Yellow Tango

Someone mismentioned the drowsy rock band "Yo Le Tango" and their song "Autumn Sweater." An interesting story, with a correction...

The correction: the band is named Yo La Tengo. That's Spanish for "I have it." "Yo La Tengo" took their name from a famous baseball anecdote. The 1962 expansion NY Mets had timeworn center fielder Richie Ashburn and young Venezuelan shortstop Elio Chacón in their comically inept lineup. That team compiled an amazing record, winning 40 games, tieing one, and losing 120 games. Last season's Chicago White Sox came close to equalling the futility of the '62 Mets, but accidentally won 41 games, losing 121.

Early in that '62 season, Ashburn and Chacón collided in the outfield as both were trying to catch a pop fly. Baseball tradition calls for the guy with the best angle on the ball to holler, "I got it!" as a sign to others to back off. Ashburn had done just that, but Chacón, who spoke only Spanish, had not the slightest idea what he was saying.

Of course, the moment lives on in photos. 

 

The Mets deemed it most propitious to teach a quick Spanish lesson to Ashburn, so he learned to yell "Yo la tengo" when camping out under a popup. And it worked well, until the day left fielder Frank Thomas, unschooled in Spanish, flattened Elio as he chased a fly and didn't recognize the phrase Chacón screamed. 

As Thomas stood up, gathering his cap, glove, and dignity, he turned to ask Ashburn, "What the hell is a 'yellow tango' ?"

We baseball fans have long memories, and so in 1984, when Ira Kaplan and Georgia Hubley decided to call their band Yo La Tengo, we wondered what took so long.

Yo La Tengo, the band. Gloria gets extra credit for wearing Jack Purcells.