Buy Me Some Cracker Jack and a Search History I Can’t Explain: The Story of “Take Me Out to the Ball Game”
- Mark Rosenman
- Jun 9
- 12 min read
Every now and then I stumble into a rabbit hole so deep that I'm convinced my search history is used by Google as part of employee orientation, right after the slide titled, "Yes, These Were All Real Searches."
This latest journey began innocently enough while putting together a presentation for the SABR Baseball Memories Program for our Long Island Chapter. (feel free to join us) If you're not familiar with the program, it's designed to use baseball memories to engage people living with in Assisted living communities. Baseball has a remarkable way of unlocking memories that have been tucked away for decades.
As we were planning the presentation, we thought it might be fun to create our own version of a seventh-inning stretch. The idea was simple: pause midway through the program, play "Take Me Out to the Ball Game," and hand out Cracker Jack to everyone in attendance. Thanks to a generous donation from Long Island Candy, we'll actually be able to do just that.
Simple enough, right?
Then came the question: Which version of "Take Me Out to the Ball Game" should we play?
That's when things got dangerous.
What started as a quick search turned into several late nights of Googling, YouTube surfing, and interrogating Alexa at hours when decent people are usually asleep. Did Frank Sinatra record it? What about Bing Crosby? How about Springsteen ? Surely Barbara Streisand must have done a version. Every answer seemed to lead to three more questions, and before long I had accumulated enough recordings to fill a baseball-themed jukebox.
The deeper I dug, the more fascinated I became. Some versions were heartfelt. Some were funny. Some were surprisingly jazzy. A few sounded like they had been recorded by people who may never have actually seen a baseball game. Yet each one reflected a different era and a different interpretation of what has become baseball's unofficial national anthem.
And that's when I realized what was happening.
I wasn't just looking for a song to play during a SABR presentation.
I was researching my next article.
But before I get to my personal Top 10 recordings—and a few performers I'd still love to hear take a crack at it—it's worth taking a look at the remarkable history behind a song that has somehow survived for more than a century and remains as much a part of baseball as scorecards, hot dogs, and Mets fans convincing themselves that this year will be different.
For starters, "Take Me Out to the Ball Game" is older than Wrigley Field, older than Fenway Park, and older than just about every baseball tradition we hold dear. It was written in 1908 by lyricist Jack Norworth and composer Albert Von Tilzer. The remarkable part? Neither man had ever attended a major league baseball game when they wrote it.
Norworth reportedly got the idea after spotting a sign advertising a ballgame while riding a train through New York. From that simple inspiration came Katie Casey, one of baseball's earliest super fans—a young woman who cared more about getting to the ballpark than anything else. Few people realize that the song's famous chorus is actually part of a larger story centered around Katie, who in 1908 was a pretty revolutionary character. She wasn't there to accompany a boyfriend, show off a new hat, or politely applaud between innings. Katie knew the game, loved the game, and preferred spending her day at the ballpark over just about anything else. More than a century later, Mets fans would recognize her immediately as one of their own.
In fact, sociologists, historians, and students of popular culture could probably spend an entire semester writing a thesis on what Katie Casey represented in 1908 America. At a time when women were still more than a decade away from gaining the right to vote nationally, here was a female character whose passion for baseball was front and center. One wonders how she was viewed by audiences of the day. Was she considered unconventional? Independent? Ahead of her time? Or was she simply the first public example of the kind of baseball fanatic who would later populate the bleachers of Shea Stadium and Citi Field? And while there's no evidence that she inspired Susan Sarandon's unforgettable character Annie Savoy in the movie Bull Durham, it's hard not to see a little Katie Casey DNA in a woman whose knowledge and love of baseball rivaled that of the men around her.
The song became a sensation in vaudeville theaters and on early phonograph records. Through world wars, scandals, expansion, free agency, labor disputes, and enough Yankees championships to test the patience of the rest of humanity, it endured. Somewhere along the way it transformed from a popular tune into a sacred baseball ritual.
Today, whether it's sung at Citi Field, a Little League diamond, a retirement community, or a SABR Baseball Memories gathering on Long Island, those familiar notes still have the power to bring people together. Not bad for a song written by two men who had never actually gone to a ballgame.
