With the Internet going crazy over the disappointed face Jack White made during last night's Cubs-Padres game, we thought we'd look into the rocker's relationship with the sport. Over the past few weeks, his Third Man Records Instagram account has posted photos of him attending baseball games in cities where his tour stops (scroll through the images below), but White has a connection to baseball that extends beyond the 2014 season. Here's what we know...
1. White's brother Alan Gillis to worked at Detroit's old baseball stadium for 6-7 years when White (then Jack Gillis) was a kid. He told the Detroit Free Press that they used to go there all the time growing up.
2. White played baseball himself as a child. His coach, Morris "Coach Mo" Blackwell told the Detroit News that he was a skilled batter. "He was good," Blackwell said. "Smooth left-handed swing."
3. The guitarist also may have anonymously donated $170,000 to help restore the Clark Park baseball field in his hometown.
4. White song "Seven Nation Army" is ubiquitous at baseball games, and he sees that as a good thing. "As a songwriter, that's the greatest thing that could ever happen," he said in an interview with Conan O'Brien. "It becomes folk music because the people take it over. I don't know many songs where they're not saying words, they're just chanting melody." Speaking of O'Brien...
5. Last year, he and White were rumored to be looking into buying their own minor league baseball team. O'Brien spoke about the idea with Larry King back in June. "I would like to own a team," he said. "Between Jack White and I, we would have crazy ideas. They have to wear short shorts, they have to wear fanny packs, they have to be applying chap stick as they field the ball with one hand."
Take a look at White attending some games and rewatch White's Cubs-Padres cameo below. Let us know what you think in the comments section!
Chicago White Sox vs. Kansas City Royals
Chicago Cubs vs. San Diego Padres
Milwaukee Brewers vs. Cincinnati Reds
St. Louis Cardinals vs. Los Angeles Dodgers
