Major League Baseball

Petition asks Cubs to bring Harry Caray back from the dead (kind of)

Published Apr. 30, 2015 9:31 p.m. ET

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By Jason Rowan

The Chicago Cubs are in the midst of a massive renovation of Wrigley Field. While the rehabbing of the iconic ballpark has been fraught with delays, setbacks and massive rat problems in Wrigleyville, sooner or later the arduous process associated with such a massive undertaking will be completed.

A petition has been started on Change.org that asks the Cubs to bring back Harry Caray from the dead — so to speak — and restore him to his role of ringleader of the ballpark’s legendary Seventh-Inning Stretch tradition of singing “Take Me Out to the Ball Game.”

Caray of course was the longtime and beloved Cubs broadcaster who would enthusiastically — in his own distinctive style — belt out the song to pump up the home crowd by leading them through the tune and imploring them to “root, root, root for the Cubbies.”

Following Caray’s death in 1998, the Cubs began to utilize the services of “guest conductors” to lead the fans in the tune. These folks usually are local Chicago celebrities, but sometimes a musician passing through the city, like big-time Cubs backer Eddie Vedder, would take on the assignment. Other times, some other out-of-town celebrity like Lindsey Vonn, Mr. T or Chris Pratt, for example, would have the honor bestowed upon them.

Sadly, the Cubs have indicated playing a video of Caray singing the song on the brand-spanking-new video board is not to be, as  “Cubs spokesman Julian Green said they are not considering using Harry Caray videos to replace the seventh-inning stretch performers,” per a Chicago Tribune report.

That’s a shame.

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