The seventh-inning stretch is a practice that dates back to the very earliest days of baseball, though it did not receive it's "official" title until 1920. Taking place between the two halves of the seventh inning, the stretch allows fans to stand up, stretch, and maybe buy a few last minute snacks. "Take Me Out to the Ball Game" is traditionally sung in this break, making it one of the few times in American culture where it is okay and even encouraged to spontaneously break into song. Many parks have other, unique rituals as well. I'm excited to see what happens during the stretch at each ballpark that we visit!
The first seventh inning stretch we experienced was at Target Field. True to MLB form, we sang "Take Me Out to the Ball Game." It was led by Christina Sparks and friends, who were there as part of the celebration for Mayo Clinic's 150th birthday. The organist played, and Christina sang into a microphone. She was quite deliberate with the tempo, which I suppose I should have expected after hearing her rendition of the Victory Song early that night. The live organist was able to follow Christina as she slowed down, though the fans through out the ballpark had a much harder time. The music major part of me didn't much care for this version of the song, but the baseball fan was just excited to experience it in a new ballpark.
After "Take Me Out to the Ball Game," the Twins played a video of some of their players wishing the Mayo Clinic a happy sesquicentennial. I think they had probably never heard that word pronounced before, as most of them stumbled over it quite a bit before switching to just saying one hundred fiftieth. Then the game resumed as the Red Sox soundly beat the Twins. What a great first game to see!
No comments:
Post a Comment