#10 – Ozzy Osbourne (August 17, 2003, Wrigley Field)
Before we get to Ozzy, a quick tip of the cap to the late Harry Caray. After Caray turned the seventh-inning stretch into must-see entertainment at Wrigley Field, the Cubs kept the tradition alive by inviting celebrities, athletes, actors, musicians, and occasionally people who appeared to have wandered in from another dimension to lead the crowd in "Take Me Out to the Ball Game."
Which brings us to Ozzy Osbourne.
On August 17, 2003, the self-proclaimed Prince of Darkness and his wife, Sharon, took their turn at the microphone. Calling it a vocal masterpiece would be like calling a Mets bullpen meltdown a strategic masterpiece. Ozzy seemed to be conducting a personal experiment to determine whether the song could survive being run through a blender.
And yet, somehow, I love it.
Maybe it's because Ozzy attacks the song with the same enthusiasm he brought to "Crazy Train." Maybe it's because Sharon appears to be doing everything in her power to keep the performance somewhere between the foul lines. Or maybe it's because baseball is supposed to be fun, and few seventh-inning stretches have generated more smiles than this one.
Is it good? Not even remotely.
Is it memorable? Absolutely.
And that's why it lands at No. 10 on my list.
#9 – Bob Dylan (2006)
If Ozzy's version sounded like a train wreck, Bob Dylan's sounds like the a full head on collision. Recorded for the baseball-themed episode of his Theme Time Radio Hour on May 24, 2006—his 65th birthday—this version is performed entirely a cappella. And when I say performed, I'm using the term loosely.
Dylan doesn't so much sing "Take Me Out to the Ball Game" as casually converse with it. In fact, it makes William Shatner's spoken-word version of Mr. Tambourine Man sound like something delivered by Luciano Pavarotti.(google it if you have never heard it)
And yet, somehow, it works.
That's enough to land him at No. 9 on my list.
#8 – Bruce Springsteen (1973, Binghamton, NY)
This one comes from a live performance on June 13, 1973 at the Broome County Veterans Memorial Arena in Binghamton, New York, when a very young Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band were opening for Chicago.
And somehow—because this is Bruce—“Take Me Out to the Ball Game” makes a brief, unexpected appearance in the setlist, reportedly as a spontaneous moment during the show after a string break, turning what should have been a minor hiccup into a full-on musical detour. It wasn’t polished. It wasn’t planned. And it definitely wasn’t meant to become part of baseball folklore—but here we are anyway.
Now let’s be honest right up front: this is not good.
But here’s the thing.
Any Top 10 list I ever write that has anything to do with music is going to include Bruce Springsteen somewhere. That’s just law. If I were ranking top ten Gregorian chants, I’d still be checking bootlegs in the back of my head thinking, “Did Bruce ever sneak one in somewhere?”
And even when he’s doing something this loose, this off-the-cuff, there’s still something compelling about it—because it’s Bruce, long before he became “The Boss,” already treating a stage like it belongs to him and us at the same time.
So no, it’s not great.
But it is Bruce.
And that alone gets it to No. 8 on the list.
#7– Eddie Vedder (2016 World Series)
As you'll discover throughout this list, I have a soft spot for performers who genuinely love baseball. Few check that box more emphatically than Eddie Vedder.
Vedder, the frontman for Pearl Jam and a lifelong Cubs fan, led the seventh-inning stretch during Game 5 of the 2016 World Series between the Chicago Cubs and the Cleveland Indians.
What makes this performance special isn't just the singing. It's the emotion behind it.
Vedder wisely lets the spirit of Harry Caray lead the way, understanding that at Wrigley Field the song belongs as much to the fans as it does to the guest conductor. He also dedicates the performance to Cubs catcher David Ross, who was playing in the final World Series of his career.
Maybe it's because I'm a fan of Vedder. Maybe it's because the Cubs were chasing a championship that had eluded them for 108 years. Or maybe it's because every note feels authentic. Whatever the reason, this version captures everything the seventh-inning stretch is supposed to be: baseball, tradition, passion, and a ballpark full of hope.
