Peter, Paul and Mary – Right Field (25th Anniversary Concert)
Inspiration Behind Right Field:
This song was written by a former right fielder, Wayne Welch. Right Field was recorded by Peter, Paul and Mary in 1987. Wayne was inspired by his childhood days standing in right field, more concerned with his surroundings than the actual game going on. Always being the last one selected for a team led Welch to appeal to individuals who are overlooked and undervalued in life. When metrics are applied strictly to baseball, certain players are never given the opportunity to play the position of their choice.
Biblical Application:
“Now what have I done?” said David. “Can’t I even speak?” 30 He then turned away to someone else and brought up the same matter, and the men answered him as before. 31 What David said was overheard and reported to Saul, and Saul sent for him. 32 David said to Saul, “Let no one lose heart on account of this Philistine; your servant will go and fight him.” 33 Saul replied, “You are not able to go out against this Philistine and fight him; you are only a young man, and he has been a warrior from his youth,” 1 Samuel 17:29-33,
Exegesis of Right Field:
Saturday summers, when I was a kid
We’d run to the schoolyard and here’s what we did
We’d pick out the captains and we’d choose up the teams
It was always a measure of my self esteem
‘Cause the fastest, the strongest, played shortstop and first
The last ones they picked were the worst
I never needed to ask, it was sealed,
I just took up my place in right field
Playing
Before you were old enough for Little League, neighborhood kids would play pickup games at the local ball field similar to the film Sandlot. Since Wayne wasn’t fast, strong or tall, he was always one of the last 2 selected and was assigned right field every time.
Right field, it’s easy, you know
You can be awkward and you can be slow
That’s why I’m here in right field
Just watching the dandelions grow
This stanza is true in professional baseball as well as the least athletic player is assigned right field today.
Playing right field can be lonely and dull
Little Leagues never have lefties that pull
I’d dream of the day they’d hit one my way
They never did, but still I would pray
That I’d make a fantastic catch on the run
And not lose the ball in the sun
And then I’d awake from this long reverie
And pray that the ball never came out to me, here in
Right field is the last place someone would hit a ball. Subsequently, managers would try to hide their worst player in this position. Parents and players in right field were nervous of a ball hit in their direction..
Right field, it’s easy, you know
You can be awkward and you can be slow
That’s why I’m here in right field
Just watching the dandelions grow
Without much action, bored players would lose focus by checking out the different types of weeds in this section of the outfield.
Off in the distance, the game’s dragging on
There’s strikes on the batter, some runners are on
I don’t know the inning, I’ve forgotten the score
The whole team is yelling and I don’t know what for
Right fielders are so far away from the action, that they aren’t mentally into a game like the infielders.
Then suddenly everyone’s looking at me
My mind has been wandering; what could it be?
They point to the sky and I look up above
And a baseball falls into my glove
Sometimes it’s better to be lucky than good.
Here in right field, it’s important you know
You gotta know how to catch, you gotta know how to throw
That’s why I’m here in right field, just watching the dandelions grow
It’s hard to have your head into the game when you might get a ball hit to you once or twice in a six-inning game.
Final Thoughts:
I stopped playing baseball in high school when I wasn’t tall enough or strong enough to throw a ball 80 miles an hour. While I was always 10 miles slower than most pitchers, I had great command. I was the ace pitcher on my Junior High team, going 2-0 with a near no hitter in the final game of the season. Yet, I wasn’t allowed to try out for a pitcher in high school. Despite batting 400 on the freshman team, I made a mental error in the season opener and rode the bench the rest of the season. The use of metrics in baseball today is preventing young boys like me from advancing to a higher level in baseball. Right fielders in Little League often quit after turning 13, not interested in baseball anymore.
by Jay Mankus
ExpressYourself4Him 