5 most infamous seventh-inning stretch performances in Cubs history

Chicago Cubs: One thing is for certain, not all celebrity guests that sing at Wrigley Field are professional singers and/or baseball fans.

Few things gave Chicago baseball fans more joy than listening to the late Harry Caray sing “Take Me Out to the Ballgame” during the seventh-inning stretch for many years. Caray did it at Comiskey Park for a while before coming over to the Cubs, where he broadcasted from 1982-1997. He passed away on February 18, 1998.

Since Caray passed, the Cubs have brought in a wide variety of celebrities. Some big-name Cubs fans like Bill Murray, Eddie Vedder, Nick Offerman or Vince Vaughn have participated numerous times. Other times they bring in coaches and players from the Bears, Bulls, Blackhhawks or local college programs within the state to lead the Wrigley faithful in the timeless tune. Then you get your mix of random celebrities who have no connections to the Cubs or baseball.

Let’s just say the quality of performances has really varied. Sometimes the singing itself is not what makes the performance memorable, but who the person doing the singing is, or the circumstances of the game. Since 1998 there have been a handful of performances that stand out for various reasons. Here is a look at 5 infamous seventh-inning stretch performances.

Chicago Cubs: In arguably the most infamous game in Cubs history, a comedic legend gave some fans a bad omen.

Game 6 of the 2003 NLCS. We all know the story of how close the Cubs were in the eighth inning and what unfolded. Just a half-inning before the historic meltdown, the late comedian and Chicago native Bernie Mac took the mic to lead the seventh-inning stretch.

Mac, a noted diehard White Sox fan, sported a blue Cubs jacket and began to hype up the crowd at Wrigley Field. He started yelling the words, “Champs! Champs!” Then he changed the lyrics to the song a bit:

“Let me root, root, root for the champs! CHAMPS! If they don’t win it’s a shame…” -Bernie Mac

Superstitious fans got pits in their stomachs. Did Mac just declare the Cubs the champs even though the game was not over? Had the Cubs won that night, nobody would have thought twice about it. Considering what ended up happening, it became a part of the story. Even though it is all pretty silly, there was no shortage of paranoia surrounding the Cubs and jinxes/curses at the time.

In the end, it’s impossible to be mad at Mac. He was an entertainer and he was doing his thing. The Cubs did not surrender eight runs in the eighth inning because of the stretch. What is still baffling is why the Cubs brought in a celebrity who was a massive White Sox fan and was probably secretly rooting for the Marlins. Who knows.

Chicago Cubs: Never had fans heard ‘Take Me Out to the Ballgame” sung so fast.

July 5, 1998. NFL Hall of Famer and Chicago Bears legend Mike Ditka was slated to do the stretch at Wrigley Field. When the top of the seventh ended…Ditka was not in the booth. Broadcasters Chip Caray and Steve Stone had to improvise. Stone grabbed the mic and announced to the crowd that he and his partner were going to have to sing if Ditka did not show up within the next moment. Fans booed the fact that it looked like they were not going to hear Ditka sing the stretch.

Stone and organist Gary Pressey geared up for the first notes of the song when there was a pause. Ditka was storming in as fast as he could into the press box. “Here he comes, hold on,” said Stone. The crowd cheered. Finally, the guest of honor emerged and went straight towards Stone who announced his arrival. Without a word, he grabbed the mic right from Stone’s hand and immediately yelled, “A one! And a two! And a three!”

It only took roughly 27 seconds for Ditka to belt out the entire song in a high-pitch yell. Pressey could barely keep up the organ tune with him. The footage from the WGN broadcast shows Caray and other media members inside laughing during the performance. He put the mic down, raised his arm as the packed house at Wrigley Field roared.

Chicago Cubs: NASCAR driver Jeff Gordon will never live this one down

Jeff Gordon is one of America’s most accomplished racecar drivers and a fan-favorite among NASCAR followers. However his performance during the seventh-inning stretch at Wrigley Field on May 24, 2005 was comparable to a 20-car pileup at Talladega.

“It’s great to be here at Wrigley Stadium.”

Yikes. It would be one thing if it were a modern day ballpark with a corporate-sponsored name…but this was one of baseball’s iconic and historic ballparks. Imagine saying “Yankee Park” or “Fenway Field”. Then the actual singing came and the lyrics were a bit scrambled and did not go along with the tune from the organ. Eventually, he stopped altogether and he chuckled as the crowd booed. Pressey continued to play the organ and Gordon eventually signaled and mumbled “One, two, three strikes you’re out” part of the song.

He enthusiastically said, “Let’s get some runs!” after the song ended as fans continued to boo. It was about 45 seconds worth of pure cringe. Gordon clearly did not know much about the Cubs or how to sing the song, but he was a good sport about it. One could only imagine the pressure of singing before a packed house at Wrigley Field. Do not think Gordon is going to be doing this again.

Befoe we go to number one, here are some honorable mentions:

• Mr T on 5/25/2009 – “I pity the Pirates!”
• Scottie Pippen in pennant clincher – Hopefully a singing career is not his next venture
• Bill Murray in Game 3 of the 2016 World Series – We will allow it, no matter how strange it is

Chicago Cubs: At least Ozzy Osbourne was enthusiastic about it.

Heavy metal superstar Ozzy Osbourne and his wife Sharon visited Wrigley Field on August 17, 2003. The two were both going to be in the both singing the stretch. When the time came, Osbourne was introduced over the public address system as the two stood next to Steve Stone in the booth. Osbourne hyped up the crowd, asking “Are you ready? I can’t hear you! Are you ready?”

“One, two, three…”

*Untranslatable mumbling to the tune of ‘Take Me Out to the Ballgame’*

*Something that sounded like, “I don’t remember what I have to do” followed by more mumbling*

*WGN cameras pan to crowd laughing*

“One, two, three strikes you’re out at the old ballgame! Hey!”

Safe to assume Osbourne did not know much about baseball or the Cubs being a heavy metal rockstar from England. This performance was all over the news later that evening and the next day. Even with the confusion, both the Osbournes appeared to have fun and everyone had a good laugh. Osbourne was born to entertain, and he certainly did that.

The Cubs have elected to scale back the celebrity appearances and play Harry Caray on the video board more often. Sometimes they play Ernie Banks or Ron Santo singing as well. At the end of the day that is probably what the fans want.