There's just so much to like about this one.
#6 – Aretha Franklin (1996)
This one comes out of the mid-1990s MLB “What a Game” advertising campaign, when baseball decided it wasn’t enough to *be* America’s pastime—it also needed a full-on soundtrack rotation.
The concept was simple: take “Take Me Out to the Ball Game” and reimagine it across different genres and artists for a series of commercials. A bunch of artists took a swing at it, including the Goo Goo Dolls and LL Cool J, each putting their own spin on the national baseball anthem.
And then there was Aretha.
Aretha Franklin doesn’t so much perform the song as she *elevates* it. Even in a short-form commercial version, there’s a sense that the ballpark should probably stand up and applaud before she even finishes the first line. This is not a novelty recording. This is a statement.
Now, look—I understand the Goo Goo Dolls version gets its share of nostalgia love from that era. Fine. But there is no universe, parallel or otherwise, where they outrank the Queen of Soul on any list involving music. That’s just not how physics works.
Aretha brings something else entirely to this song: authority. Grace. Power. And yes—let’s say it together—R-E-S-P-E-C-T.
Even in a playful MLB commercial setting, she turns a ballpark tune into something that feels like it belongs in Carnegie Hall.
And that’s why she lands here at No. 6.
#5 – Yankees Legends with Jack Norworth (1958, The Ed Sullivan Show)
This one is less a performance and more a time capsule with pinstripes.
On April 13, 1958, The Ed Sullivan Show brought together a very unusual combination: Yankees stars Whitey Ford, Yogi Berra, Mickey Mantle, and Bill Skowron, performing “Take Me Out to the Ball Game” on national television.
But what makes this one truly special is everything happening around the edges of it.
During the segment, Yogi Berra takes a moment to send his best wishes to Dodgers catcher Roy Campanella, who had been seriously injured in a car accident earlier that year. It’s one of those unscripted human moments that reminds you baseball history isn’t just statistics—it’s people.
Then, as if that weren’t enough, the song’s actual creator, Jack Norworth, appears alongside them. At 79 years old, Norworth sings the song he wrote in 1908 with Yankees legends on national television, while host Ed Sullivan discusses its origins right there on the broadcast.
Think about that for a second: the creator of the most famous baseball song in America singing next to Mickey Mantle, watching his own work become part of baseball mythology in real time. Norworth would pass away the following year in 1959, which makes this appearance feel even more like a closing chapter than a television segment.
There’s just so much to love here.
Baseball royalty. Music history. Television history. And one of those rare moments where all of it overlaps on the same stage, at the same time, without anybody realizing how important it would feel sixty-eight years later.
That’s why it comes in at No. 5.
#4 – The Marx Brothers (A Night at the Opera, 1935)
If you’re going to rank “Take Me Out to the Ball Game” moments, eventually you land in the land of organized chaos—and nobody organized chaos better than the Marx Brothers.
The moment traces back to the era surrounding A Night at the Opera, released in 1935, when Groucho Marx, Chico Marx, and Harpo Marx were at the peak of their cinematic powers and firmly in control of the one universal law they never broke: if there is structure, destroy it lovingly and immediately.
What makes this so memorable isn’t just the song—it’s the way it becomes background music for total Marx Brothers mayhem. Harpo is off having a catch with Chico as if a baseball game has spontaneously broken out inside the opera. Groucho, meanwhile, is selling peanuts with the confidence of a man who has never once questioned whether he belongs there—and somehow always does.
And nearly 90 years later, it still works. The jokes land, the timing holds, and the whole thing feels just as fresh as it must have in 1935, when audiences were still trying to figure out whether they were watching a baseball gag, a musical number, or just the Marx Brothers doing whatever they wanted.
That’s why it lands at No. 4.
#3 – Ronnie Spector (Personal Connection, 2011)
This one isn’t just a performance. It’s a memory that came full circle.
On August 21, 2011, I had the privilege of hosting Ronnie Spector on my radio show, and somewhere in the middle of the conversation she told a story that stopped me cold—in the best possible way.
