TDMMC March Madness - LEGENDS - Cheeseheads vs. 7th Inning Stretch

[Dave Gray]

Wiki: The original display of a "cheesehead" hat was at a Milwaukee Brewers vs. Chicago White Sox game in 1987.[8] It was handmade by Ralph Bruno out of foam while he was cutting up his mother's couch. It was made popular by center-fielder Rick Manning, who saw the hat while playing.[9] Bruno started a business to sell the hats as novelties. The "Cheesehead" trademark is owned by Foamation, Inc. of St. Francis, Wisconsin, which began manufacture of the wearable, foam "Cheesehead" in 1987. It has also been referred to as a "Cheese Hat" since it is legally a hat.[10]

Wiki: In modern baseball, standing up and singing "Take Me Out to the Ball Game" during the seventh-inning stretch is a popular tradition. The 1908 Tin Pan Alley standard was written by vaudeville star Jack Norworth, who had ironically never attended an actual baseball game prior to writing the song.[4]

There is no certain date when the tradition began, but the practice gained exceptional notoriety from broadcaster Harry Caray. Caray would sing the song 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 famed baseball promoter, 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 James Belushi, John Cusack, Mike Ditka, Michael J. Fox, Bill Murray, Dan Patrick, Ozzy Osbourne, Eddie Vedder, Mr. T and Billy Corgan.

[Phishfan]

I once flew to Charlotte behind a guy wearing his cheesehead the entire flight. The packers were playing the Panthers on MNF. I thought it was rather goofy but you can't argue against a guy traveling and being excited about MNF. That song while a staple, was also terriblt oerformed when I heard it usually. Cheesehead gets my vote.

[Dave Gray]

I like the Cheesehead, but it seems like it's heavily marketed and sold as a product, which makes it less special.

I don't really feel like the 7th inning stretch belongs to the Cubs, though.  And any extra breaks in a baseball game get a thumbs down from me.

Cheeseheads!

[el diablo]

27 years later and you can find them in almost any WI convenience store. Gotta go with the Cheeseheads.

[Sunstroke]

Buy me some peanuts and Cracker Jacks...

[Brian Fein]

The most die-hard Packers' fans don't acknowledge the existence of the cheesehead.  They say its only for tourists.

Harry Caray for the win!

[Phishfan]

^^^ So you decided to add another song huh?

[Dave Gray]

I think that one of these is very cool and one is very lame.  I'm very surprised by the result.

[Brian Fein]

I think its different when there's a performance of a song, a.k.a. a guy or some star or someone singing it, as opposed to "fans tend to sing some song at these games"

To me, "take me out to the ball game" is one of the most applicable traditions in all of sports.