Rock legend Eddie Money on following the L.A. Dodgers & the Oakland Raiders

"Two Tickets To Paradise," "Take Me Home Tonight," "Shakin'," "Baby Hold On," "Walk On Water," "Think I'm In Love," "No Control"... Eddie Money had a lot of hit songs, and those aforementioned tunes are just a few of the Eddie Money songs still being played on the radio these days.

Although The Money Man never stopped touring or recording, 2018 has been a reinvigorating year for the New York native's career. For starters, Money and family -- which includes wife Laurie and their five children Jesse, Dez, Julian, Joe and Zach -- are the stars of the AXS reality television series Real Money.

While Eddie Money still maintains a New York accent (and overall East Coast sensibility) all these years later, he has lived in California for more of his life than not. Now based in Los Angeles, his team of choice in Major League Baseball is the Los Angeles Dodgers.

For those unaware, the Dodgers began as the Brooklyn Dodgers, and many New Yorkers maintain a grudge against the Dodgers for having abandoned New York in the 1950s. Money talked about his history with the Dodgers within our phone chat, also discussing his appreciation for the NFL's Oakland Raiders.

More on Eddie Money -- including tour dates and news on his forthcoming album for BMG -- can be found online at www.eddiemoney.com.

How long have you been a Dodgers fan?

Eddie Money: When I was a kid, my father was an usher at Ebbets Field. I have a baseball signed by the 1955 Dodgers in fountain pen -- Jackie Robinson, Carl Furillo... I was always into the Dodgers, then when the Dodgers moved to California, my father was so mad. But I still followed the Dodgers when they moved to California.

I used to live in the Bay Area, but I'm back where I belong. I wear the Dodger jerseys, I go to all the games. Mike Scioscia is a good friend of my wife; my wife goes to Mike Scioscia's wife's spin class. Vin Scully lives in my neighbourhood, I run into Vin Scully every now and then. If somebody cut me, they would realize that my blood is blue.

So you never came close to becoming a Mets or Yankees fan?

Eddie Money: The Mets, I couldn't have cared less. The Mets took the place of the Dodgers, nobody liked them. Nobody liked the Yankees. because back in the 50s, the Yankees beat the Dodgers. I still hate the Yankees... The Dodgers aren't in it this year, which is unfortunate, but maybe things will turn around.

Right now the Dodgers are around .500 in the standings...

Eddie Money: It's like someone rips my heart out every time they lose a game. It ruins my day. Then I go to church and I'm praying for the Dodgers, I should be praying for the people that are starving all over the world, and instead, I'm praying for the Dodgers. I feel very guilty about that. (laughs)

Do you have a favourite player on the current Dodgers squad?

Eddie Money: Yeah, Justin Turner is my favourite Dodger, he's fantastic. I love [Clayton] Kershaw, I love [Alex] Wood and I like [Rich] Hill. [Kenta] Maeda is out right now because he has something wrong with his hip... He was winning games for us. We're in trouble, let's face it. What are we going to do?

Have you ever sung the U.S. national anthem at a Dodgers game before?

Eddie Money: Hell yeah, I've done it three times already... They have a clubhouse out there, and I was practising "The Star Spangled Banner" there because it was a packed house, and I sang it during the [team] practice. Then I went out there and did it for everybody [at the game]. As I go back out there to get my jacket, I said, "How'd I do out there guys?" They said, "You sounded good out in the shed." (laughs)

The hard [musical] note is not on "the land of the free." The hard note on that song is on "rocket's red glare." You hit the "g" and the "l" -- "GLARE" -- and it closes your throat up. It's like an Italian vowel. Once you get through that it's home free.

If they brought you out three times, I'm sure they feel that you mastered it.

Eddie Money: I don't know, I'll do anything for free tickets, you know that. (laughs) The Oakland Raiders are friends of mine. I do the opening song every year. I feel bad because we did it on Fan Appreciation Night last year and I walked over to Derek Carr and said, "Derek, man, I love the way you play, break a leg." That's the game he broke his leg on. They haven't had me back yet. (laughs) I was really close to the sideline and I heard him say, "I think my leg's busted."

---

Would you like to share more about Eddie Money? Sound off in the comments section below.