“As a celebration of the magic of movies involving baseball, at least one scene from a different film will be posted each day for the next nine days…”
—From “Top of the First” March 28th

The story behind the Seventh Inning Stretch is not absolutely known. Here is an excerpt from an April 30, 2007 Yahoo! Voices article written by Beth Anderson Goldman, “The Origins of the 7th Inning Stretch,” as part of the Yahoo! Contributor Network.

As far back as 1869 there is a letter from baseball pioneer Harry Wright of the first professional baseball team, the Cincinnati Red Stockings saying, “the spectators all arise between halves of the seventh inning, extend their legs and arms and sometimes walk about. In so doing they enjoy the relief afforded by relaxation from a long posture upon hard benches.”

Urban legends also surround this ritual, even including former President William Howard Taft. Despite the fact the precise moment when this tradition began cannot be pinpointed, fans and casual observers alike are familiar with this celebratory pause in action. Perhaps the most famous of all baseball announcers, within the realm of popular culture, was Harry Caray of the Chicago Cubs. Caray himself was almost as well-known as his trademark glasses, with that large, thick black frame. Will Ferrell perfected that impersonation for SNL viewers.

Harry Caray was iconic. As a tribute to the man and legend, I encourage you to travel back in time, stand up and stretch for a minute, while enjoying his rendering of “Take Me Out to the Ballgame.”