Pat Burrell 1, Subtlety 0

Although I don't pay attention to at-bat music very often, I couldn't help noticing what seems to be a recent development: Pat Burrell embracing the 1986 Peter Gabriel classic "Sledgehammer."

This is most likely a nod to his reputation as a beefcake power hitter who either drives it or strikes out looking, like a 21st century version of Greg Luzinski (right down to the kneeling lunge at the end of his swing). As "getting pumped-up, ballpark" music, it's kind of esoteric and annoyingly literal at the same time. Pat is a big fan of the '80s jams, though; I fully expect him to trot out onto the field holding a boombox over his head during the next rain delay. In fact, I think he might have done that when he heard Jason Michaels was traded.

But is that really all there is? If you look at the lyrics to the song, it's no secret that Gabriel's being a little, um, metaphorical in regards to the titular 'hammer. Between punking out Billy Wagner and this sly Freudian reference, Burrell could be a lot smarter than we all give him credit for. Or he's taking pre-emptive measures should Phillies marketing ever decide to publicly undermine his masculinity (sorry, Shane Victorino). "Pat the Bat," indeed.

And just for fun, here's the Gumby gone wrong music video for the song:



UPDATE 5/20/07: After a little research, I have found that Pat Burrell has not changed his at-bat music at all, rendering this post completely false. I apologize.

He's been using Don Henley's "Dirty Laundry" since the beginning of the season. But a quick scan of the lyrics--most notably the chorus "Kick 'em when they're up/Kick 'em when they're down"--and it is proven that Pat's choice of music still illustrates my point. He's basically expecting us as fans to interpret him as we would our junior high crushes handing us a mixtape.