Celebrating the 100th Anniversary of Take Me Out to the Ball Game

This year marks the 100th anniversary of the song "Take Me Out To The Ball Game" which is the third most popular song in the country, trailing only "Happy Birthday" and "The Star Spangled Banner."

As many of you know, "Take Me Out To The Ball Game" was written by Jack Norworth, a man who had never even been to a game before writing the song. Legend has it that Norworth was riding the subway and saw an ad for a game and was inspired to write the lyrics.

Albert Von Tilzer put the music to Norworth's lyrics and created a waltz. It instantly (or as instantly as these things could happen in 1908) became a hit.

But what we know as the song today is only the chorus. Here is the original song:

Katie Casey was base ball mad.
Had the fever and had it bad;
Just to root for the home town crew,
Ev'ry sou Katie blew.
On a Saturday, he 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, your out,
At the old ball game."

So, for those of you who secretly wondered why people already at the game would sing "Take Me Out To The Ball Game" it's because it was from the point of view of a girl who would rather see a game than have her date take her to a show.

Now, that's my kind of dame!

In 1928, Norworth updated the song. Allegedly he did this as the copyright on the original song was running out, but perhaps the fourth line just needed to be replaced. Below are the updated first and third stanzas:

Nelly Kelly love baseball games,
Knew the players, knew all their names,
You could see her there ev'ry day,
Shout "Hurray," when they'd play.
Her boy friend by the name of Joe
Said, "To Coney Isle, dear, let's go,"
Then Nelly started to fret and pout,
And to him I heard her shout.

(chorus)

Nelly Kelly was sure some fan,
She would root just like any man,
Told the umpire he was wrong,
All along, good and strong.
When the score was just two to two,
Nelly Kelly knew what to do,
Just to cheer up the boys she knew,
She made the gang sing this song.

(chorus)

In 1958, Major League Baseball gave Norworth, who in the interim finally got around to seeing a game, a lifetime pass so he could see a game for free anytime he wanted.

To celebrate the centennial of the song, MLB is holding a competition for best performance of the piece. Fans can log on to MLB.com and submit audio or video performances of the song, through May 26th.

A panel will pick the top 10 performances and fans will vote and whittle the list down to three winners, who will get to go to All-Star Game Fan Fest, where a celebrity panel will pick the ultimate winner. That person will sing the song during the 7th inning stretch of this year's All-Star game at Yankees Stadium.

My idea for a video is to get DrDevience, Carol Bengle Gilbert, Charlie Kuchinsky, Donna Porter and Bridgitte Williams to dress up in baseball jerseys and have some eager young chaps come up and try to ask them out on a date. And then have the five of them break out into the song.