Baseball has always resonated with me … and so has rock 'n' roll

"Rose he knows he's such a credit to the game, but the Yankees grab the headlines every time." — Billy Joel 

I was almost seven. Okay, by the time I heard the album I was seven but when it dropped I was six. This is back in the days of Mark "the Bird," Alan Trammell, Lou Whitaker, Lance Parrish, and Jack Morris. Before Kirk Gibson. The Tigers weren't good, but baseball was in prime time. It was 1978.

Tigers yearbook from the era of "My Life." 

I wanted the album 52nd Street by Billy Joel, which we purchased at Meijer's Thrifty Acres in Traverse City, Mich., before we actually moved "up north," and I thought the whole album was great. I especially liked "Big Shot" and the song I bought the LP for, "My Life."

This "Zanzibar" song, though, whoa. It mentioned a bunch of cool things that I really didn't comprehend, e.g. Ali. However, when it mentioned Pete Rose and the New York Yankees, I was like, "Wow, this is about current stuff," or something to that effect. I thought it was so cool. I had a Billy Joel album and a Pete Rose baseball card, not to mention a couple of New York Yankee yearbooks for some reason — they were really good back in the late '70s.

The Pirates were one of my favorite teams back then. Probably because of the hat. 

"Zanzibar"

(Billy Joel) from the album 52nd Street

Ali dances and the audience applauds
Though he's bathed in sweat he hasn't lost his style
Ali don't you go downtown
You gave away another round for free

Me, I'm just another face at Zanzibar
But the waitress always serves a secret smile
She's waiting out in Shantytown
She's gonna pull the curtains down for me, for me

I've got the old man's car
I've got a jazz guitar
I've got a tab at Zanzibar
Tonight that's where I'll be

Rose, he knows he's such a credit to the game
But the Yankees grab the headline every time
Melodrama's so much fun
In black and white for everyone to see
Me, I'm trying just to get to second base
And I'd steal it if she only gave the sign
She's gonna give the go ahead
The inning isn't over yet for me

I've got the old man's car
I've got a jazz guitar
I've got a tab at Zanzibar
Tonight that's where I'll be

Tell the waitress I'll come back to Zanzibar
I'll be hiding in the darkness with my beer
She's waiting out in Shantytown
She's gonna pull the curtains down for me, for me

I've got the old man's car
I've got a jazz guitar
I've got a tab at Zanzibar
Tonight that's where I'll be