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Home » Blogs » cubsnet's blog

Cubs Fans Boo Gordon

May 24, 2005 by cubsnet

There have been many occasions over the last several years that have provided the Cubs with strong hints that it would be a good idea to get rid of 7th inning stretch guest singer program. Mike Ditka's first crazy man performance. Steve McMichael threatening umpire Angel Hernandez with bodily injury. Ozzy Osbourne's incoherent rambling.

Add what happened tonight to that list. Cubs fans are now booing the help. NASCAR star Jeff Gordon was the guest singer of "Take Me Out to the Ball Game" tonight. He started off on a much different pace than the organ. He then forgot the words, or didn't know them to begin with.

Many fans at Wrigley Field tonight promptly began booing Gordon in the middle of the song. Loudly. The booing lasted until the end of the song, and beyond.

Len Kasper and Bob Brenly, when interviewing Gordon in the bottom half of the inning, prudently stayed away from the subject. They didn't even talk baseball with him at all.

When a 13-year-old girl froze up singing the National Anthem at a Portland Trailblazers game in 2003, coach Maurice Cheeks went up, stood next to her, and began singing the song with her.

Gordon needed a Maurice Cheeks tonight. What he got was thousands of fans whose class had escaped them.

UPDATE (12/7/2006 12:35am): Here's the painful video:

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How Do You Replace It?

May 25, 2005 by Marc Velazquez, 4 years 42 weeks ago
Comment id: 171

It's one thing to drop the "special guest" singer, but the fans are going to want something. When I went to Daytona Beach to watch the Cubs minor league team, they played a tape of Harry Carey's version.

I suppose if they (at Wrigley Field) just had the mighty Wurlitzer (or whatever organ they have) play the song and put the lyrics up on the display panels, then that would be OK. I don't see them changing in mid-season, though, so expect a few more incidents until September.

If a celebrity accepts an offer for this exalted honor, then they should do a better job than Gordon did of preparing. Or show up like Ozzy and not care (or don't even know where you're at or how you got there). The girl at the Trailblazer game was a much different circumstance. They have a link to the video at the Trailblazer site if you want to see it, as well as the story about it.

Was Otis the batboy again last night? If so, expect him to be there until they lose at home.

[Funny how 3 out of 5 of your Goooogle ads on the side are Gordon related.]

If a celebrity accepts an off

May 25, 2005 by cubsnet, 4 years 42 weeks ago
Comment id: 173

If a celebrity accepts an offer for this exalted honor, then they should do a better job than Gordon did of preparing.

Agreed. And I'm not sure how much Gordon would like my comparison of what happened to him with what happened to a 13-year-old girl. But that doesn't excuse the booing.

Gordon

May 25, 2005 by racegirl12, 4 years 42 weeks ago
Comment id: 175

I agree, when a celebrity has accepted an offer such as this they need to be fully prepared. Unfortunately, he made a fool of himself because of that. On the otherhand, so did the fans that booed him. They should have shown more respect and class than that.

THE fans

May 25, 2005 by myloulou, 4 years 42 weeks ago
Comment id: 176

you have to take inconsideration the cub fans
they are pigs
and probably dont know it them selves. cub fans are the
worst fans in the world
yuck

myloulou, there is no justifi

May 25, 2005 by cubsnet, 4 years 42 weeks ago
Comment id: 177

myloulou, there is no justification for lumping in all Cubs fans together for the acts of a few.

justifying a few

May 25, 2005 by myloulou, 4 years 42 weeks ago
Comment id: 182

from what i saw i was more than a few, where were you, why didnt you
go and help
what kind of cub fan are you?
oh? never mind we all know what cub fans are made of

Even if it was all the fans a

May 25, 2005 by cubsnet, 4 years 42 weeks ago
Comment id: 183

Even if it was all the fans at Wrigley last night, that's still just a "few" compared to the multitude of Cubs fans who were not at Wrigley last night.

As for where I was, I was at home watching on TV.

booing

May 26, 2005 by scarlett, 4 years 42 weeks ago
Comment id: 194

Yes, I agree 100 percent.

Actually the CUBS fans made m

May 26, 2005 by scarlett, 4 years 42 weeks ago
Comment id: 195

Actually the CUBS fans made more fools of themselves than anything. Just shows what kinds of people are there.

booing

May 25, 2005 by ToughGuy, 4 years 42 weeks ago
Comment id: 178

I was there, 4th row right under the press box. The booing stemmed from a perceived lack of respect for the fun tradition, and blowing through the song so fast that he screwed up the organist. Plus you could barely hear him, he was way back in the booth and didn't lean forward and wave to the crowd, and worst of all he called it "Wrigley Stadium". Wrong thing to say to a bunch of boozed-up Cubs fans. In his defense, he was terribly nervous, but nobody knew that. It was a little bit like Rosanne Barr doing the national anthem in San Diego in '90, at least the way the crowd saw it. There isn't a stadium in the US that wouldn't have booed.

It's a tradition and it should stay, obnoxious at times as it might be. We need to keep it, if for no other reason than to honor Harry. Every time I hear some C-list hack up there I think back to Harry's enthusiastic warbling.

