Organ Donor

A few days ago
Some weeks back
Once upon a time, I don't remember when, I posted a comment or something somewhere bemoaning the lack of organs at major league baseball parks. Or maybe I didn't. I can't remember. But if I did, I know that it would have been your typical whine from a baseball purist who loathes the commercial direction the sport has taken in recent years (as if the game hadn't been on this base path for ages...but gives us our dreams, ok?). In true pig-headed fashion, I allowed the organ thing to fester within until it burst forth as a pointless obsession. "Where are all the organs at baseball games?" "Why do they have to blare awful rock music in my ears?" "Baseball is a quiet game. A thinking game. " What does the song "YMCA" have to do with baseball?" I would harangue my co-workers and passers-by with rememberances of golden Saturday afternoons basking in Temple of Summer and listening to the sweet smack of horsehide against cowhide as the pitcher warmed up, the mighty Hammond everready to issue a thrumming "dah dah dha DA DA!!!!"

Funny thing, though...nobody ever disagreed. Oh sure, some muttered brief obsceneties and dropped a quarter into my cup, but nodody replied that they actually like being bombarded by stupid loud noises in between innings. Moreover, seems that baseball and organ music are inseperable in the minds of many die-hard (read: "old") fans.

So imagine my surprise when I lit on this nifty little site with its own ball park organists page. Sixteen parks still have an organist (but Camden Yards ain't one of them), but only the Cubs use the organ exclusively. Maybe that's why Wrigley is still one of the best places to see a ball game.

Actually, the whole site is pretty good, with pictures of ballparks old and new and some nifty history too. I love these guys! Check out the story at the bottom of the page on Eddie Layton (who I first heard on my first trip to a ball game at age six and countless times afterwards). Listen to him play "Take Me Out Me Out To The Ball Game."

Ahhhhh!!!! I can taste the hot dogs of my youth. GOOD hotdogs, not the crappy ones they sell today. And what's with the nachos and pizza? You can't watch baseball eating nachos!

Next crusade.