1. “The Widow,” The Mars Volta.
This is a song from the brilliant album Francis the Mute. I don’t know what this album is about, and I don’t know what this song is about. All I know is that when I hear “The Widow” I want to smash a triple down the left-field line.

2. “Psychotic Reaction,” The Count Five.
I’m not a psycho or anything, but I do get mad sometimes. Other times, I get REALLY mad. During those times, I like to listen to this oldie but goodie. Because what if I really DID go a little psycho? Would anyone here be able to stop me?

3. “Fighting My Way Back to You,” Thin Lizzy.
For a rocker, I’m a lyrics guy. For a lyrics guy, I’m a rocker. And you can always find a whole lot of both with Phil Lynott. Listen to this stuff, it’s undeniable: “I’m tough, rough, ready and able / To pick myself up from under this table / Don’t stick no sign on me, I got no label / I’m a little sick, unsure, unsound and unstable.” Sometimes I think Phil really understood me. Him and Ty Cobb.

4. “My Fist Your Face,” Aerosmith.
I had this on really loud on the plane the other night and I guess I was singing along to it a little too loud. Rondell White asked me to keep it down. I hit him with a pillowcase full of Coke cans like Sean Penn in “Bad Boys.” Now they’re saying he’s out for the year because of his “shoulder.” Nobody tells Pudge when to sing or not sing. NOBODY.

5. “PSK (What Does It Mean?)”, Schooly D.
This is a really great aggressive track. Some say it’s the beginning of gangsta rap. I don’t know about that, I leave my hip-hop history to Jeff Chang. But I always imagine that PSK stands for Pudge Straight Killa, so it amps me up. Plus, I love Siouxsie and the Banshees, and they sampled this. (That’s actually how I learned about it, but don’t tell anyone.)

6. “Angry,” Matchbox 20.
This song is interesting because the singer keeps saying “I’m not angry” but you know he really is. That’s called dramatic irony. Me, I’m not angry at all. (But what if I really was, deep down, and no one knew it?

7. “Hey Ladies,” The Beastie Boys.
Okay, I know Paul’s Boutique is overrated. And this song has dated severely from when we all used to crank it up. But I wanted it in here to make sure everyone knows that Pudge is single. Take a number, ladies, line forms on the left.

8. “F*** You (An Ode to No One),” The Smashing Pumpkins.
Really, any Pumpkins song will do, except that weak s*** like “1979.” Billy understands me. He called me up last winter and we hung out for a while in Chicago. He introduced me to some really nice people, but we had a falling out over some nonsense, and now we don’t talk anymore. There were fireworks. Honestly, I think he isn’t very stable, emotionally. But I like his songs, and this one has the best title.

9. “She Works Hard for the Money,” Donna Summer.
Okay, so it’s disco. So what? Donna Summer was a fine woman with a great set of pipes, and this is a good song. I also like that it is a tribute to women who work hard for their money, instead of just getting half of something that a guy has worked hard for his entire life. If there are any women out there like that. Which I’m not so sure about these days. Also, if you replaced the “she” with a “he” (like some guys on this team do occasionally, although I have enough lawyer trouble without saying any names), it could be my anthem. So there. You wanna make fun of me for liking this song, I got a broken pool cue with your name on it.

10. “Beat on the Brat,” The Ramones.
“With a baseball bat.” I like that. I’d like to dedicate this song to my special homies Alan Trammell and David Dombrowski. They know what I’m talking about.

Ivan “Pudge” Rodriguez is the catcher for the Detroit Tigers. He won a World Series ring with the Florida Marlins.