Baseball and Eddie Vedder

Eddie Vedder: Pearl Jam frontman, Sean Penn pal, and baseball prophet. It’s true.

At the request of famed Mr. Cub himself, Ernie Banks, Vedder penned an ode to his hometown baseball team, the Chicago Cubs. (He lived in the Chicago area as a child.)

Now, the Cubs are headed into the playoffs with the second best record in baseball. Is Vedder to blame? Well, no, it has more to do with their coach, Lou Piniella, formerly of the Seattle Mariners.

But back to that song, “Someday We’ll Go All the Way.” Some of Vedder’s lyrics feel apt – “We are not fair-weather, but foul-weather fans,” he sings in a nod to a team that has not won the World Series in 100 years. At other times, the song is a bit overblown. “We’re like brothers in arms in the streets and the stands.” Um…

The music also feels a bit too important. Maybe its on account of his emotive voice, but it seems like Vedder could as easily be singing a civil rights song, strumming his folky guitar. Decide for yourself:

Vedder hasn’t only written a song for the Cubs. He also has guided the Wrigley Field crowd through the seventh inning stretch at least twice. Here’s his boozy take on the 1908 classic “Take Me Out to the Ball Game”:

And, in the sake of fairness, here he is as the picture of health. Skip to the 40 second mark to see the song: