''Tinker to Evers to Chance'' is a

compilation album A compilation album comprises Album#Tracks, tracks, which may be previously released or unreleased, usually from several separate recordings by either one or several Performing arts#Performers, performers. If by one artist, then generally the tr ...

of songs by

Game Theory Game theory is the study of mathematical models of strategic interactions among rational agents. Myerson, Roger B. (1991). ''Game Theory: Analysis of Conflict,'' Harvard University Press, p.&nbs1 Chapter-preview links, ppvii–xi It has appli ...

, released in 1990. The liner notes describe the included tracks as songs which "reached national obscurity, as opposed to local obscurity." Band leader Scott Miller went on to form

The Loud Family The Loud Family was a San Francisco-based power pop band formed in 1991 by songwriter and guitarist Scott Miller, who previously led the 1980s band Game Theory. The Loud Family released six studio LPs and one live LP from 1991 through 2006. Af ...

Production

The album's ironic title refers to

Joe Tinker Joseph Bert Tinker (July 27, 1880 – July 27, 1948) was an American professional baseball player and manager. He played from 1902 through 1916 for the Chicago Cubs and Cincinnati Reds of Major League Baseball (MLB) and the Chicago Whales of the ...

Johnny Evers John Joseph Evers (July 21, 1881 – March 28, 1947) was an American professional baseball second baseman and manager. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) from 1902 through 1917 for the Chicago Cubs, Boston Braves, and Philadelphia Philli ...

, and

Frank Chance Frank Leroy Chance (September 9, 1877 – September 15, 1924) was an American professional baseball player. A first baseman, Chance played in Major League Baseball for the Chicago Cubs (initially named the "Orphans") and New York Yankees from 18 ...

, who played baseball for the 1910

Chicago Cubs The Chicago Cubs are an American professional baseball team based in Chicago. The Cubs compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as part of the National League (NL) Central division. The club plays its home games at Wrigley Field, which is located ...

, and who were immortalized in the poem "

Baseball's Sad Lexicon "Baseball's Sad Lexicon," also known as "Tinker to Evers to Chance" after its refrain, is a 1910 baseball poem by Franklin Pierce Adams. The eight-line poem is presented as a single, rueful stanza from the point of view of a New York Giants fa ...

." According to Miller, their famous

double play In baseball and softball, a double play (denoted as DP in baseball statistics) is the act of making two outs during the same continuous play. Double plays can occur any time there is at least one baserunner and fewer than two outs. In Major Leag ...

was "a case in baseball where someone didn't get a hit, so it was definitely an appropriate title for our greatest hits." . The cover image adds Miller's visual puns on the "evocative" names of the three players, featuring a piece from a

Tinkertoy The Tinkertoy Construction Set is a toy construction set for children. It was designed in 1914—six years after the Frank Hornby's Meccano sets—by Charles H. Pajeau, who formed the Toy Tinker Company in Evanston, Illinois to manufactu ...

set ("tinker"), a

pocket watch A pocket watch (or pocketwatch) is a watch that is made to be carried in a pocket, as opposed to a watch, wristwatch, which is strapped to the wrist. They were the most common type of watch from their development in the 16th century until wr ...

("evers"), and a

die Die, as a verb, refers to death, the cessation of life. Die may also refer to: Games * Die, singular of dice, small throwable objects used for producing random numbers Manufacturing * Die (integrated circuit), a rectangular piece of a semicondu ...

("chance"). Three songs were recorded in April 1989 for this compilation: A cover of "Beach State Rocking" by Miller's first band

Alternate Learning Alternate Learning (or ALRN) was a power pop/ new wave band from 1977 to 1982, based in Davis, California and fronted by Scott Miller, a singer-songwriter later known for his work as leader of the 1980s band Game Theory and 1990s band the Loud F ...

and re-recordings of "Bad Year At UCLA" and "Sleeping Through Heaven" from '' Blaze of Glory''. These songs were recorded by the lineup of Scott Miller,

Michael Quercio Michael Quercio (born March 13, 1963) is an American musician. He is the founder, bassist and lead singer of The Three O'Clock, and coined the term Paisley Underground as the name of a musical subgenre. Paisley Underground Quercio is best known ...

, Nancy Becker and Jozef Becker, and were the final Game Theory recordings before the band disbanded in early 1991.

Critical reception

The ''

Chicago Tribune The ''Chicago Tribune'' is a daily newspaper based in Chicago, Illinois, United States, owned by Tribune Publishing. Founded in 1847, and formerly self-styled as the "World's Greatest Newspaper" (a slogan for which WGN radio and television ar ...

'' wrote in 1990 that ''Tinker to Evers to Chance'', while displaying all of

Miller A miller is a person who operates a Gristmill, mill, a machine to grind a grain (for example corn or wheat) to make flour. Mill (grinding), Milling is among the oldest of human occupations. "Miller", "Milne" and other variants are common surname ...

