Information about Seventh Inning Stretch

The seventh-inning stretch is a tradition in baseball that takes place between the halves of the seventh inning of any game. Fans generally stand up and stretch out their legs and other muscles and sometimes walk around. It is a popular time to get a late-inning snack as well; many teams end beer sales at this point. The stretch also serves as a short break for the players. If a game goes into a fifth extra inning, a similar "fourteenth-inning stretch" is celebrated. In softball games, amateur games scheduled for only seven innings, or in doubleheaders (except for Major League Baseball, both ends are seven innings each per regulation), a "fifth-inning stretch" may be substituted.

Myths

There are many apocryphal stories about the origins of the seventh-inning stretch. One popular yarn claims that it began on account of President William Howard Taft. He had been in attendance at a Harrisburg Senators versus Philadelphia Phillies game on April 20, 1891 and had been uncomfortable in his chair; by the middle of the seventh, he could no longer take it, and stood up. The crowd mistook his action, and believed he had decided to leave, and out of respect, stood up as well. However, minutes later, after stretching out his legs, Taft sat back down as did the crowd. This tale is almost definitely false—evidence exists of the practice as early as 1869. It is also false because President Taft was not president until 1909. However, the seventh-inning stretch was not a formal practice in professional baseball games until the 1920s.

Another possibility of the origin of the seventh inning stretch is the story of Brother Jasper of Mary, F.S.C., the man credited with bringing baseball to Manhattan College in the late 1800s. Being the Prefect of Discipline as well as the coach of the team, it fell to Brother Jasper to supervise the student fans at every home game. On one particularly hot and muggy day in 1882, during the seventh inning against a semi-pro team called the Metropolitans, the Prefect noticed his charges becoming restless. To break the tension, he called a time-out in the game and instructed everyone in the bleachers to stand up and unwind. It worked so well he began calling for a seventh-inning rest period at every game. The Manhattan College custom spread to the major leagues after the New York Giants were charmed by it at an exhibition game, and the rest is history. ^[1]

But like many myths, it is difficult to certify any origin. A letter written by Harry Wright of the Cincinnati Red Stockings dated 1869 — 13 years earlier than Brother Jasper's inspired time-out — documented something very similar to a seventh-inning stretch. In the letter, he makes the following observation about the fans' ballpark behavior: "The spectators all arise between halves of the seventh inning, extend their legs and arms and sometimes walk about. In so doing they enjoy the relief afforded by relaxation from a long posture upon hard benches."

Background

In modern baseball, the seventh-inning stretch is a strong tradition. Major League Baseball games always involve it, often by playing music and having video clips on the scoreboards. During the "stretch", fans sing the chorus of "Take Me Out to the Ball Game" in fondness of the game. Broadcaster Harry Caray may have gotten the most mileage out of the song. He would sing it to himself in the broadcast booth during the stretch while a play-by-play announcer for the Chicago White Sox. After hearing him sing one day, White Sox owner Bill Veeck Jr., the consummate baseball promoter and showman, had Caray's microphone turned on so that the ballpark could hear him sing. When Caray moved into the Chicago Cubs broadcast booth, he continued the practice, sparking what has become a Cubs tradition by regularly leading the crowd in singing the song in every seventh-inning stretch. Since his death, the Cubs have invited various celebrities to lead the crowd during the stretch, including John Cusack, Bill Murray, Jim Belushi and Eddie Vedder.

Team traditions

In certain stadiums, there are variations on what song is played during the stretch.

Since the 1970s, the Baltimore Orioles have often played the raucous John Denver song "Thank God I'm a Country Boy" at the conclusion of "Take Me Out to the Ball Game." During the bridge of the song, in which Denver holds a long note, fans yell "Ooooooooh!" The Atlanta Braves also sing this song after "Take Me Out To The Ball Game". The Braves also give away prizes during each half inning by "Jeff" who asks questions on the jumbo screen.

The Milwaukee Brewers, in reference to their city's beermaking heritage, play "The Beer Barrel Polka." The Toronto Blue Jays play a theme song called "OK Blue Jays," during which fans are led in an exercise routine, as well as "Take Me Out to the Ball Game."

