Take Me Into The Ball Game

TREVOR HOFFMAN, Padres
437 career saves, 2.76 ERA (2006: One save, 3.00 ERA)
Hell's Bells, by AC/DC
Hoffman first used the 1980 rock classic on July 25, 1998, the day he tied a major league record with his 41st straight successful save conversion. Now the Petco Park crowd erupts when it hears the song's first note--an ominous dong. Hoffman gave his blessing to let former teammate Akinori Otsuka play the song before closing out Japan's WBC title game over Cuba last month at Petco, to the wild cheers of the crowd. "I thought it was a great touch, a great connection," Hoffman says. "We play baseball to get a kick out of it."

JONATHAN PAPELBON, Red Sox
Six career saves, 2.20 ERA (2006: Six saves, 0.00 ERA)
Bodies, by Drowning Pool
Baseball's newest closer (the 25-year-old seized Keith Foulke's role in the Sox' third game this year) has instructed the staff at Fenway Park to start the heavy metal song with its opening lyrics: "Let the bodies hit the floor." That's an apt description of his performance--he's allowed two base runners in seven innings--and more appropriate than Bruce Springsteen's wistful Glory Days, which the Sox played for his first home save opportunity. "[Bodies] is hard-hitting," Papelbon says. "It gets me pumped up."

DERRICK TURNBOW, Brewers
44 career saves, 2.32 ERA (2006: Five saves, 0.00 ERA)
Fuel, by Metallica
Turnbow saved the first four games of 2006 and gives an assist to this headbanging song. "It really helps," he says. "It gets your adrenaline going." Starter Chris Capuano helped pick the song after Turnbow became the Brewers' closer last June. "The opening line is, 'Give me fuel, give me fire, give me that which I desire.'" says Capuano. "Then it gets rocking pretty hard. It seemed perfect." It's working. Turnbow has blown only two career saves at Miller Park. "It's official," says Milwaukee reliever Matt Wise. " Turnbow's a rock star."

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