| The Greatest | |
| Type: | single |
| Artist: | Kenny Rogers |
| Album: | She Rides Wild Horses |
| Released: | April 17, 1999 |
| Genre: | Country |
| Length: | 3:09 |
| Label: | Dreamcatcher |
| Producer: | Brent Maher, Jim McKell |
| Prev Title: | I'll Be There for You |
| Prev Year: | 1992 |
| Next Title: | Slow Dance More |
| Next Year: | 1999 |
"The Greatest" is a song written by Don Schlitz, and recorded by American country music artist Kenny Rogers. It was released in April 1999 as the first single from the album She Rides Wild Horses. The song reached No. 26 on the Billboard Hot Country Singles & Tracks chart.[1]
In the song, a little boy is outside playing baseball by himself, saying, "I'm the greatest player," and tosses the ball up in the air to hit the ball and swings and misses. The boy repeats this two more times. As his mother calls him inside for supper, the undeterred boy, in a twist ending, reveals his position—pitcher—and thus by earning a strikeout, he is still the greatest.
. The Billboard Book Of Top 40 Country Hits: 1944-2006, Second edition. Joel Whitburn . 2004 . Record Research . 299.