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How Jose Iglesias’ ‘OMG’ became the perfect anthem for the underdog Mets

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NEW YORK (AP) — It’s a pop hit like many others: An ascending chorus, an addictive hook, a warm rhythm. But “OMG,” performed by New York Mets infielder Jose Iglesias, has become the perfect anthem for the team’s unlikely playoff run.

Since its release on streaming platforms in late June, “OMG” has become a hit for a Mets team with a fun-loving vibe, embraced on and off the field. The largely Spanish-language “OMG” is ubiquitous at Citi Field, while also raking in well over 2 million on-demand audio and video streams in the U.S. through Oct. 10, according to the music data and analytics company Luminate. On YouTube, the official music video has nearly 4.5 million views.

As the Mets head back to home turf Wednesday in the National League Championship Series against the Los Angeles Dodgers, “OMG” may continue to soar: On Friday, superstar Pitbull shared a remix of the song alongside Colombian singer Silvestre Dangond.

Here’s how a baseball player whose career seemed to be nearing its end hit a home run with the song.

The sound of ‘OMG’

The song is contemporary Latin pop, incorporating elements of reggaetón and tropical music — pop sounds heard all over Latin America and the U.S., says music journalist and critic Gary Suarez, author of the Cabbages newsletter.

“As a song, it is just pure, positive pop music,” he says. “It is a celebration of good things over adversity, which feels very right for a baseball song.”

A sample lyric: “No tengo nada pero soy feliz,” or “I have nothing but I’m happy.”

Its bilingual chorus, too, allows “OMG” to appeal to a broad audience. “Oh my god! Dame salúd y prosperidad,” the 34-year-old Cuban-born Iglesias sings. It translates to “Oh my god! Give me health and prosperity.”

For some communities, a song like this is a long time coming. “There are so many Dominican, Puerto Rican, Cuban people playing baseball right now. And the Mets, of course, are no exception. And so, I think there was a certain amount of a need for a song like this to come from and reflect this world,” Suarez says.

As for the Pitbull remix, Suarez points out that the song was written near Miami, Pitbull’s stomping grounds.

“He is a ubiquitous pop star that lends greater appeal to this, especially in a time when the Mets are in the National League Championship Series,” he says. “It doesn’t hurt to have some star power behind it. And maybe that helps to have a longer lifespan beyond, you know, the end of the Mets season.”

While Pitbull is known to be a Marlins fan (even once recording the theme song “Marlins Time to Represent”), he told The Associated Press in a statement that, as a Cuban American, he related to Iglesias “because of our shared culture.”

The song “is about being an underdog and positivity making it the perfect fit,” Pitbull said.

How Jose Iglesias

became Candelita

Iglesias broke into the big leagues with the Boston Red Sox as a 21-year-old in May 2011, won AL Rookie of the Year in 2013 and was an All-Star with Detroit in 2015. The Mets are his seventh team in 12 major league seasons, and he’s earned nearly $40 million in salary.

But by 2023, his future in MLB was cloudy at best, and he spent the entire season in the minor leagues. That’s when he started to release Latin pop songs under the moniker Candelita (a Spanish term in the Caribbean for someone who is energetic or passionate), starting with “Tambor” and “Cantinero.” Earlier this year, he released a collaboration with Cuban singer Lenier, “No Voy a Volver,” as well as a few other solo tracks: “Te Lo Advertí” and “Perdóname Padre.”

Nothing, though, has hit like “OMG.” Iglesias wrote and recorded it last offseason at home on a ranch outside Miami, while also preparing to join the Mets on a minor league contract.

He began the season in Triple-A, but injuries opened a spot for him in Queens. When he played his first game with New York on May 31, “OMG” was his walk-up song. He quickly emerged as a sparkplug for the Mets, earning more playing time, and his song became a rallying cry for the team.

Iglesias performed “OMG” live for the first time after the Mets beat the Houston Astros at Citi Field in late June, and it has since become an anthem for not only the team, but Mets fans, too.

“OMG” debuted at No. 1 on Billboard’s Latin Digital Song Sales in July, selling over 1,000 downloads in its first week. The official music video features dancing employees — an Amazon worker, a mechanic, a cook — and ends in an outdoor party.

