February 25, 2025
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This week we asked our writers to comment on the following:
The Yankees will no longer play New York, New York after loses at home.
What Frank Sinatra song should they play?
Here are their replies...
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Ed Botti - I'll go with That's Life.
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Paul Semendinger - There are many great choices:
The Best Is Yet To Come could work.
Aaron Boone would say Don't Blame Me.
Players who don't accept blame might vote for Everything Happens To Me.
This is too fun. There are so so so so so many songs that could work. If I had more time, I'd add more...
BUT THIS IS THE ONE:
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Cary Greene - It seems like the Yankees have a pretty good plan in place regarding what song to play following a loss, as Bryan Hoch of MLB.com. Word is that the Yankees will use a rotating group of other Sinatra songs and at the top of the list is "That's Life" - which would have been the first song I would have chosen if the decision was up to yours truly. Originally recorded by Marion Montgomery back in 1964, "That's Life" illustrates the ups and downs of life as an entertainer. Montgomery , who hailed from Mississippi, was a great jazz/blues stylist who worked mostly in the U.K. after marrying English pianist and musical director Laurie Holloway. She was known by British jazz, cabaret and television audiences for her minimalist style and her intimate, relaxed, smooth singing voice was truly unique and special.
My own mother passed away at age 79 from lung cancer though she never smoked a day in her life. Both her mother and her father, my grandparents on her side, were unfortunately avid smokers who coincidentally lived very long lives. My mother's mother for example lived to age 93! Montgomery, who also never smoked, wasn't as fortunate as my grandmother, as she died of lung cancer at age 67, which she attributed to the second hand smoke in the venues she performed in.
One of my favorite lyrical segments taken from the song's opening stanza, promise that even though the singer wa, "shot down in May, but I know I'm gonna change that tune, when I'm back on top, back on top in June" - are very appropriate for a New York team like the Yankees to play after a loss. MLB schedules are very long and there are a number of ups and downs along the way. That's Life conveys this message well and I think it will be very well received by the few Yankees fans left in the seats after a home loss. Those on the subway or shuffling along to their parking garage might hear That's Life playing in the distance and no doubt, due to the song's uplifting message, the sting of defeat will be somewhat soothed.
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Tim Kabel - It seems as if the Yankees will be playing “That’s Life” after losses. That is a logical choice. Other options might be “You Can’t Take That Away From Me” or “All, or Nothing at All”,or “My Way.” As long as Aaron Boone is the manager, they could play “It’s Impossible” by Perry Como.
