Take me out with the crowd
In a sad and tragic news week, one smaller sad story: former Phillies organist Paul Richardson died Monday at age 74 (more here from the Inky).
The recorded sound effects they play at ball games now can be fun, and the repertoire of pop songs is finally expanding beyond Gary Glitter's "Rock and Roll," but there's still nothing like a stadium organ for pumping up the crowd, and the home team, and making you feel like you're at a ball game.
And Richardson was good, even if sometimes his timing was odd (two out, bases empty, Phillies down by four and Calvin Maduro batting isn't really the right scenario for that "DUM dum dum dum" rally music).
You can hear Paul Richardson's delightful stretch-time version of "Take Me Out to the Ball Game" here. I sang along with that version dozens of times at the Vet and at Citizens Bank Park and I'm sorry I won't get to do that again.
Two brief Paul Richardson memories: During the '90s, my friends and I had these epic annual video scavenger hunts called "FilmQuest." The official list was 50+ pages long and it included a lot of high-point-value items that we figured nobody could ever possibly do, things like "Team member playing 'Heart and Soul' on the Veterans Stadium organ during a Phillies game.'" But somewhere around here I have a videotape of my friend Amy scoring 1,000 points for her team doing exactly that -- her playing the bass part with Richardson playing the melody. He was, as always, gracious and a good sport.
A few years after that, I heard Paul Richardson play an entire concert of organ music, although not by choice. I was rehearsing some Bad Dinner Theater at a banquet facility somewhere in Primos, Pa. That same night, in the adjacent room, Richardson was the Special Guest Performer for the monthly meeting of a group called something like the Delaware County Organ Enthusiasts Club. Shouting over the enthusiastically cheesy Tin Pan Alley classics blaring next door turned out to be good preparation for shouting over the drunken audiences who would eventually come to see our own enthusiastically cheesy production of an "interactive murder-mystery comedy." It wasn't an ideal rehearsal situation, but it was also kind of fun, interrupting our run-through to sing along with the crowd on the other side of the wall on "The Daring Young Man on the Flying Trapeze."
Anyway, rest in peace, Paul Richardson. And thank you.
(Note: You may have noticed that I've tip-toed around the subject of baseball here without mentioning the current playoffs. I kept meaning to post something back in May when a certain team took control of the NL East, but they kept winning and I started to worry about jinxing them. Now, with only 2/5 of their starting rotation healthy, they're up two games to none in the first round and I'm not about to risk posting something at this point.)
Wait wait wait. You write about attending "dozens" of games at the Vet and CBP, and then you cop to being a Mets fan?
Jeez, Fred, and I thought you were a good person.
Posted by: Carl | Oct 06, 2006 at 11:14 AM
If it's the team I'm thinking of, their pitching rotation is already being held together by duct tape and chiken wire (and Tom Glavine) could you really possibly jinx them any further?
Posted by: Jeff G. | Oct 06, 2006 at 11:23 AM
Post something, dammit, I'm a Dodger fan!
P.S. Oh, and my offer of a wager is rescinded.
Posted by: Steve | Oct 06, 2006 at 11:51 AM
Regarding that team, Fred, I always knew there was a reason I liked you. Now if that other team -- the one in the other league that plays in the same city -- would just crash and burn, I'd be a really happy camper.
Posted by: pat greene | Oct 06, 2006 at 02:01 PM
Fenway was never the same after John Kiley died, nor the old Garden with him playing 'Paree' for the Bruins. No amount of "Sweet Caroline" can make up for that loss.
Every kid my age in Boston knew the trivia question 'Name the only man to ever play for the Red Sox, Bruins and Celtics.'
Sherm Feller and John Kiley will always be the real Red Sox soundtrack.
Posted by: Davis X. Machina | Oct 06, 2006 at 03:35 PM
They won, Fred. You can post about them.
Posted by: pat greene | Oct 08, 2006 at 12:15 AM
The Mets suck.
Actually, John Depodesta sucks.
Posted by: Steve | Oct 08, 2006 at 10:41 AM
A short but topical poem...
Eliminated:
What a sweet word to describe
The New York Yankees.
And congrats to the Mets. I wish them luck: they will need it.
Posted by: Lucia | Oct 08, 2006 at 11:39 AM
Why am I always the last to know these things? No one could play "C-H-A-R-G-E" like him....
Posted by: yank in london | Oct 10, 2006 at 02:33 PM