Howdy all. So recently it has been stated in the Facebook group that us Mets fans utterly despise the timeless Neil Diamond classic "Sweet Caroline" (bah bah bahhhhh). Well, as Mets fans, we may like the song personally, but as our sing-a-long song at ballgames, it seems like a no go. I personally agree that it should not be our sing-a-long song, mainly because it is more associated with the Boston Red Sox and not the Mets (even though we used the song first, we also used "New York, New York" first for that matter…damn American League thieves). So while discussing this in the boards, we have discussed many replacement options for the fan sing-a-long. Being the resident music major of this group, I have decided to analyze all the legit suggestions in this very post, and determine what the new song should be. I am going to start with the existing song that we have.

"Sweet Caroline" by Neil Diamond: Alright so who doesn't like this song. Who doesn't like going "BAH BAH BAHHHHH" and "SO GOOD SO GOOD SO GOOD." I sure as hell don't. The problem is, this is a Red Sox song, and Red Sox fans have the IQ's of a piece of Atlantic driftwood. I don't know about you guys, but I do not want to be associated with Red Sox fans.

"Rock & Roll Part II" by Gary Glitter: There are two reasons why this song can take a long walk off of a short plank. The first being that every marching band this side of the Pacific plays this song at high school football games, and without that tuba part the song is useless. My second reasoning, well, Gary Glitter is a petterass.

"Highway To Hell" by AC/DC: This is an amazing song, and is personally one of my favorite tunes ever. The WWF (note the F and not the E) used it for SummerSlam a few years back; and it was awesome. It has a great chorus to sing too; if you are over the age of 18. I'm sure there are plenty of mothers who have a problem with their children talking about riding a highway to hell. That brings the highway to hell to a screeching halt.

"Livin' On A Prayer" by Bon Jovi: What could be better? The world's greatest 80's anthem, from the world's greatest 80's band. The chorus to this song is so soaring, and so monumental, and so epic. It's also very inspiring and the chorus is a great rallying cry. Plus they talk about diners, my favorite type of eatery.

"Sweet Child O' Mine" by Guns N' Roses: We are at a baseball game here, not trying to get some girl with super tall hair to marry one of us. Leave the power ballads at home.
PS: Slash is the man.

"Pour Some Sugar On Me" by Def Leppard: Again we are at a baseball game, not a strip club. Nuff said.

"Don't Stop Believin" by Journey: This song like "Livin' On A Prayer" is a serious contender for a new sing-a-long. Every college student in the United States of American knows this song, and every one of his or her parents knows it also. I bet all of us have belted the chorus to this song drunk at some point and time in our lives. The word 'believe' has also been associated with the Mets for years. Plus, who doesn't like Journey. I mean not liking Journey is just cruel, wrong, and silly.

"Sweet Caroline" (Techo remix) by some DJ who thought it would be cool to remix a Neil Diamond song: Hey guys, what kind of music has no kind of real instruments and sucks?????

"Summer Of '69" by Bryan Adams: Another great suggestion with this Bryan Adams classic. It is another tune that all generations know, and it directly relates to New York Mets because of the 1969 reference. The problem is, there are so many people that just utterly hate Bryan Adams, and I really don't know why?

"The Lucas Prata Mets Song, Which I Have Never Bothered To Acknowledge" by Lucas Prata: The hell with Lucas Prata.

"Down With The Sickness" by Disturbed: Another great song, but the chorus isn't memorable enough. Though it would be cool as hell to hear 55,000 people screaming like a monkey.

"Friends In Low Places" by Garth Brooks: This song has one of the greatest sing-a-long choruses ever, but unlike the top contenders, this song has no underlying meaning to it. It's just a tune about a guy getting drunk and screwing up. This would be a great Keith Hernandez theme song though.

"Jump" by Van Halen: Van Halen is by far one of the best bands in the history of rock and roll. These guys rock hard and this song rocks hard. A mid 1980's synthesizer classic, with a crazy Eddie guitar solo is just what the doctor ordered for me most of the time. The chorus to this song would be awesome to sing-a-long too, but I would be scared that not enough people would know the chorus and when the correct time to say "JUMP" would be. Make note that David Lee Roth is a registered New York City EMT.

"It's Raining Men" by the Weather Girls: Uhhhhh…What???? (Thank you GEICO Cavemen)

"We Built This City" by Starship: "We Built This City" might be the worst song ever written in the history of music.

"Glory Days" by Bruce Springsteen: The video for this song actually shows The Boss watching the 1969 World Series if I remember correctly. The song itself though doesn't compare to Jovi or Journey, or Garth for that matter.

Something by Carlos Y. Jose: This is funny because the guys name involves the words Carlos and Jose. This is also funny because they don't speak English, and last time I checked, wait let me look down, let me check the map...yeah we are still in America, and we still primarily speak English here. End of story.

"The Safety Dance" by Men Without Hats: HAHAHAHAHAHA

"Get Drunk & Be Somebody" by Toby Keith: This song is just an awesome drinking song, but for baseball, not so much.

"Margaritaville" by Jimmy Buffet: Take note, we are not in South Florida, and we don't drink margaritas at Shea.

"Swing" by Trace Adkins: This song is good for when a player strikes out, but for absolutely no other reason.

"L.A. Woman" by The Doors: This is an old school Mets classic, but it would not work now unfortunately, because of the fact that it is not a sing-a-long type song. This song was played for Mike Piazza when he walked to the plate, and he plays in Oakland now.

and finally….

"Piano Man" by Billy Joel: Like the Toby Keith tune, this song is mainly a let's get drunk and sing loud and out of tune song. The other main issue is that Billy Joel is a huge Yankee fan, and that just doesn't fly with me.
Take Note: I am a huge Billy Joel fan.

Alright ladies and gentlemen, these are the choices that we have come up with. I would actually like to hear feedback so we could possibly start a petition for the Mets to change their tune. Personally for me it came down to "Livin' On A Prayer" and "Don't Stop Believin", and in the long run my New Jersey bias ruled supreme and Jovi was the choice. So in closing I leave you with this.

"WHOOOOOOOOOA WE'RE HALFWAY THERE, WHOOOOOA OHHHH LIVIN' ON A PRAYER, TAKE MY HAND AND WE'LL MAKE IT I SWEAR, WHOOOOA OHHHH LIVIN' ON A PRAYER"

JD