Monday, November 03, 2008
Ghost of Jack Norworth, please feel free to haunt Bud Selig
On November 15 of last year, this blog reported on a Major League Baseball press release detailing plans for a 100th-anniversary celebration of the song "Take Me Out to the Ball Game" during 2008.
I saw no actual evidence of any special 100th-anniversary festivities this past season. Most notably, contrary to that press release, the All-Star Game's televised 7th-inning stretch featured Josh Groban singing "God Bless America", not a contest winner leading the crowd in "Take Me Out to the Ball Game."
Not that it should necessarily be a priority for the next President, but surely he can do something about this fairly easily.
I saw no actual evidence of any special 100th-anniversary festivities this past season. Most notably, contrary to that press release, the All-Star Game's televised 7th-inning stretch featured Josh Groban singing "God Bless America", not a contest winner leading the crowd in "Take Me Out to the Ball Game."
Not that it should necessarily be a priority for the next President, but surely he can do something about this fairly easily.
Labels: bud selig, god bless america, josh groban, take me out to the ball game
Thursday, November 15, 2007
What, no Cracker Jack sponsorship?
Since it's the 100th anniversary of the song "Take Me Out to the Ball Game" next year, there's going to be some hoopla, including a performance of it during the seventh-inning stretch of the All-Star Game -- as far as I know, the first time that's happened since 2001. No word on its use during the World Series. I've got my fingers crossed, but I assume Bud Selig has other ideas.
Labels: bud selig, take me out to the ball game
Monday, November 07, 2005
God Bless Take Me Out to the Ballgame
When I was a kid, I read a good book (the name of which I've forgotten) about an American boy growing up in China and going to an English school. He didn't want to sing "God Save the Queen," but not doing so got him in trouble. His father pointed out that he could instead sing, quietly, "My Country 'Tis of Thee," which shared a melody with the British anthem.
It will no doubt cheer BRPA2004 readers to learn that, while watching the White Sox win the World Series on Fox, those in attendance at the Rocketship realized that, while "Take Me Out to the Ballgame" and "God Bless America"--two songs whose relative importance in baseball history Bud Selig seems to have confused--do not traditionally share a melody, there is, it turns out, no reason that they shouldn't.
That's right: "Take Me Out to the Ballgame" can be sung--flawlessly--to the tune of "God Bless America." (And vice-versa, I suppose, but, well, yuck. Why do that to America?)
Try it at home. Try it at your favorite ballpark the next time the PA guy demands a show of religious-themed patriotism rather than a celebration of what you've actually chosen to do with your day.
Or wait until I get Jim to sing it and post the MP3.
As the caption to a photo at the Neo-Futurarium of a boy flipping off the camera said, "See--everything in the world's not made of toilet."
It will no doubt cheer BRPA2004 readers to learn that, while watching the White Sox win the World Series on Fox, those in attendance at the Rocketship realized that, while "Take Me Out to the Ballgame" and "God Bless America"--two songs whose relative importance in baseball history Bud Selig seems to have confused--do not traditionally share a melody, there is, it turns out, no reason that they shouldn't.
That's right: "Take Me Out to the Ballgame" can be sung--flawlessly--to the tune of "God Bless America." (And vice-versa, I suppose, but, well, yuck. Why do that to America?)
Try it at home. Try it at your favorite ballpark the next time the PA guy demands a show of religious-themed patriotism rather than a celebration of what you've actually chosen to do with your day.
Or wait until I get Jim to sing it and post the MP3.
As the caption to a photo at the Neo-Futurarium of a boy flipping off the camera said, "See--everything in the world's not made of toilet."
Labels: take me out to the ball game
Wednesday, October 26, 2005
Longer than there've been fishes in the oceans
Six hours into the broadcast -- reflecting Fox's ridiculously unrealistic 3-hour time slot plus the maximum 3 hours of TiVo padding, it was the top of the 14th...
The good news is that I had caught up to the live broadcast at 10:30, and set a manual recording for 11:00 until -- well, just in case, I set it to go until, well, about the time the morning news was going to start. So I was a little disappointed that it was "only" 11:20 when the game actually ended. But I have to assume I was one of a very select few not in Houston or Chicago who actually saw the game from beginning to end, although it's admittedly a lot easier to sit through 14 innings of baseball when you can fast-forward through the commercials...
That Chicago Sun-Times "Market Wrap" edition isn't looking like such a silly idea now, is it, Levi? That might be the only way for Chicagoans to get the box score of this game in their newspaper tomorrow -- uh, I mean today.
