Baseball. Blogging. Whenever.

Tuesday, July 14, 2009

Cue the Organist

More than half of the 30 Major League Baseball teams have some form of organ music during a game, but only a handful of teams, including the Chicago Cubs and Los Angeles Dodgers, actually feature the organ as the primary music throughout game festivities. Prepackaged rock jam compilations and interactive video scoreboards with digital characters and blooper reels are a few of the high-tech wonders that have slowly phased out the mighty Wurlitzers and classic organs that defined American baseball in the past.

Dwayne Hilton, 35, a relative newcomer to the world of ballpark organists, is one of the faithful few, still plugging along on his Lowery Prestige organ, enjoying a great opportunity to marry a love of music with an enthusiasm for America’s favorite pastime. “One of the biggest reasons I enjoy playing the organ is the tradition,” says Hilton, who plays 10 home games a month in Busch Stadium for the St. Louis Cardinals. “It is very nostalgic in baseball, since the first organ was introduced in the early ’40s, and it’s become a traditional thing to hear.”

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