Shannon's authorship was asserted by his relatives in discussions on the Mudcat Cafe folksong forum. The foreword was written by Jim "Mudcat" Grant. The lyrics to the song are available at The Mudcat Cafe. His uncle is former Major League Baseball pitcher Mudcat Grant. Had Rollins reached base, Hardy would have pinch hit for Twins pitcher Mudcat Grant. Pitching was spearheaded by 21-game winner Mudcat Grant, Jim "Kitty" Kaat, and Camilo Pascual. While a member of the Cardinals, Bordagaray played the washboard in Martin's "Mudcat Band".