Fogerty wrote this after watching the Major League Baseball All-Star game from the bleachers at Candlestick Park in San Francisco. His seat was behind centerfield. This plays continuously at the Baseball Hall of Fame in Cooperstown, New York. Along with "Talkin' Baseball" and "Take Me Out To The Ballgame," this is one of the most popular baseball songs ever. It's a fixture at ballparks between innings of games. Fogerty was inspired by Chuck Berry's "Brown Eyed Handsome Man," which includes the line "Rounding third he was heading for home." Fogerty mentions the song in the lyrics. Baseball legends mentioned in the song: Joe DiMaggio, Willie Mays, and Ty Cobb. The second verse refers to the legendary Mighty Casey from the epic poem Casey At The Bat. At the end of the story, Casey strikes out. This was the title track to Fogerty's first solo album after a 9 year absence. This was Fogerty's third solo album after leaving Creedence Clearwater Revival in 1972. His first 2 albums did not sell well, but this went to #1 in the US. When George W. Bush was campaigning for president of the US in 2000, he told a reporter this was his favorite song. Bush used to own part of the Texas Rangers baseball team, and liked the line "Put me in coach, I'm ready to play."