Van Lingle Mungo by David Frishberg

The crooning voice of David Frishberg, the use of player's names as lyrics, and the soft sounds of a nostalgic bossa nova ballad make up the classic known only as the Van Lingle Mungo.

Baseball Almanac Top Quote

"The only other guy from the song I ever met was Mungo himself, who arrived from Pageland, South Carolina, to be on the Dick Cavett show and listen to me sing the song. This was 1969, when Cavett had a nightly show in New York. Backstage, Mungo asked me when he would see some remuneration for the song. When he heard my explanation about how there was unlikely to be any remuneration for anyone connected with the song, least of all him, he was genuinely downcast. 'But it's my name,' he said. I told him, 'The only way you can get even is to go home and write a song called Dave Frishberg.' He laughed, and when we said goodbye he said , 'I'm gonna do it! I'm gonna do it!' If he did it, The Baseball Almanac doesn't mention it." - David Frishberg (SABR-L, 03/17/2005)

Van Lingle Mungo

by David Frishberg ©

Published: 1970

Published by: Red Day Records

Player Name

Stats

HEENEY MAJESKI
JOHNNY GEE
EDDIE JOOST
JOHNNY PESKY
THORNTON LEE
DANNY GARDELLA
VAN LINGLE MUNGO

WHITEY KUROWSKI
MAX LANIER
EDDIE WAITKUS
JOHNNY VANDER MEER
BOB ESTALELLA
VAN LINGLE MUNGO

AUGIE BERGAMO
SIGMUND JAKUCKI
BIG JOHNNY MIZE
and
BARNEY MCCOSKY
HAL TROSKY
AUGIE GALAN
and
PINKY MAY
STAN HACK
and
FRENCHY BORDAGARAY
PHIL CAVARRETTA
GEORGE MCQUINN
HOWARD POLLET
and
EARLY WYNN
ROY CAMPANELLA
VAN LINGLE MUNGO

AUGIE BERGAMO
SIGMUND JAKUCKI
BIG JOHNNY MIZE
and
BARNEY MCCOSKY
HAL TROSKY
JOHN ANTONELLI
FERRIS FAIN
FRANKIE CROSETTI
JOHNNY SAIN
HARRY BRECHEEN
and
LOU BOUDREAU
FRANKIE GUSTINE
and
CLAUDE PASSEAU
EDDIE BASINSKI
ERNIE LOMBARDI
HUEY MULCAHY
VAN LINGLE

VAN LINGLE MUNGO

Majeski Stats
Gee Stats
Joost Stats
Pesky Stats
Lee Stats
Gardella Stats
Mungo Stats

Kurowski Stats
Lanier Stats
Waitkus Stats
Vander Meer Stats
Estalella Stats
Mungo Stats

Bergamo Stats
Jacucki Stats
Mize Stats
and
McCoskey Stats

Trosky Stats
Galan Stats
and
May Stats

Hack Stats
and
Bordagary Stats

Cavarretta Stats
McQuinn Stats
Pollet Stats
and
Wynn Stats

Campanella Stats
Mungo Stats

Bergamo Stats
Jacucki Stats
Mize Stats
and
McCosky Stats

Trosky Stats
Antonelli Stats
Fain Stats
Crosetti Stats
Sain Stats
Brecheen Stats
and
Boudreau Stats

Gustine Stats
and
Passeau Stats

Basinski Stats
Lombardi Stats
Mulcahy Stats
Mungo Stats

Mungo Stats

Van Lingle Mungo
baseball almanac flat baseball

baseball almanac fast facts

Casey Stengel was quoted saying, "Mungo and I get along fine. I just tell him I won't stand for no nonsense, and then I duck" which refers to the wild, mean, and often violent temper seen in Van Mungo — both on and off the field.

Click the player to Hear Van Lingle Mungo by David Frishberg

The following story about Van Mungo appeared in The Herring Design Quarterlies, "Once, when the Dodgers were training in Cuba, his friends really saved him. Seems Van Lingle Mungo became enamored with a nightclub dancer by the name of Gonzalez, and she liked him pretty well, too. Her husband caught them in the clutches, and Mungo punched him in the eye. SeƱor Gonzalez returned with a butcher knife. That's when a Dodgers executive by the name of Babe Hamberger hid Mungo in a laundry cart. He got his pitcher out of a major jam and down to the wharf where a seaplane was waiting. Mungo hid while his bags were loaded. Then Hamberger yelled, and Mungo sprinted for the plane, leaping aboard with the police hot on his heels."

Did you know that during his Major League debut (September 12, 1931), Van Mungo loaded the bases during the first inning then fireballed his way out of the jam and went on to pitch a 2-0 shutout versus the Braves? He also helped his own cause during his debut by hitting a single during the second inning and a triple during the fifth inning.