With the release of “A Swing and a Belt”, a love letter to baseball and tribute to the late Toronto Blue Jays announcer Tom Cheek, Saskatoon rapper Matt Brotzel — who goes by the stage name RationaL — is taking a swing at the big leagues.

Professional baseball has been very impressionable on Brotzel, which he feels has a less hectic gait than is typically found in atheltics:

“What’s unique about baseball is that the game is at such a slower pace compared to other sports. This really gives baseball’s TV and radio play-by-play analysts a lot more time and opportunity for old stories and experiences to be shared and to really let their individual personalities shine through.”

Brotzel sees Cheek as an irreplaceable part of baseball history that everyone should remember. “Summertime baseball on the radio, at the cabin, on a road trip, in the backyard while the BBQ’s on — Tom was there no matter where you were. This was Tom Cheek and this was the definition of the voice of summer,” Brotzel said.

Growing up, Brotzel made a point of catching every Blue Jay’s game and was dazzled by Cheek’s analysis of the game. Moments like the 1992 and 1993 World Series, which the Jay’s won, are burned into the rapper’s memory.

But it was Cheek’s calls that stole the show. They were so defining that he included them as lyrics in the song: “The most defining calls of Tom’s career were his championship calls in ‘92 and ‘93. The same reason I thought it was so important to include these calls in ‘A Swing and a Belt.’”

With the Blue Jays releasing the single as a free download on their website and Sportsnet working on an official video, Brotzel is stunned by the recognition that his latest release is recieving. “I still find it hard to believe that this is happening. Few people know of all the barriers, obstacles, roadblocks and legalities that I’ve had to overcome just to get this far,” Brotzel said.

“I almost went out and bought a lottery ticket because everything that has been happening is nothing short of a miracle.”

Although no specifics were given, Brotzel hinted at some exciting possibilities in store for the future, “I’ve already had discussions with a couple of dream collaborators of mine who are really interested in working together on the ‘A Swing and a Belt’ remix with me.”

For Brotzel, the success of “A Swing and a Belt” is the culmination of a passion he’s been chasing since childhood: “Growing up, every kid dreams of playing in the big leagues. For me, the endorsement from the Blue Jays and Rogers Sportsnet is the next best thing.”

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Photo: Supplied