“It’s hard to say how I feel,” Iglesias said after that ballpark performance. “That was a big deal. Singing in front of great fans and seeing my teammates running up there is just a dream come true.”

Now, the song plays after every Mets homer at Citi Field and after every win. After home runs, smiling players pose in the dugout for group photos holding an “OMG” sign in blue and orange — team colors, of course.

The song also plays in the Mets clubhouse, where they’ve enjoyed three champagne celebrations in the past three weeks, first for clinching a playoff spot and then twice for advancing.

Are there other baseball players who are musicia

ns?

Music is inextricable from the ballpark experience, between players’ walk-up songs to eighth-inning singalongs to the likes of “Piano Man” or “Mr. Brightside” at Citi Field. So, it shouldn’t come as much of a surprise that some ballplayers get in the studio.

It’s also not totally uncommon for them to see some chart success: baseball and football star Deion Sanders’ 1994 R&B-rap record “Prime Time” hit No. 14 on Billboard’s Heatseekers Albums chart and No. 70 on its Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums chart. Former Yankee Bernie Williams’ debut album, 2003’s “The Journey Within,” hit No. 3 on the Jazz Albums chart.

Who could remix ‘OMG’ next?

There’s no shortage of musician Mets fans: Nas has name-checked the team a few times. The Beastie Boys’ Ad-Rock and MCA were notable fans. Nicki Minaj is said to be a fan, per MLB.com, having grown up in Queens. Billy Joel was the last to play the Mets’ historic Shea Stadium before its demolition.

No word on whether Grimace is entertaining a musical career, but the possibilities are endless.

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AP Baseball Writer Mike Fitzpatrick contributed to this report.

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DeMar DeRozan scores 27 points to lead the Kings past the Raptors 122-107

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SACRAMENTO, Calif. (AP) — DeMar DeRozan scored 27 points in a record-setting performance and the Sacramento Kings beat the Toronto Raptors 122-107 on Wednesday night.

Domantas Sabonis added 17 points, 13 assists and 11 rebounds for his third triple-double of the season for Sacramento. He shot 6 for 6 from the field and 5 for 5 at the free-throw line.

Keegan Murray chipped in with 22 points and 12 rebounds, and De’Aaron Fox scored 21.

The 35-year-old DeRozan has scored at least 20 points in each of his first eight games with the Kings, breaking a franchise mark established by Chris Webber when he reached 20 in his first seven games with Sacramento in 1999.

DeRozan spent the past three seasons with the Chicago Bulls. The six-time All-Star also has played for Toronto and San Antonio during his 16-year NBA career.

RJ Barrett had 23 points to lead the Raptors. Davion Mitchell scored 20 in his first game in Sacramento since being traded to Toronto last summer.

Takeaways

Raptors: Toronto led for most of the first three quarters before wilting in the fourth. The Raptors were outscored 33-14 in the final period.

Kings: Fox played strong defense but struggled again shooting from the floor as he is dealing with a finger injury. Fox went 5 for 17 and just 2 of 8 on 3-pointers. He is 5 for 25 from beyond the arc in his last three games.

Key moment

The Kings trailed 95-89 early in the fourth before going on a 9-0 run that gave them the lead for good. DeRozan started the spurt with a jumper, and Malik Monk scored the final seven points.

Key stat

Sabonis had the eighth game in the NBA since at least 1982-83 with a triple-double while missing no shots from the field or foul line. The previous player to do it was Josh Giddey for Oklahoma City against Portland on Jan. 11.

Up next

Raptors: At the Los Angeles Clippers on Saturday night, the third stop on a five-game trip.

Kings: Host the Clippers on Friday night.

___

AP NBA:

The Canadian Press. All rights reserved.

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Whitecaps take confidence, humility into decisive playoff matchup vs. LAFC

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VANCOUVER – The Vancouver Whitecaps are one win away from moving on to the next round of the Major League Soccer playoffs.

To get there, however, the Whitecaps will need to pull off the improbable by defeating the powerhouse Los Angeles FC for a second straight game.

Vancouver blanked the visitors 3-0 on Sunday to level their best-of-three first-round playoff series at a game apiece. As the matchup shifts back to California for a decisive Game 3 on Friday, the Whitecaps are looking for a repeat performance, said striker Brian White.

