The New York Mets Honor Beastie Boy Adam Yauch (MCA)

 I’m  a Mets fan and where many times it’s hard to state that fact aloud, on one recent Friday night, my team, the New York Metropolitans actually allowed Hip-Hop to happen and did me a solid.

 While I was out recording our tribute show to MCA, who passed earlier that day, my team paid tribute to him in a way that was both classy and oddly appropriate – who knew?

Check out the Boom Bap Radio tribute to MCA below:

http://boombapradio.podomatic.com/entry/2012-05-06T14_13_57-07_00

Let me remind you this the same team that allowed its only batting champion – Jose Reyes – to be scooped up by a competitor. Became embroiled in the Bernie Madoff scandal and had to sell off all of its possible championship pieces, like Carlos Beltran, who leads the NL in homers.

Then came the tributes; the Mets have honored nemeses like: Reyes now a member of the Miami Marlins, Pete Rose as a member of the Phillies and plan to honor dickwad Larry “Chipper” Jones, who is finally retiring after literally forging a possible Hall of Fame career by kicking our asses every year.

As the story goes, outfielder Scott Hairston and utility man Justin Turner were saddened by the passing of Beastie Boy co-founder and Hip-Hop icon Adam Yauch (aka – MCA) and called for a special night in honor of the Beastie.

Yauch, 47, a native of Brooklyn, passed after a battle with throat cancer. Hairston and Turner, in a classy move asked their teammates if they would mind changing their walk-up songs to honor Yauch – amazin’ – huh?

Such a bright move is rare in the history of a club that is best known for its gaffes.

First of all, our franchise, now in its 50th year, has never had a no-hitter.

Although we are not alone in that sad reality, big up to San Diego, what compounds our misery is that we’ve had scores of pitchers who didn’t pitch a no-no in Queens, but went elsewhere to hurl themselves into the record books. In fact, Nolan Ryan, Tom Seaver, David Cone and  Doc Gooden all l threw no-no’s for the teams they left pitched for after leaving the Mets  – two of them for the tradition rich Yankees – aargh!

So thanks to Hairston and Turner – my suffering was delayed and Hip-Hop, yes, sweet Hip-Hop, triumphed. Below is the starting lineup for the Mets that night and their respective walk up songs.

Mets Lineup for May 4, 2012

Tejada (SS) – Intergalactic                         

Murphy (2B) – No Sleep ‘Til Brooklyn

Wright (3B) – Brass Monkey

Duda  (RF) – The New Style

Hairston (LF) – Root Down

Davis (1B) – Fight For Your Right (To Party)

Andres Torres (CF) – So What’cha Want

Thole (Catch)  – Make Some Noise

Gee (P) – Body Movin

Although blissful on the start-up, the night was far from perfect. The Mets lost the game to the Diamondback that night 5-4 and splashed me back to reality – oh well.

Well at least on this night – Hip-Hop happened and great minds thought alike. RIP MCA!

*If you like what you heard, download the Boom Bap Radio tribute to MCA to your MP3 player at iTunes. Click on Masta Talka’s Blog and look for the May 4, 2012 Boom Bap Radio show. Or check it out under “BBR Show,” on this very website!