Sneakin' Alley Through the SALLY: Was Robert Palmer Addicted to Baseball?

For a good portion of the 1960s, shortstop Gene Alley teamed with Bill Mazeroski to form one of the more formidable keystone combos in baseball history. Anchoring a Pittsburgh Pirates franchise up the middle, Alley nabbed a pair of Gold Gloves in his two best offensive seasons and earned a spot on two All-Star squads as well.

But before Alley claimed his ground in the Majors, he spent two seasons with the Asheville Tourists of the South Atlantic League—long known as the SALLY League.

Speaking of the South Atlantic, on the other side of the Atlantic Ocean in 1961-'62, a young Robert Palmer—still many years from becoming a world-famous solo singer and frontman for the Power Station—may or may not have been a keen supporter of the Asheville Tourists and thus may or may not have known of Gene Alley's existence in the SALLY League. And sadly, Palmer is no longer around to be asked. 

However, I'm inclined to believe that Palmer was an ardent Tourists fan. What else would explain his first solo album, Sneakin' Sally Through the Alley, debuting eleven months after Gene Alley's final Major League game? More to the point: Is not the album's title and the groovy title track—which grew to be terrifically popular—a veiled tip of the cricket cap from a long-distance fan a little too eager to see his baseball hero called up to The Show?

I've never been more certain of anything in my life.

Be sure to click Play in the YouTube video below before perusing said proof...

Sneakin' Alley through the SALLY
Sneakin' Alley through the SALLY

Sneakin' Alley through the SALLY
Trying to earn Pittsburgh's invite
Sneakin' Alley through the SALLY
Grounders and pop-ups are rife

I said, I can't find nothing wrong with Bob Friend 'cos sometimes
He's heard 'bout my glove from Stargell
He said, if you can't find nothing wrong with your swing
You'd better, you'd better find your way up to Pittsburgh
So I began to try to explain that it wasn't just, wasn't just Danny Murtaugh
I'd better find my way straight to Triple-A
Before I become, oh, an afterthought

Sneakin' through the SALLY with Alley
Sneakin' through the SALLY with Alley
Sneakin' through the SALLY with Alley
Trying to make a Bucko out of Gene
Sneakin' through the SALLY with Alley
Pitt needs a slick-fielding string bean

Trying to cause balks, smacking doubles, drawing walks, catching all those pop flies
Catch all those pop flies
Skipper just looked at me as if I was crazy
Says I don't have a batting eye
So I began to try to explain that it wasn't just, wasn't just Danny Murtaugh
I'd better find my way straight to Triple-A
The fact is, it's Columbus or naught

Sneakin' Alley through the SALLY
Columbus or naught
Oh, oh, sneakin', sneakin', sneakin'
Sneakin' Alley through the SALLY

Trying to cause balks, smacking doubles, drawing walks, catching all those pop flies
Catch all those pop flies
Skipper just looked at me as if I was crazy
Says I don't have a batting eye

Sneakin' through the SALLY with Alley
Sneakin' through the SALLY with Alley

Sneakin' Alley through the SALLY
Sneakin' Alley through the SALLY