's shortcomings during the band's "seven-year history of obscurity", also made a "powerful case" that Game Theory had been "unjustly overlooked." Citing songs such as "the jangly, angst-ridden ' 24,' the lush 'Regenisraen' and the soaring 'Room for One More, Honey'", critic Mark Caro wrote that Miller "covers heart pains and dissatisfaction with a liveliness and playfulness missing from other literate popsters", displaying "an instinctive feel for pop hooks and textures, and his ambition often pays off, allowing him to hit climaxes like the acoustic guitar rush that elevates 'Throwing the Election' after you'd have thought the song was over."

Track listing

#"Beach State Rocking" (1989 recording; Original version on

's '' Painted Windows'', 1982) – 2:56 #"Bad Year at U.C.L.A." (1989 re-recording; Original version on '' Blaze of Glory'', 1982) – 2:58 #"Sleeping Through Heaven" (1989 re-recording; Original version on ''Blaze of Glory'', 1982) – 4:06 #"Something to Show" (from ''Blaze of Glory'', 1982) – 2:39 #"Penny, Things Won't" (from ''

Pointed Accounts of People You Know ''Pointed Accounts of People You Know'' is the second release from Game Theory, a California power pop band fronted by guitarist and singer-songwriter Scott Miller. Initially released in 1983 as a six-song EP, a remastered version on 10-inch cle ...

'', 1983) – 5:18 #"Metal and Glass Exact" (from ''Pointed Accounts of People You Know'', 1983) – 3:37 #"Shark Pretty" (from ''

Distortion In signal processing, distortion is the alteration of the original shape (or other characteristic) of a signal. In communications and electronics it means the alteration of the waveform of an information-bearing signal, such as an audio signal ...

'', 1984) – 4:00 #"Nine Lives to Rigel Five" (from ''Distortion'', 1984) – 2:49 #"The Red Baron" (from ''Distortion'', 1984) – 3:42 #" 24" (from ''

Real Nighttime ''Real Nighttime'' is the second full-length album from Game Theory, a California power pop band founded by guitarist and singer-songwriter Scott Miller. Released in 1985, the album is cited as "a watershed work in '80s paisley underground pop." ...

'', 1985) – 2:49 #"Curse of the Frontier Land" (from ''Real Nighttime'', 1985) – 3:33 #"I Turned Her Away" (from ''Real Nighttime'', 1985) – 3:00 #"Regenisraen" (from ''

The Big Shot Chronicles ''The Big Shot Chronicles'' is Game Theory's third full-length album, released in 1986. Produced by Mitch Easter, it was recorded with a new line-up of Game Theory members after leader and songwriter Scott Miller moved the band's base from Davis t ...

'', 1986) – 3:29 #" Erica's Word" (from ''The Big Shot Chronicles'', 1986) – 3:56 #"Crash into June" (from ''The Big Shot Chronicles'', 1986) – 2:58 #"Like a Girl Jesus" (from ''The Big Shot Chronicles'', 1986) – 2:40 #"We Love You, Carol and Alison" (from ''

Lolita Nation ''Lolita Nation'' is the fourth full-length album by Game Theory, a California power pop band fronted by guitarist and singer-songwriter Scott Miller. Originally released in 1987 as a double LP, the album was reissued by Omnivore Recordings in Fe ...

'', 1987) – 3:26 #"The Real Sheila" (from ''Lolita Nation'', 1987) - 3:35 #"Together Now, Very Minor" (from ''Lolita Nation'', 1987) – 3:32 #"Room For One More, Honey" (from ''

Two Steps from the Middle Ages ''Two Steps from the Middle Ages'' (1988) is the fifth studio album by power pop band Game Theory. History Miller intended the album to be "a more straightforward, singles-based record" than its predecessor, ''Lolita Nation'': In a review ...

'', 1988) – 3:02 #"Leilani" (from ''Two Steps from the Middle Ages'', 1988) – 3:02 #"Throwing the Election" (from ''Two Steps from the Middle Ages'', 1988) – 4:11

Personnel

* Jozef Becker – drums, knee slaps * Nancy Becker – keyboards, vocals, vocals (background) * Guillaume Gassuan – bass * Dave Gill – drums, audio engineer * Fred Juhos – bass * Scott Miller – vocals and guitar *

– bass, vocals, vocals (background), reverb, producer *

Gil Ray George Gilbert "Gil" Ray (September 17, 1956 – January 24, 2017) was an American rock drummer, guitarist, and vocalist, best known for his recordings in the 1980s and 1990s as a member of the bands Game Theory and The Loud Family. In late 2 ...

– guitar, drums *

Donnette Thayer Donnette Thayer is a vocalist, guitarist, and songwriter most active in the 1980s and early 1990s indie rock scenes of Northern California. Thayer was a member of the band Game Theory, and later formed Hex with Steve Kilbey of The Church. She ...

– vocals, guitar *

Suzi Ziegler Let's Active is an American rock group formed in Winston-Salem, North Carolina, in 1981, and often identified with the jangle pop guitar work of the group's frontman and songwriter Mitch Easter. After disbanding in 1990, the group reformed in Augu ...

– vocals * Shelley LaFreniere – keyboards, vocals

References

External links

* {{Authority control 1990 compilation albums Game Theory (band) albums Albums produced by Mitch Easter Enigma Records albums