THE BOYS OF SUMMER

[HostDave]

The weather has warmed up and we are just a couple of weeks away from the official beginning of summer. Summer means many things to many people, but to a dedicated cadre of our guests, summer always means baseball. America’s pastime is everywhere you in turn in the cities and towns we visit, from the crack of the bat in Busch Stadium, home of the storied St. Louis Cardinals, to the freshly cut front yards of tree-lined streets in a small riverfront town where children swing a balls with old boards. Up and down the length of the Mississippi, baseball games have sprouted like spring flowers and as summer dawns, blossom into serious business. Little League games abound and fans of Major League Baseball listen to games on the radio.

It seems as though baseball has been with us forever, although it actually dates to the end of the 19th century. But almost as long as there’s been the game of baseball, there’s been that single ubiquitous song that speaks of warm days in the bleachers, hot dogs, Cracker Jacks, peanuts and the boys of summer. Back in 1908, Jack Norworth and Albert Von Tilzer penned the song “Take Me Out to the Ball Game” and baseball has never been the same since.

It’s hard to believe that the song has been around for 116 years. Just how old is it? To put things in perspective, note that the song debuted the last time the Chicago Cubs won the World Series. Back then, it was a novelty but today is sung in every major league ballpark in the middle of the seventh inning and unlike much of the music played at today’s sporting events, fans are encouraged – expected, really – to sing along.

The story goes that Jack Norworth got the idea for the song while on the subway when he saw a billboard advertising a game at New York’s Polo Grounds. He wrote the words and Albert Von Tilzer crafted the music. While only the chorus is sung in ballparks in the 21st century, the song actually tells a broader story about a woman named Katie who will only go out with her date if he agrees to take her to a baseball game. A revised version was written in 1927 and, believe it or not, it wasn’t until 1934 that it was first sung at a baseball game, supposedly a Los Angeles high school contest. Until then, it was a staple of vaudeville acts.

The original 1908 lyrics make for fun reading today:

Katie Casey was baseball mad,
Had the fever and had it bad.
Just to root for the home town crew,
Ev'ry sou
Katie blew.
On a Saturday her young beau
Called to see if she'd like to go
To see a show, but Miss Kate said "No,
I'll tell you what you can do:"

Take me out to the ball game,
Take me out with the crowd;
buy me some peanuts and Cracker Jack,
I don't care if I never get back.
Let me root, root, root for the home team,
If they don't win, it's a shame.
For it's one, two, three strikes, you're out,
At the old ball game.

Katie Casey saw all the games,
Knew the players by their first names.
Told the umpire he was wrong,
All along,
Good and strong.
When the score was just two to two,
Katie Casey knew what to do,
Just to cheer up the boys she knew,
She made the gang sing this song:

Take me out to the ball game,
Take me out with the crowd;
buy me some peanuts and Cracker Jack,
I don't care if I never get back.
Let me root, root, root for the home team,
If they don't win, it's a shame.
For it's one, two, three strikes, you're out,
At the old ball game.

The American Queen Steamboat Company celebrates the legacy of the boys of summer and “Take Me Out to the Ball Game” with a special voyage. Our Baseball Legends 9-day cruise travels from St. Paul to St. Louis on August 22, 2014 with visits to Red Wing, Minnesota; La Crosse, Wisconsin; Dubuque, Iowa, the Quad Cities, Iowa, Burlington, Iowa and Hannibal, Missouri. Guests will be able to interact with living legends.

Al Clark is regarded as one of the most unbiased Major League umpires in the history of baseball. In his 26-year career, Clark officiated 3,392 major league games including three American League Division Series, five American League Championship Series, two All-Star Games and two World Series.

Ron Blomberg made his career debut playing for the New York Yankees in 1969 and later became Major League Baseball's first "Designated Hitter." A pure athlete, Blomberg was offered 125 basketball scholarships and 100 football scholarships, but passed up collegiate sports to be the Yankees’ first pick overall in the 1967 amateur draft.

Art Shamsky began his big league career when he signed with the Cincinnati Reds in 1965. When he retired in 1972, his career batting average was .253 with 68 home runs. Shamsky received national attention as a clutch hitting star of the 1969 World Series Champions, the Miracle Mets. He batted .538 in the National League Championship Series against Atlanta, helping the Mets sweep the favored Braves. Shamsky was inducted into the New York Jewish Sports Hall of Fame, as well as the National Jewish Sports Hall of Fame in 1994.

Fritz Peterson got his big league break as a lefty pitcher for the New York Yankees in 1966 and remained with the team until 1974 at which time he started with the Cleveland Indians. After two years with the Indians, Peterson enjoyed a short stint with the Texas Rangers before retiring in 1976. Peterson had the best strikeout-to-walk ratios in the American League in 1969 and 1970 and also led the league in fewest walks per 9 innings pitched 5 years in a row, 1968-1972.

Dan Schlossberg, former Associated Press newsman, is the author of 35 baseball books, including The 300 Club: Have We Seen the Last of Baseball’s 300-Game Winners? and Designated Hebrew: the Ron Blomberg Story. He hosts Thursday night podcasts on baseball — called Braves Banter — and travel (Travel Itch Radio) and is a frequent speaker on baseball. Dan has created and coordinated 24 previous baseball theme cruises, including several aboard the Mississippi Queen. Dan’s next book, due later this year, is Nothing to Hide: My Journey from the Big Leagues to the Big House, written with former umpire Al Clark. Dan is a native of the Bronx and was raised in Passaic, N.J. He resides in northern North Jersey.

Baseball and the boys of summer are true American icons and speak of a simpler, gentler era. But even back then, value was the watchword. Baseball games were affordable fun for everyone. We’ve taken that lesson to heart and taken the same approach on our 9-day Baseball Legends cruise. If you reserve the suite or stateroom of your choice and pay-in-full before July 30, 2014, you can save $2,000 per stateroom.* In fact, the same offer applies to a variety of select American Queen voyages in July, August and September.*


* Offer expires July 30, 2014 and is valid on new, paid-in-full bookings only. Full payment at time of booking is required to redeem this offer. Not valid on Group bookings and may not be combined with other offers. Save $2,000 per stateroom ($1,000 pp) on these 2014 American Queen voyage dates: 7/08, 7/15, 8/08, 8/15, 8/22 and 9/05. This offer is not valid on American Queen cabin categories G, H and I. Offer is based on cabin availability and only while inventory lasts. Offer cannot be combined with other promotions or discounts. Fares quoted are in U.S. dollars. Cruise fares do not include taxes, port charges, insurance, gratuities, land transportation or airfare. Additional terms and conditions may apply - call for details.