The Inside Pitch: River Cats Greatest Hits

A song has the ability to change moods at the drop of a beat. It has the ability to evoke a certain feeling, whether it's meant to pump you up or calm you down.

The song being played when a player gets ready to hit may affect the outcome of his at-bat, so it's no surprise the Sacramento River Cats like to pick their own walk-up music.

"It puts you in whatever mindset you want to be in," catcher Anthony Recker said. "Whether it's relaxed or pumped up. Whatever that does for them, it does for them."

Walk-up song choices are just as diverse as the players who choose them. And sometimes fans can get a glimpse into the player's head for the 25-30 seconds before they are up.

"It's definitely a wide variety of music and you can kind of see where the trends in music are going these days," said DJ EJ, who mixes all in-stadium music from the Raley Field Control Room. "There's a lot more hip-hop and rap. I love when players come up with songs that are conducive to keeping the energy of the game."

Some players may choose a song solely on the fact that they like that tune, while others have a deeper meaning behind it.

Recker's latest at-bat track is the theme song to the movie "The Last of the Mohicans." When asked why he chose the song, his only answer was "because I like the movie."

Recker also thinks changing walk-up songs is important.

"I would like to change mine more often," Recker said. "I'd like to change it every homestand or, heck, I wouldn't mind changing it at every at-bat and having like five songs that they cycle through."

Infielder Eric Sogard feels a little differently.

"'Welcome to the Jungle' by Guns'N'Roses," Sogard said, "I've had that song since high school and I've always hit well to it."

Other players, like second baseman Jemile Weeks have an opinion somewhere in the middle. While he might not need to change his at-bat song as often as Recker, he knows when the time is right to make the change.

"You get over the song," Weeks said. "You hear it enough and find something else that suits you."

A song change doesn't always result from a player hearing it too much. Baseball is a sport full of superstitions, and sometimes that is the motive behind a change.

"I'm not a song-changing guy," said infielder Wes Timmons. "I'm not real superstitious, but other guys are. So they'll have a song, go 0-for-4 and the next day they will have a new intro song."

DJ EJ agrees that superstition is a key factor.

"There are some players who come up and change it every other game or so," DJ EJ said. "I used to play baseball so I know how superstitious it can be. If you're not swinging the bat really well you change the song."

Players in the past have used walk-up music to give fans a laugh, and a small peek into their personalities.

"When some guys come up to 'Party in the USA' and stuff like that you can tell that he's light-hearted," Recker said.

Pitchers are now even getting in on the action.

"There are some players who choose their songs and others who don't," said DJ EJ, or Eric Jorgensen. "I get a lot more, and now players are more conscious of it. I've done this for seven years, and the first two seasons there were maybe like one or two guys that picked their songs, and now even the pitchers are doing it. Pretty much the entire lineup is picking their songs."

DJ EJ said that when Oakland A's pitcher Dallas Braden was in Sacramento he had quite a sense of humor. Braden, who hurled the 19th perfect game in baseball history last season, chose a song that had players laughing uncontrollably in the dugout and fans giggling in the stands.

Imagine, if you will, the 6-foot-1 and 185-pound Stockton-grown pitcher stepping onto the mound to warm up. He adjusts his jersey that covers his "209" tattoo scrawled across his stomach. His song starts to play as the left-hander deals a 90 mph fastball right into the glove of the catcher.

You'd imagine that he might warm-up to something hardcore. Maybe a little hip-hop or rap - even some metal.

Instead, you hear: "I'm a Barbie girl, in a Barbie world. Life in plastic, it's fantastic! You can brush my hair, undress me everywhere, imagination, life is your creation. Come on Barbie, let's go party."

Not exactly what you would expect to hear from Braden. And although his choice was definitely a joke, there are players who have songs that tell a story more about themselves.

"There are some that you wouldn't expect, like some players come up with more religious type of songs," DJ EJ said. "It's something you may not know about them."

Timmons chose his song, "Awesome God" by R-Swift, to show his faith, paired with the type of music that he listens to.

"It's a part of who you are," Timmons said.

"An intro song does actually tell you a lot about a person and how he lives. I think music plays a big part in a lot of people's lives. I definitely think the type of music you listen to is pretty much a correlation to the things you're interested in."

Next time you are sitting in the stands wishing you knew more about your favorite player, all you have to do is listen the next time they step up to the plate.