ANTHRAX's CHARLIE BENANTE A Chicago Cub For A Day

Last week, he played at Yankee Stadium with his band ANTHRAX as a member of the so-called "Big Four" of 1980s thrash metal METALLICA, SLAYER, MEGADETH and ANTHRAX. Today, ANTHRAX's Charlie Benante crossed over from Major League Baseball's American League to the National League and threw out the first pitch at today's Cubs/Brewers game played at the legendary Wrigley Field in Chicago.

Not only did the Cubs lambaste Milwaukee with a 7-1 win, but Charlie got word that ANTHRAX's new album, "Worship Music", will debut at position No. 12 on next week's The Billboard 200 chart.

Today was a very good day for ANTHRAX's Charlie Benante.

For Benante playing Yankee Stadium was extremely personal; his father, also named Charlie, was a huge baseball fan and onetime budding ballplayer, who died when Charlie Jr. was 5.

"I would give all this up just to have my father around," Benante told ESPN.com, "but to have him be there and see me playing Yankee Stadium, I know for him it would probably be the greatest thing ever."

Benante's father, who was scouted by the majors, would regale a four-year-old Charlie with all the stats and facts about the Yankees players while the two played catch in the backyard. "My dad was a huge Yankees fan," Charlie recalls. "I remember he always had the TV or radio on, listening to every Yankees game he could. He died when I was five, so he never knew about my success as a musician, but I know he would have been so proud of me playing Yankee Stadium. I know that in some way, he'll be there, giving me the power I'll need to knock it out of the park."

Photo credit: Gene Ambo