“We take the good and the bad from last game, learn from what we could have done better and go to LAFC with confidence and, obviously, with a whole lot of respect,” he said.

“We know that we can go there and give them a very good fight and hopefully come away with a win.”

The winner of Friday’s game will face the No. 4-seed Seattle Sounders in a one-game Western Conference semifinal on Nov. 23 or 24.

The ‘Caps finished the regular season eighth in the west with a 13-13-8 record and have since surprised many with their post-season play.

First, Vancouver trounced its regional rivals, the Portland Timbers, 5-0 in a wild-card game. Then, the squad dropped a tightly contested 2-1 decision to the top-seeded L.A. before posting a decisive home victory on Sunday.

Vancouver has scored seven goals this post-season, second only to the L.A. Galaxy (nine). Vancouver also leads the league in expected goals (6.84) through the playoffs.

No one outside of the club expected the Whitecaps to win when the Vancouver-L. A. series began, said defender Ranko Veselinovic.

“We’ve shown to ourselves that we can compete with them,” he said.

Now in his fifth season with the ‘Caps, Veselinovic said Friday’s game will be the biggest he’s played for the team.

“We haven’t had much success in the playoffs so, definitely, this is the one that can put our season on another level,” he said.

This is the second year in a row the Whitecaps have faced LAFC in the first round of the playoffs and last year, Vancouver was ousted in two straight games.

The team isn’t thinking about revenge as it prepares for Game 3, White said.

“More importantly than (beating LAFC), we want to get to the next round,” he said. “LAFC’s a very good team. We’ve come up against them a number of times in different competitions and they always seem to get the better of us. So it’d be huge for us to get the better of them this time.”

Earning a win last weekend required slowing L.A.’s transition game and limiting offensive opportunities for the team’s big stars, including Denis Bouanga.

Those factors will be important again on Friday, said Whitecaps head coach Vanni Sartini, who warned that his team could face a different style of game.

“I think the most important thing is going to be to match their intensity at the beginning of the game,” he said. “Because I think they’re going to come at us a million miles per hour.”

The ‘Caps will once again look to captain Ryan Gauld for some offensive firepower. The Scottish attacking midfielder leads MLS in playoff goals with five and has scored in all three of Vancouver’s post-season appearances this year.

Gearing up for another do-or-die matchup is exciting, Gauld said.

“Knowing it’s a winner-takes-all kind of game, being in that kind of environment is nice,” he said. “It’s when you see the best in players.”

LAFC faces the bulk of the pressure heading into the matchup, Sartini said, given the club’s appearances in the last two MLS Cup finals and its 2022 championship title.

“They’re supposed to win and we are not,” the coach said. “But it’s beautiful to have a little bit of pressure on us, too.”

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Nov. 6, 2024.

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PWHL unveils game jerseys with new team names, logos

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TORONTO – The Professional Women’s Hockey League has revealed the jersey designs for its six newly named teams.

Each PWHL team operated under its city name, with players wearing jerseys featuring the league’s logo in its inaugural season before names and logos were announced last month.

The Toronto Sceptres, Montreal Victoire, Ottawa Charge, Boston Fleet, Minnesota Frost and New York Sirens will start the PWHL’s second season on Nov. 30 with jerseys designed to reflect each team’s identity and to be sold to the public as replicas.

Led by PWHL vice-president of brand and marketing Kanan Bhatt-Shah, the league consulted Creative Agency Flower Shop to design the jerseys manufactured by Bauer, the PWHL said Thursday in a statement.

“Players and fans alike have been waiting for this moment and we couldn’t be happier with the six unique looks each team will don moving forward,” said PWHL senior vice president of business operations Amy Scheer.

“These jerseys mark the latest evolution in our league’s history, and we can’t wait to see them showcased both on the ice and in the stands.”

Training camps open Tuesday with teams allowed to carry 32 players.

Each team’s 23-player roster, plus three reserves, will be announced Nov. 27.

Each team will play 30 regular-season games, which is six more than the first season.

Minnesota won the first Walter Cup on May 29 by beating Boston three games to two in the championship series.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Nov. 7, 2024.

The Canadian Press. All rights reserved.

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