Take Me “All the Way” to the Ballgame, Eddie

Making its way around the World Wide Web this week are various video montages of Chicago Cubs highlights set to a song called “All the Way,” written by Pearl Jam’s Eddie Vedder, for his beloved hometown team. Now I’m not a big sports fan by any stretch of the imagination, but this particular video brought tears to my eyes and an uncharacteristic twinge of baseball-centric nostalgia to my heart. 

My sense is that no matter where you are from, or what team you routinely root for, a sampling of the song lyrics alone will awaken your love for "America’s favorite national pastime." But add to it the well-known melancholic beauty of an Eddie Vedder composition, and you may find yourself crying into a beer while dreaming of eventual Cubs victory. 

"We are one with the Cubs, with the Cubs we're in love
We hold our heads tall as the underdogs
We are not fair-weather, but foul-weather fans
We are brother in arms in the streets and the stands
There's magic in the ivy and the old scoreboard
The same one I stared at as a kid keeping score
In a world full of green we could never want more
And someday we'll go all the way
Hey, someday we'll go all the way"

When music and sports meet in such a glorious mid-air embrace, we can all feel the love. Experience it for yourself: 

--Shelby Earl