Jamey Carroll, I’m there for you, man, and so is the Akron band, Houseguest. All you did was play solid defense and hit better than Asdrubal Cabrera and Josh Barfield, but while everyone else is getting their chance on the last place Cleveland Indians, you’ve found a new home on the bench. Wedge and Shapiro don’t respect you. They think of you as nothing more than a utility infielder, good for a spot start, but not a long term solution. John Fogerty never wrote a song about being an 8th inning defensive replacement, or going 10 games without an at-bat. The young ladies in the crowd don’t make glittery home-made signs with your name. You’re so close to living a dream, yet, they won’t let you play.
Look, I know the line, “Put me in the ground, coach I’m ready to die,” won’t inspire fear in the hearts of pitchers like “Welcome to the Jungle,” or “Ironman,” but there’s more than one way to bring attention to your plight. And, let’s be frank here, this may be the one and only song ever written about utility infielders, and maybe, by highlighting the hard life of a “Proud Utility Infielder” more teammates will be sympathetic to your cause. Maybe, Grady Sizemore will share his home made cookies. Maybe, you’ll start to get fan mail, too. Besides, this is an upbeat song. Listen to those guitars bubble and bounce around like an outfielder on uppers. You don’t pop pills before a game, do you Jamey? I didn’t think so. You’re one of the good guys.
MP3: Houseguest – Proud Utility Infielder
Welcome, All That’s Difficult by Houseguest will be out this Fall on Audio Eagle Records. You’ll have plenty of chances to catch the band live this coming month, including this Wednesday at The Beachland Tavern, August 7th at the Akron Art Museum, and August 22nd at The Matinee Cleveland.