Ronnie talked about growing up in a Dodgers household, going to Ebbets Field with her father from the time she was five or six years old. He’d call her “Butchie,” buy her a little hat, turn it sideways, and send her off into the crowd like she was part of the show.
And then came the moment.
He would ask her to sing “Take Me Out to the Ball Game.”
Not just sing it—but perform it. Full crowd participation. Full Ebbets Field soundtrack. A little girl standing in the stands, belting out:
“Buy me some peanuts and Cracker Jack…”
And the crowd would respond.
Imagine that for a second: Ebbets Field, and a six- or seven-year-old Ronnie Spector essentially becoming part of the ballpark experience itself. Her father encouraging her every step of the way, the fans applauding, and a memory forming that would stick with her for life—and maybe even help shape the voice that would one day lead The Ronettes and land her in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.
It’s one of those rare baseball stories where the song stops being just tradition and becomes personal history.
And for me, hearing her sing even a fragment of it on the radio… it felt like the song had come back around to where it started: not in a stadium, but in a father-and-daughter moment that had nothing to do with fame and everything to do with love, music, and memory.
That’s why it belongs here at No. 3.
#2 – Mets Booth Sings at Citi Field (2025)
On August 26, 2025, at Citi Field, something happened that probably should’ve been illegal in at least six states: the Mets broadcast booth tried to sing.
As part of a celebration marking 20 years together in the booth, Gary Cohen, Keith Hernandez, and Ron Darling took on “Take Me Out to the Ball Game” in front of a packed house. The introductions were handled by Colin Cosell, who deserves credit for maintaining complete composure while essentially serving as ringmaster for controlled chaos.
Now, let’s be honest: Keith and Ron played baseball significantly better than they sang. That is not an insult—it is simply a documented fact of science. But they are Mets royalty, and at Citi Field, that still counts for something. So they get a pass.
What makes this moment so perfect is exactly that combination: affection, history, and just enough musical uncertainty to remind you that not everyone in baseball is hired for their vocal range.
There’s something incredibly Mets about it, too. A little funny, a little heartfelt, a little unpredictable—and somehow it all works anyway, so this one definitely belongs near the top of the list.
#1 – Frank Sinatra & Gene Kelly (1949)
If you were going to design the Mount Rushmore of “Take Me Out to the Ball Game” performances, you could save yourself a lot of time and just carve these two faces into the mountain and call it a day.
This version comes from the 1949 MGM musical Take Me Out to the Ball Game, starring two absolute giants of the era: Frank Sinatra and Gene Kelly.
The film itself is pure Busby Berkeley Hollywood fantasy baseball—set in the early 20th century, it follows a pair of vaudeville-style baseball players who somehow manage to juggle double duty as entertainers and athletes. Because, of course they do. This is MGM in its golden age, where realism politely steps aside so song-and-dance numbers can take the field.
Sinatra and Kelly, both at or near the peak of their fame, turn “Take Me Out to the Ball Game” into something more than a novelty number. It becomes a showcase: charm, timing, chemistry, and that effortless star power that made both men icons of American entertainment.
And really, how could it not be No. 1?
You’ve got Sinatra, arguably the defining male vocalist of the 20th century. You’ve got Gene Kelly, arguably the defining male dancer of the 20th century. And you’ve got a song that has defined baseball for over a century.
Put that combination together and the result isn’t really a question—it’s an answer.
This isn’t just the best version on the list. It’s the one everything else is measured against.
And in a way, it’s fitting. Because long before seventh-inning stretches became tradition, long before celebrity guest conductors at Wrigley or Citi Field, Hollywood had already figured out what baseball fans still know today:
When the right people sing this song, it stops being a song.
It becomes baseball.
And now the only thing left to do is hand it over to the crowd—because this is one of those baseball debates that doesn’t have a right answer, only strong opinions and louder arguments. I know I probably missed a few of your favorites, and I’m sure a couple of my picks will get booed louder than a blown call at first base in October. So I want to hear it: what’s your Top 10 “Take Me Out to the Ball Game” moments? Drop them in the comments, and let’s see who really belongs in the lineup.
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