No other major professional sports team has the traditions and lingo that Major League Baseball has: can of corn, around the horn, meat ball, circus catch, bringing your glove to the game, pre at-bat rituals, waiting at home after a home run, Cracker Jack. Without a doubt, though, the most revered tradition is the 7th inning stretch and the singing of “Take Me Out to the Ball Game.”

Jack Norworth published the words for the song in 1908, and according to legend President Taft started the 7th inning stretch in 1910 in the middle of the 7th inning. The song was first sung in 1934 at a high school game in Los Angeles and for the first time in a major league park in the same year.

Katie Casey was base ball* mad,
Had the fever and had it bad;
Just to root for the home town crew,
Ev’ry soul Katie blew.
On a Saturday, her young beau
Called to see if she’d like to go,
To see a show, but Miss Kate said, “No,
I’ll tell you what you can do.”

“Take me out to the ball game,
Take me out with the crowd.
Buy me some peanuts and Cracker Jack,
I don’t care if I never get back,
Let me root, root, root for the home team,
If they don’t win it’s a shame.

For it’s one, two, three strikes, you’re out,
At the old ball game.”

Katie Casey saw all the games,
Knew the players by their first names;
Told the umpire he was wrong,
All along good and strong.
When the score was just two to two,
Katie Casey knew what to do,
Just to cheer up the boys she knew,
She made the gang sing this song:

“Take me out to the ball game,
Take me out with the crowd.
Buy me some peanuts and Cracker Jack,
I don’t care if I never get back,
Let me root, root, root for the home team,
If they don’t win it’s a shame!
For it’s one, two, three strikes, you’re out,
At the old ball game.”

On a warm evening a couple of weeks ago several people from Gould Evans Phoenix had the opportunity – to some a little scary – to carry on this tradition and lead the singing of “Take Me Out to the Ball Game.” The occasion was the Arizona State University baseball team’s first game in their new home, previously a major league spring training ballpark renovated by Gould Evans for ASU. Tracy Smith, the team’s coach, was so pleased with the project team’s efforts that he asked us to start the song during the 7th inning stretch. In front of some 2,500 fans, Krista Shepherd, Betsy Lynch, Mark Bonillas did an outstanding job of singing; fortunately it is a song that you can sing off key.

* Note: this is how baseball was written.