FanHouse Harry Caray

For those who don't know, ever since the passing of beloved broadcaster Harry Caray, the Cubs have had a "guest conductor" sing the seventh-inning stretch for every home game. At first, it was a great way of honoring the man many of us grew up with. Now, it's totally played and you can argue it tarnishes the memory of Harry more than glorifying it. Witness the latest embarrassment below: Denise Richards trying to sing in Wrigley Field (Friday afternoon).

The Chicago Cubs will be having their home opener at Wrigley Field on Monday afternoon, or at least they're hoping to. You see, the weather in Chicago right now includes a lot of rain in the area all day, so there's a pretty good chance that the game may be rained out. If this does happen, you can be sure that there will be some Cubs fans making the joke, or being serious, that this is the latest omen of the curse against the team.

Of course, Opening Day rainouts can only happen to the Cubs because they're cursed. (It's not like Opening Day for the White Sox was snowed out or anything.) This sounds incredibly stupid, I know, but there are Cubs fans who would actually believe it to be true. They believe in Billy Goat curses and Steve Bartman, and now these same fans (morons?) also apparently believe that hanging dead goats from Harry Caray statues will bring a World Series to Chicago.

Wednesday night, a crime against Wrigley Field, and humanity, occurred. Sullying one of the great reputations in baseball, ESPN journalists personalities Mike Greenberg and Mike Golic threw out the first pitch and sang the seventh-inning stretch in the Cubs' 7-4 win over the Orioles. OK, so it wasn't that bad. But it was slightly dubious -- just what business do ESPN employees have screaming "Let's get some runs!" at a Chicago Cubs game?

As a cure -- a cure for all the bad versions of the song, the slow celebrities, the sketchy selections -- Goatriders make a simple proposal: have Ron Santo sing every anthem.

It makes sense. Santo, for all his faults, is in many ways the spiritual successor to Harry Caray -- the bumbling, silly, lovable man in the (radio) booth. Give him the microphone, and make the insanity stop. No more of this. For the love of God.

I just noticed Will's post at Deadspin today pointing out that today is the ten year anniversary of Harry Caray's death, and it got me thinking about one of the saddest developments in sports these days, the disappearance of the old time baseball announcer. With TV the way it is, there's no room for characters like Jack Buck or Caray these days, and we're left with polished, homogeneous announcers like their sons, who work for either the teams themselves or a network and just don't elicit the same emotional reaction that a someone like Caray or Bob Prince or Ernie Harwell can. We've still got Vin Scully and Bob Uecker, but they won't be around forever, either.

Anyways, in memory of Caray today, I've got one of my favorite YouTube videos posted above of Harry leading Wrigley Field in a "Take Me Out to the Ballgame." If you're looking for more, Home Run Derby's got a great post up about a random phone call to Caray. If there's one thing we can all learn from these recent steroid developments, it's that baseball takes itself way too seriously and could use some more characters like Caray.

This is why YouTube is the greatest invention ever. (The wheel? Yeah right.)

Here for you are five separate clips (first one via Fark) of Bill Murray filling in for Harry Caray during a Cubs broadcast in April of 1987. Steve Stone holds his own here and basically acts as a prompt for Murray's stand-up comedy routine.

The above clip is the pregame rundown and the four after the jump are at various points throughout the game.

Drop what you're doing at once and dive in, folks. This is of far more importance than whatever else you could be doing at the moment.

That's Harry Caray and Steve Stone back in 1984 immediately after the Cubs clinched their first playoff berth in 39 years. You think there's too much money spent on sports marketing these days? I'm guessing Budweiser paid a pretty sum to have Stone not only hold a can of Budweiser but also take special care to display the label for the camera, wear a Budweiser wind breaker and make a show out of taking a swig and sharing it with Caray.

(Arm-bash to Home Run Derby and Mr. Irrelevant)

Previously on FanHouse:
Harry Caray Wants to Sell You Some Pizza

Anyone who has ever seen the late great Harry Caray sing the seventh inning stretch during a Cubs baseball game knows just how distinctive and resonant his performances were. The old man may or may not have been soused on pre-game Old Style's, but he came strong no matter what.

Since his death, various celebrities and notables have stood in for him to deliver the stretch. Recently, Notre Dame coach Charlie Weis contributed to the legacy. Sadly, it was more like a lullaby than Caray's impassioned and rousing stretches. Hopefully the video will hit YouTube but for now, see this link and watch the video.

Where was his football coach voice? This was more like he was singing to his daughter than to the assembled 40,000 at Wrigley. At least the offensive mentality shines through. After completing the ballad, Weis shouts "let's score some runs!"

Indeed.

(Via: SportsByBrooks)

Even if Julian Tavarez doesn't know who Ernie Banks is, every Cub fan does. That's "Mr. Cub," the man whose enthusiasm for the ancient rite of Wrigley daytime doubleheaders spawned a catchphrase used the league over ("Let's play two!").

So it's only fitting that perhaps the greatest player -- or at least the most beloved -- in Cubs history is going to get the lasting recognition he deserves. By Opening Day 2008, the Cubs will have built an Ernie Banks statue outside Wrigley Field, similar to the ubiquitous Michael Jordan statue at the United Center.

The statue's location is as of yet unknown, but you'd have to think it will likely go somewhere near the Harry Caray statue currently at Wrigley, which is good, because Harry gets drunk and lonely over there. Ernie can keep him some company.

So congrats, Mr. Cub. Here's to a lasting legacy, whether that Tavarez dude realizes it or not.

Previously on the FanHouse:
Julian Tavarez: 'Who's Ernie Banks?'