As the days grow longer and the weather gets warmer, children urge their parents to run outside, play catch and go to a baseball game. On Friday, April 18, "The House That Ruth Built" will celebrate its 85th anniversary. On that day in 1923, more than 74,000 adults and children cheered the New York Yankees, their new stadium and Babe Ruth as he used his magic bat and hit a game-winning three-run homer into the right field bleachers. Fred Lieb, reporter for the New York Evening Telegram gave the new stadium its nickname "The House That Ruth Built".
A number of tunes are associated with the sport including Take Me Out to the Ballgame, Yankee's Revenge, Baseball Game and Baseball Kids. Richard Adler and Jerry Ross wrote a Faustian themed musical comedy Damn Yankees which ran on Broadway for 1,019 performances in the 1950's. It is noted for its memorable song "Whatever Lola Wants".
1908, the year in which the Westport Public Library opened on the Post Road, is also the year that Take Me Out to the Ballgame was written by Albert von Tilzer and Jack Norworth. Although the composer and lyricist never attended a game, it became the unofficial theme song of the sport.
"Take me out to the ballgame
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."
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If you’re a seasoned baseball fan, or any pro sport for that matter, you’ve probably heard the expression “holding a city for ransom.” In general terms, this means that team ownership is always on the lookout for increased profits, even if they’re shelling out as much in payroll as teams like the Los Angeles Dodgers, Boston Red Sox and New York Yankees. They will threaten to pull their team out of the city and move elsewhere unless the city and its taxpaying base meet the team’s demands. Nearly without fail, this demand is the greatest way to create “buzz” that brings the fans out in droves: building a new stadium. This may seem like an expensive endeavor, but not necessarily for ownership. New stadiums are, in fact, financed by taxpayers like you and me. In a very interesting USA Today story, you can get a sense of how astronomical the numbers can be. According to Gary Thorne, “The Yankees have already received $942 million in tax-exempt bonds for the construction of the new Yankee Stadium. They are seeking another $366 million in such bonds.” It’s all paid for by Joe Taxpayer. Congressional Subcommittee Chair Dennis Kucinich (D-Ohio) nails it by saying this ransoming is a “transfer of wealth from the many taxpayers to a few wealthy owners.” If you value pro sports as much as I do, you may see this as a necessary evil, but Congress wants to change that system. When it comes to financing, it doesn’t seem fair. Honestly, if you take out payday installment loans, do you expect someone else to pay them back for you? No, and neither should baseball owners. Let’s hope this system of highway robbery gets fixed before average fans can no longer afford to follow their favorite sport. Click to read more on payday installment loans.
Posted by Lisa P | November 25, 2008 3:58 AM
Posted on November 25, 2008 03:58