Chicago Cubs No Longer Inviting Celebrities to Sing Seventh Inning Stretch
By Josh Hill
Chicago is all about tradition and few traditions run deeper than anything associated with the Chicago Cubs. But the ballclub is making a controversial move in hopes that it can restore some Chicago pride to a long standing tradition, as the Cubs will no longer be inviting celebrities to sing the 7th Inning Stretch.
Now, before you get too upset, he Cubs made it clear that they aren’t banning celebrities from singing the 7th Inning Stretch, they just have to be from Chicago in order to be able to do it. So while this means the Vince Vaughn’s and Gary Sinise’s of the world can still belt out baseball’s national anthem, we won’t get another classic Ozzy Osbourne moment.
Cubs in-game programming director Jim Oboikowitch said that the last few years has seen the 7th Inning Stretch get a little out of control in terms of who the club is allowing to sing. He told the Associated Press that the focus on Chicago based celebrities returns the tradition to it’s honest Chicago roots.
"Oboikowitch said the new plan calls for handing the microphone over to people like former Cubs players and various Chicago celebrities like actors Vince Vaughn and Gary Sinise. Always welcome would be any member of the 1985 Super Bowl champion Bears, of course.– AP"
The ‘Chicago Code’ for allowing celebrities to sing Take Me Out to the Ballgame will likely remain loose in terms of what’s considered Chicago. Pearl Jam frontman Eddie Vedder is a massive Cubs fan and is from nearby Evanston, IL., which means he’ll likely be back.
But Ozzy Osbourne lacks Chicago roots, which means unless Nick Offerman or Bill Murray show up completely blitzed, we won’t get another classically awful moment like this:
It could be the case where the Cubs are saying they’re the ones kicking non-Chicago celebrities out, but chances are their atrocious record the last few years isn’t selling too many people on being associated with the team. But thus is the life of a Cubs fan, and here’s to holding out hop Mike Ditka comes back and blesses the fine folks at Wrigley with another masterful rendition of baseball’s national anthem.