Music Monday: Take Me Out To The Ballgame

We have a blog series called, “Music Monday,” here on Arner Adventures. Since music creates a soundtrack for our day-to-day living, it only makes sense. 

The Song’s History

The song “Take Me Out to the Ballgame” was written in 1908 and it’s first known playing at a baseball game happened around 1934. I was thinking of the song the other day, when reflecting on this past year and the absence of fans at ballgames during the covid outbreak. Fans are now being let back into ballparks across the country. I love that baseball is back, as it’s such a wonderful welcoming of springtime. I’ve been privileged to some great times at ballparks both major and minor league and of course, good old local little league that I grew up watching and playing. I’ve been to about half a dozen major league games. My favorite times are the two separate trips I took to Philadelphia with Shannon to see my Phillies play. The first of those in 2010 was the first Phillies game I ever attended. There’s nothing like visiting a city with baseball as the focal point and then surrounding the game with all the many wonderful things one can do in a major city. 

My Nostalgia With the Song

In the mid-1990’s my dad and I took two separate trips to Michigan in successive years and went to Detroit to see his childhood favorite Detroit Tigers play. This is a wonderful memory as a father/son outing. Through all my years in the Raleigh area, I enjoyed many a great evening at either the Durham Bulls or the Carolina Mudcats. They are the two local teams in our area. 

I’ve always felt going to a baseball game was as fun for the atmosphere as for the game itself. I’ve been one to pay more attention to all the in-between inning entertainment and scoreboard happenings until I lose track of the game altogether. I wouldn’t even be able to relate to someone who didn’t find the wave fascinating, however, the most fascinating of ballpark traditions comes in the middle of the seventh inning. The seventh inning stretch is when everyone stands to stretch and get ready for the finish of the game and “Take Me Out to the Ballgame” is played and everyone sings along. This is a two-minute song where everyone knows the words and it is such a nice and unifying experience. One of the more famous renditions of the song was Chicago Cubs announcer Harry Caray singing during the seventh inning stretch of Cubs games, through the many years he was their announcer. His beloved renditions of the song became his trademark and were performed until his passing in 1998. Through the years that have followed, many famous celebrities took over the duties and have performed during the seventh inning stretch of Cubs games. Many memorable, and YouTube worthy versions have taken place over the years. Some of the more memorable renditions have come from Eddie Vedder, Mike Ditka, Ozzy Osbourne, Billy Corgan, and Bill Murray in the voice of Daffy Duck, to name a few. 

I’m a few weeks away from being fully vaccinated and am feeling the tug to get out, back to normalcy, and to a baseball game. “By me some peanuts and cracker jacks, I don’t care if I never go back…” Play ball!!!