July 17, 2005

All hits. Music, that is.

"Take Me Out to the Ball Game?" That's old school. At ballparks today, you'll hear tunes as hot as the players themselves.

By Melanie D.G. Kaplan

If you walked out of a Major League ballpark a couple of decades ago with a tune in your head, chances are it was "Take Me Out to the Ball Game" or a "day-o, day-aay-o" from the organ player. These days, it's just as likely to be a song by Kanye West or Lynyrd Skynyrd. Thanks to batter stings, or intro clips, which play as batters walk up to home plate, fans now hear a variety of music snippets during the game.

Musical intros are "a way for fans to identify their favorite players with a song, and it helps pump up the players."

"The music intros are similar to ones used by a heavyweight fighter when making his way to the ring," says Kirby Kander, director of ballpark entertainment for the Houston Astros. "It's a way for fans to identify their favorite players with a song, and it helps pump up the players."

Sometimes the songs -- often chosen by a player himself -- have something to do with the player's name or number. The Colorado Rockies blare Madonna's "Holiday" for left fielder Matt Holliday. The Pittsburgh Pirates play the Rolling Stones' "Jumpin' Jack Flash" for shortstop Jack Wilson.

The clips date back to 1977, when an organist in Toronto decided to introduce a Blue Jays batter by piping out some music. When teams started using recorded music, they played it off vinyl. But now the music is delivered digitally, so it's just a matter of hitting a key labeled with the player's name when he's announced. San Francisco Giants second baseman Ray Durham comes up with a new CD of five songs at least once a month.

Some players have been known to change their tune if they're in a slump. Others change it every game because they like the variety. Boston Red Sox left fielder Manny Ramirez has a different song for each at-bat. "At the end of every season, we could put together a three-disc set of [Manny's] songs," says Danny Kischel, manager of scoreboard and video production.

Major League Baseball rules state that the clips should start "immediately after the public address announcement and should stop when the batter reaches the dirt cutout surrounding home plate." Depending on a player's stride, the music might last only a few seconds, or it might go on for half a minute. To keep the songs family-friendly, teams sometimes use an instrumental version to avoid explicit lyrics.

But there are also unspoken rules. For example, Garth Brooks and Tim McGraw may be hits at Turner Field in Atlanta, but country doesn't go over well in New York. "It's Top 40 here," says Vito Vitiello, producer of video and entertainment services for the Mets.

Musical taste also evolves: Cincinnati traditionally has been a classic-rock ballpark, but an influx of Hispanic players has meant an increase in Latin songs like Celia Cruz's "La Vida Es un Carnaval" and Juanes' "A Dios le Pido."

Some players want their intros music-free. Texas Rangers third baseman Hank Blalock walks up in silence at his own request. And Jose Lima produced his own intro song in 2000 when he played for the Astros. But what goes around comes around. Fans still get charged up with an old-fashioned "Charge!" And there's nothing like live music, so later this season, Toronto's going retro and reintroducing an organist.

Freelancer Melanie D.G. Kaplan is a regular contributor to USA WEEKEND Magazine. She recently wrote the cover story on actress Lindsay Lohan.