Debut of "Rattlin' Bog" at Blue Bell sparks A&M's newest ballpark craze

Ho, ro, the rattlin' bog
The bog down in the valley-o
Ho, ro, the rattlin' bog
The bog down in the valley-o!

Throughout Texas A&M baseball lore, a few legendary debuts come to mind.

Boomer White's first at-bat as an Aggie is the stuff of storybooks. The same goes for Braden Montgomery's.

Ross Stripling's first big league start is still a career highlight.

But this weekend at Blue Bell Park — without warning — a new legend debuted.

Of course, it's "Rattlin' Bog," an Irish folk song that is the latest craze to sweep through Olsen Field at Blue Bell Park.

"I'd love to say that that's the reason we performed," outfielder Hayden Schott joked postgame on Sunday. "People like to give credit to players and baseball, but everyone knows that there's out-of-realm things that cause wins. Today's an example of that."

Played after the Aggies scored a run, the Carlyle Fraser version of the diddy was played over and over as A&M outscored Vanderbilt 36-6 over the weekend.

The dominant debut weekend began with a historic 15-0 run rule on Friday night, during which the Aggies launched five home runs.

But who requested the tune be added to the ballpark's playlist?

That answer should be obvious.

Look no further than Schott and Jace LaViolette.

"We were like, 'Dude, if we got the whole crowd in on that and played it on every run or something, this place would be a boombox,'" Schott said. "Friday night, obviously, we had a great baseball game, but it just added so much to the crowd. Everyone was so loud.

"Now that we won, they can't take it away, so I'm going to have a word with (head coach Jim Schlossnagle) about that. I'll just make sure that he doesn't end this streak."

Schott and LaViolette first had the idea when "Rattlin' Bog" played during warmups at South Carolina's Founders Park.

With Lord Tubbington's behind-the-scenes encouragement, Schott approached Schlossnagle "Shark Tank" style about applying it in Aggieland.

The Aggie skipper — although somewhat begrudgingly — agreed.

"That's one of those things that at 53, 54 years old, you just kind of let them do what they want to do," Schlossnagle said. "I'll just let them have their fun."

The apprehension was not just limited to Schlossnagle.

Even the Olsen Field DJ was "hesitant" when the players made the request.

Kelii Horvath, TexAgs

Schott was 4-for-11 this weekend with an RBI and a double.

But the results speak for themselves.

Needless to say, the song is likely here to say.

Not to mention the weekend's record-setting crowds seem to have quickly latched on.

"After that first night and seeing how loud and awesome the crowd and the team reacted to it, I had high assumptions it would be here to stay," the DJ said. "The fans just want to have a good time, and that's what the song does!"

And at an institution steeped in tradition across all parts of campus, Olsen Field has spawned plenty of new ones in recent years.

In 2022, Pringles were all the rage.

A few years ago, Blue Bell skies were bubble-less. Corbin Martin and Patrick McLendon changed that in 2015.

It appears "Rattlin' Bog" is poised to be the latest — and perhaps greatest — addition to the ballpark.

It might even be Schott's lasting legacy as an Aggie, even if he is hitting an impressive .331 through his first 35 games in Maroon.

"I knew the song," Schott said. "I'd heard it a few times, but not at a baseball field, so it's pretty cool to see that."

The next chance to hear the song while surrounded by bubbles comes Tuesday evening when A&M hosts Air Force.

Just be prepared to also do a little jig.

And also for it to be stuck in your head for the rest of the night.

Ho, ro, the rattlin' bog
The bog down in the valley-o
Ho, ro, the rattlin' bog
The bog down in the valley-o!