Thanks for the first-hand per

May 25, 2005 by cubsnet, 4 years 42 weeks ago
Comment id: 181

Thanks for the first-hand perspective. And you're right, I suspect, when you say that every other stadium would have booed as well.

BOOING

May 26, 2005 by scarlett, 4 years 42 weeks ago
Comment id: 190

He didn't even have to come there, why and how could they boo him. Just shows the intelligence of the people at the cubs game. He came there to make an appearance, if I was him I would stay FAR away from those people and come on home back east loves him!!!!

Respect

May 26, 2005 by gordonsgirl24, 4 years 42 weeks ago
Comment id: 189

To those who are Cubs and non-Cubs Fans. I was reading this article and I was shocked to hear the treatment that was done to Jeff Gordon when he went to the game to sing and I will tell you that being a Jeff Gordon Fan I was not happy with the way he was being treated. Jeff was to do something special for this particular event and that is what he did and may not sing like a perfessional but that is no reason for Baseball fans to Boo him. In my opinion this was uncalled for. You all need to have a little more repsect for a racecar driver then what was should at the stadium. Just because does something different then what they are used to doing that does not mean that you should treat them any different. When fans booed Jeff I am sure Jeff felt uncomfortable about singing especially since he did not know all the words to the song. Just imagine if you were Jeff Gordon and you had do what he did. I think you would know how it felt. you just don't know half off it. If I had booed Jeff I would have been ashamed of my self after all that.

More reaction to this story:

May 25, 2005 by cubsnet, 4 years 42 weeks ago
Comment id: 174

More reaction to this story:

Scott at Northside Lounge notes that Gordon admitted a few days ago he didn't know the words to the song.

Bleed Cubbie Blue agrees that it's time to get rid of the guest singer program.

Baker agrees with me

May 25, 2005 by cubsnet, 4 years 42 weeks ago
Comment id: 185

MLB.com reports: "Baker wasn't happy that Wrigley Field fans booed NASCAR driver Jeff Gordon, who apparently didn't know the words to 'Take Me Out to the Ballgame.' Said Baker: 'Booing seems big now. It's hard to boo Jeff Gordon for me. This guy is one of the greatest of all time. I did feel badly.'"

not to beat this subject into the ground...

May 26, 2005 by ToughGuy, 4 years 42 weeks ago
Comment id: 191

I felt bad that they booed him too, but look at it this way: We've seen plenty of terrible performances by guest singers--people who couldn't sing, got the words wrong, or found some other way to screw it up--but we cheer for them if they get up there and try. Whatever Gordon was truly feeling, he came across like he didn't care, or at the very least was completely unprepared. It was disrepectful to us as Cub fans; who cares how many races this kid has won? Why should we pay him respect when he's not respecting us? If you had been there and weren't a Jeff Gordon fan you might well have booed him too.

The fact that people reacted negatively shows that this silly little tradition means a lot to Cubs fans. All game long people were asking who was going to be singing. It's something they look forward to. Future guest singers should take note of that.

booing

May 26, 2005 by scarlett, 4 years 42 weeks ago
Comment id: 193

I think its time for those CUB fans to start worrying more about the CUBS and less about whos singing, Obviously they are a bunch of classless idiots.
I hope Jeff NEVER goes to another game NEAR that area. Like I said before there are enough states out here that love the guy. After putting a track in Chicago, you would think there would be more respect for him. And to think he likes racing there??? Hopefully this is a wake up call for him and he will stay away from Chicago appearances.
NYC loves the guy.

Respect for Gordon

May 27, 2005 by flames24jeffgordon, 4 years 41 weeks ago
Comment id: 197

Northsiders need to give Jeff Gordon a break. If you knew anything about him he admited himself that he was no singer and he didn't know the words. Cub fans are very rude. I will stick with the White Sox's....go southsiders...I was at the game and I am a huge Jeff Gordon fan (the only reason this southsider was on the northside)and I would definately not go back. I thought the seventh inning stretch was suppose to be fun? I didn't have fun I was appauled at how Jeff Gordon was booed and still am disgusted at how he is being treated like an outcast cause he can't sing big crime most of you cub fans can't sing either...

Jeff Gordon - possible reason

May 31, 2005 by diana, 4 years 41 weeks ago
Comment id: 210

Regarding Jeff Gordon's performance at Wrigley...

Since there was such a time delay between when the song ended and when
Jeff's singing ended, I wonder if there was a problem with the monitors.

There is a delay between when the organ music is played and when it is heard by the crowd. If Jeff Gordan was singing along to the time delayed music outside that may have been plenty to really mess up anyone's performance.

Just a thought.

BTW, I'm not a fan of Jeff Gordon (not a racing fan) but he used to have an ice cream flavor named after him that was fantastic. Wish I could find it for sale again.

I would like to see more former Cubs as the guest conductor and others who have a Wrigley connection.

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Related newspaper article:
http://www.bcrnews.com/articles/2005/05/...

Photos from a Cubs game at Wrigley
http://pages.prodigy.net/chicagocubs

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