Is this a postseason clinching party or a wedding reception dance?
On Aug. 2, 2000, the dance game was changed forever by an unassuming fellow named Willie Perry, Jr., better known as DJ Casper. That was the day that he released a catchy song called "Cha-Cha Slide." It didn't stay on the Billboard charts for very long, but by the next year, DJ Casper had turned himself into "Mr. C the Slide Man," and his hit had somehow made its way into every single dance you could ever imagine.
Your neighbor Steve's bar mitzvah? Absolutely.
Middle-school dance? You bet.
Your older cousin's wedding? Do I even have to ask?
Wedding receptions in particular seem to always bring out the Cha-Cha Slide, even now. I've been to at least 15 weddings this decade, and I'm almost positive that the Cha-Cha Slide has played at nearly every single one. It's inescapable and often, impossibly difficult to resist the urge to join.
I'm guessing that most of the players on the Rays feel the same way. There were no nuptials to celebrate on Friday night, but they did clinch their first postseason appearance since 2013 with a win over the Blue Jays. Then, it was time to listen to DJ Casper and get funky.
The @RaysBaseball are Cha Cha-ing all the way to the Wild Card 🕺 pic.twitter.com/UmFfQp4T5y
— Subscribe to Cut4 on YouTube!!!! (@Cut4) September 28, 2019
I don't know which one of the Rays attended a wedding most recently, but I have a feeling that whoever it was still didn't have the Cha-Cha Slide out of his head. It's the only explanation.
All it takes is a whisper into the DJ's ear, and you have Cha-Cha pandemonium. Because now it's in his head too, and he pretty much has to play it.
The best guess here is pitcher Tyler Glasnow. He had clearly become the master of the party.
Yo, @TGlasnow. You ain’t have to do them like that! 😂 #RaysUp | #StayHungry pic.twitter.com/tBwOHNzyqS
— Tampa Bay Rays (@RaysBaseball) September 28, 2019
"Real smooth," to quote the Slide Man himself.
Andrew Mearns is a writer for Cut4 whose baseball obsession was born from the shattered dreams of Mike Mussina's perfect game attempt in 2001. He has a startling memory of World Series highlights that barely functions as a party trick.