Hey, speaking of silly ideas, where was Aaron Neville in the middle of the 14th to sing the real song? Actually, Bud Selig probably would have insisted on a reprise of "God Bless America" for no good reason.
On a TV note: since I grew up in the Eastern time zone, I'm used to sporting events that run long being followed by the local affiliate's 11:00 or 10:00 news in its entirety, whether it's at 12:00, 12:30, or even later. Therefore, I was a little surprised to discover that Fox's flagship station in Los Angeles must have their entire 10:00 news crew home, because when the coverage of the game ended, they went straight to their regularly scheduled 11:30 "Simpsons" rerun.
The good news is that I had caught up to the live broadcast at 10:30, and set a manual recording for 11:00 until -- well, just in case, I set it to go until, well, about the time the morning news was going to start. So I was a little disappointed that it was "only" 11:20 when the game actually ended. But I have to assume I was one of a very select few not in Houston or Chicago who actually saw the game from beginning to end, although it's admittedly a lot easier to sit through 14 innings of baseball when you can fast-forward through the commercials...
That Chicago Sun-Times "Market Wrap" edition isn't looking like such a silly idea now, is it, Levi? That might be the only way for Chicagoans to get the box score of this game in their newspaper tomorrow -- uh, I mean today.
Hey, speaking of silly ideas, where was Aaron Neville in the middle of the 14th to sing the real song? Actually, Bud Selig probably would have insisted on a reprise of "God Bless America" for no good reason.
On a TV note: since I grew up in the Eastern time zone, I'm used to sporting events that run long being followed by the local affiliate's 11:00 or 10:00 news in its entirety, whether it's at 12:00, 12:30, or even later. Therefore, I was a little surprised to discover that Fox's flagship station in Los Angeles must have their entire 10:00 news crew home, because when the coverage of the game ended, they went straight to their regularly scheduled 11:30 "Simpsons" rerun.
Labels: aaron neville, astros, bud selig, take me out to the ball game, tv, white sox, world series
Wednesday, January 19, 2005
Speaking of music
Tonight's Final Jeopardy! answer, in the category Classic American Songs:
"The introductory verse of this 1908 song begins 'Katie Casey was baseball mad.'"
"The introductory verse of this 1908 song begins 'Katie Casey was baseball mad.'"
Labels: jeopardy, music, take me out to the ball game
Monday, July 12, 2004
Note from the Big Apple
Yes, I was at Yankee Stadium for last Thursday's 7-1 loss by the Devil Rays. I'll post photos and more details tomorrow (or later Monday, given what the time stamp is going to be on this post), including some perhaps sacrilegious observations regarding Yankee P.A. announcer Bob Sheppard and my ability to understand what he was saying.
Actually, here's an observation I'll post right now: during the seventh-inning stretch, the Yankees play "God Bless America" (a recording of Kate Smith, in this case) and then "Take Me Out to the Ball Game." A disheartening number of people sat down after "God Bless America."
Levi: Though I'm with you on the "Only one song should be played during the seventh-inning stretch, and that's 'Take Me Out to the Ballgame' (although I make an exception for Wisconsin, where tradition and history demand following it up with 'Roll Out the Barrel'), I'm willing to give Yankee fans a pass for a few weeks.
After all, maybe they were worn out from booing Cheney recently.
Dan: Yankee fans, with a handful of exceptions, are bandwagon-jumping pricks. And they have been for the better part of 80 years.
Go Mets, woo!
Dan: Oh, and kids who like the Yankees are even worse.
Actually, here's an observation I'll post right now: during the seventh-inning stretch, the Yankees play "God Bless America" (a recording of Kate Smith, in this case) and then "Take Me Out to the Ball Game." A disheartening number of people sat down after "God Bless America."
Original comments...
Levi: Though I'm with you on the "Only one song should be played during the seventh-inning stretch, and that's 'Take Me Out to the Ballgame' (although I make an exception for Wisconsin, where tradition and history demand following it up with 'Roll Out the Barrel'), I'm willing to give Yankee fans a pass for a few weeks.
After all, maybe they were worn out from booing Cheney recently.
Dan: Yankee fans, with a handful of exceptions, are bandwagon-jumping pricks. And they have been for the better part of 80 years.
Go Mets, woo!
Dan: Oh, and kids who like the Yankees are even worse.
Labels: bob sheppard, devil rays, god bless america, seventh inning stretch, take me out to the ball game, yankees
