In this song, baseball is a metaphor. The song is not really about baseball. This song is about John Fogerty's absense from and hopeful return to music. He spent much of the time from 1975 to 1985 in court and out of music. That was a dark period for him in which he did not write or perform songs. Finally, in 1985 after his cases were settled, he came up with Centerfield which was about him coming back into the rock and roll scene. Baseball was the backdrop because he is a huge baseball fan. And I am a huge Fogerty fan. When you factor in writing songs, voice, guitar playing, producing, etc., there is nobody who can compete with John Fogerty. Based on all those factors, he comes out on top. There might be a better guitar player, but that guitar player does not write better songs nor does he have a better voice. George Harrison had a great voice and played great guitar. But George Harrison did not write nearly as many top songs as John Fogerty. Clapton could play guitar but he couldn't sing like Fogerty and he couldn't write songs like Fogerty. Paul McCartney plays bass and he can't touch Fogerty instrumentally.
In this song, baseball is a metaphor. The song is not really about baseball. This song is about John Fogerty's absense from and hopeful return to music. He spent much of the time from 1975 to 1985 in court and out of music. That was a dark period for him in which he did not write or perform songs. Finally, in 1985 after his cases were settled, he came up with Centerfield which was about him coming back into the rock and roll scene. Baseball was the backdrop because he is a huge baseball fan. And I am a huge Fogerty fan. When you factor in writing songs, voice, guitar playing, producing, etc., there is nobody who can compete with John Fogerty. Based on all those factors, he comes out on top. There might be a better guitar player, but that guitar player does not write better songs nor does he have a better voice. George Harrison had a great voice and played great guitar. But George Harrison did not write nearly as many top songs as John Fogerty. Clapton could play guitar but he couldn't sing like Fogerty and he couldn't write songs like Fogerty. Paul McCartney plays bass and he can't touch Fogerty instrumentally.