When the St. Louis Cardinals were owned by Anheuser-Busch, Busch Memorial Stadium organist Ernie Hays would play "Here Comes the King", a commonly recognized jingle for Budweiser beer, during the stretch. On Opening Day, during playoff games and on "big nights" such as games against the Chicago Cubs, a team of Budweiser's mascot Clydesdale horses would also make a circuit of the warning track. Since Anheuser-Busch's sale of the Cardinals in 1996, "Take Me Out to the Ball Game" has been played in the middle of 7th inning, with "Here Comes The King" in the middle of the 8th. The Clydesdales still appear on Opening Day and during the playoffs. Hays retired after the 2006 season, the first season of the new Busch Stadium and a rotating set of organists have played the song since.

Jane Jarvis, the organist at the New York Mets' home Shea Stadium from 1964 to 1979 , would play the "Mexican Hat Dance" during the stretch. After the Mets switched to recorded music, "Take Me Out to the Ball Game" became standard. It is now followed by the Lou Monte tune "Lazy Mary."

At Minute Maid Park, Houston Astros fans follow "Take Me Out to the Ball Game" with "Deep in the Heart of Texas". Since the death of team founder Gene Autry in 1998 , the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim have played Autry's signature song "Back in the Saddle Again" as well as "Take Me Out to the Ball Game." Before then, the Angels played an instrumental version of the Christian worship song "Lord, I Lift Your Name on High."

At Safeco Field, the Seattle Mariners always follow "Take Me Out to the Ballgame" with "Louie, Louie" by The Kingsmen. Colorado Rockies fans sing a cover version of "Hey! Baby" after "Take Me Out to the Ball Game", complete with "Oooh! Ah!" after each time "Hey Baby!" is sung.

Boston Red Sox fans at Fenway Park follow tradition in the middle of the 8th inning, whether leading, tied or trailing, they sing along to Neil Diamond's recording of "Sweet Caroline". The crowd sings the three-note trumpet line while the PA system is muted, and the after Diamond sings the line, "good times never seemed so good," fans yell, "so good, so good, so good!" The Washington Nationals have also adopted this tradition as have the Mets, though the tradition was started by New York Jets fans in the 1980s and picked up by New York Rangers fans.

Much like how some teams invite celebrities to perform "The Star-Spangled Banner" before the game or to throw the first pitch, celebrities have been invited to perform during the 7th inning stretch. One such example is film actor Jeremy Piven of HBO's Entourage, who performed "Take Me Out to the Ballgame" during the stretch at a Chicago Cubs game. Afterward, in a controversial moment, he yelled to the ball players, "Let's hug it out, you little bitches!", a variation of the line "Let's hug it out, bitch!", one of his infamous Ari Gold-isms from Entourage.

Effects of September 11th

Following the September 11, 2001 attacks, the song "God Bless America" became common during the seventh-inning stretch, sometimes in addition to "Take Me Out to the Ball Game" and sometimes replacing it entirely. Some stadiums play "God Bless America" only on Sundays. At Yankee Stadium the song is now played at every game, in addition to "Take Me Out to the Ball Game". Renowned Irish tenor Ronan Tynan is famous for his version of the song, which has gained notoriety for its length (his version includes the song's rarely heard prologue), causing some opposing managers to claim that the Yankees derive an advantage from the visiting pitcher having a longer time on the bench. Since 2002, "God Bless America" has been performed at all Major League Baseball All-Star Games, often with a celebrity recording artist ("Take Me Out to the Ball Game" is sometimes done afterward with a recording of the legend Harry Caray), as well as Opening Day, Memorial Day, Independence Day (United States), Labor Day, the anniversary of 9/11 and many post-season games.

Historically, fans of the visiting team took their seventh-inning stretch at the top of the inning, but observance of this tradition appears to be dying out.

References

1. Brother Jasper of Mary, F.S.C and Seventh Inning Stretch, Manhattan College.