the 2007 World Series. However, with the Red Sox, he didn't do much else.