The Day the Organ Music Died

Nancy Bea Hefley is retiring after 28 years as the Dodgers’ organist. (Courtesy of John SooHoo, LA Dodgers)

The ballpark experience evolves due to societal trends, advances in technology and fluctuations in economics, but the inherent charm of watching a baseball game live is one in which traditions, rituals, team histories and fan camaraderie add a venerated and authentic component which cannot be recreated on television, radio or smart phone.

Finding the perfect balance between satisfying the fast-paced, technology-obsessed modern fan base and preserving the rich histories of the major league franchises and their ballparks is a complex assignment. Many fans are turning to their iPads and cell phones mid-game, and inning breaks are now filled with on-field antics and fan-participation games you can see on the scoreboard, all to address the seemingly short attention span of those fans preoccupied by their electronic gadgets.

While Wi-Fi access, high definition video boards and sophisticated sound systems are all but standard throughout the majors, there is something to be said about the charismatic and irreplaceable element of a live organist, a traditional seventh inning stretch and other customs of the traditional ballpark experience that harken fans back to the derivation and history of the game itself, while building community and ritual among fans.

Organ music is one of the historic sounds of baseball, and fans of teams like the Dodgers and the White Sox were treated to the melodies played by organists Nancy Bea Hefley and Nancy Faust, the originator of walk-up music, for many decades. Sadly, there will be a time when a new generation of Dodgers fans do not associate the song “Master of the House” from  the Broadway musical “Les Miserables” with former World Series MVP Orel Hershiser. Before the final home stand of 2015 at Dodger Stadium, Hershiser was on hand for a pregame ceremony honoring Nancy Bea’s retirement as club organist after  28 years.

The ballpark experience can generate new fans by establishing rituals and shared memories, and Nancy Bea’s organ music was an integral part of the Dodger baseball tradition. Visiting Dodger Stadium and eyeing that emerald green grass for the first time in person was a turning point in my young baseball fandom. I recently rediscovered the ticket stub from the first game I attended in 1986. (Paper tickets, a part of collective tradition, are all but a thing of the past as well.) The experience of sitting in the Loge section alongside other Dodger Blue faithful cemented my allegiance to this team and to this game.

Not only did the Dodgers win their last World Series championship in 1988, but they gained an iconic melodic addition to their family when Nancy Bea Hefley replaced Helen Dell in the same year. Dodgers fans came to expect a consistently comforting and almost ritualistic ballpark experience at Dodger Stadium, which would almost always include a Farmer John Dodger Dog, looking at the picturesque, palm tree-lined backdrop of Chavez Ravine, and listening to Nancy Bea’s soundtrack to the game. As a child, I was enamored with the experience of singing with my family (a rare event in my household) and other fans during the seventh inning stretch.

Dodgers fans were already disgruntled when Hefley’s workload had been diminished and at one time limited to just one song during home games. One. She waited for seven innings, played “Take Me Out to the Ballgame,” and went home.

In June, Nancy Bea posted on her Facebook page that she no longer “fit in” and would not return in 2016 to the Dodger Stadium press box named for Vin Scully. After a backlash on social media, the Dodgers subsequently offered Nancy a lifetime contract.

The traditionalist that I am despised the new clock installed behind the center field fence at Dodger Stadium, but the absence of Nancy Bea’s beautiful organ music floating in the air of Dodger Stadium is truly a shame. Stadium hosts and DJs have supplanted the time-honored traditions of ballpark music. Pre-recorded pop and hip-hop music will be blaring over the speakers at Dodger Stadium for most of the game if Dodgers choose not to hire a new organist. The evocation of baseball tradition during the seventh inning stretch will no longer be the same without Nancy Bea’s live performances.

What is next? Will Vin Scully be replaced by Ryan Seacrest in the broadcast booth? Will the national anthem be pre-recorded? Will comedian George Lopez interview the players on the field?

The Dodgers have already included virtual sausage races between innings, when animated Dodger Dogs race each other on the video board. I am dreading the day the stadium hosts begin shooting t-shirts into the crowd with shirt guns.

Unlike the scheduled Taylor Swift songs played every night, Nancy Bea chose songs from her repertoire of over 2,000 melodies on the fly. She was influenced by the action taking place on the field during the game and could improvise to shape and create mood and emotion with her music. She not only played popular music, but included lesser-known songs, making her music choices very eclectic and perfect for a multi-generational crowd.

Nancy Bea is a beloved part of Dodger tradition, and I believed the new front office was working to go back to the true Blue way. But eliminating Nancy Bea’s music degrades the Dodger fan experience at the ballpark. Her music, like Scully’s voice, lent another dimension to the game-watching experience, a component that few other professional sports teams have.

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When the Dodgers announced their plans to renovate Dodger Stadium in January of 2013, CEO Stan Kasten described the goals of the new ownership:

“The mission of Dodger ownership is to create ways to enhance the experience for all of our fans. Dodger Stadium is a treasured piece of the Los Angeles community and we will respect that heritage while restoring and enhancing the venue for our fans in the 21^st century.”

Janet Marie Smith, the team’s senior vice president for planning and development, oversaw the Dodger Stadium upgrades.  In June, she spoke with a group of Dodgers writers, including me, on the Dodger Stadium renovations and Kasten’s vision:

“We wanted our fans, kids of any age, kids of any size, to be able to enjoy the history and think of this as a place where memories are made.”

In August, Scully announced that 2016 would be his final season in the Dodgers broadcast booth. After undergoing a recommended medical procedure in October, Scully missed Nancy Bea’s final home stand with the team and the National League Division Series against the Mets, when she played her final song for Dodgers fans.

It is not only organ music that is being affected by changing times. Historical events and shifts in cultural values and practices can shape the evolution of ballpark traditions as well.  Outdated and even politically incorrect ballpark traditions could be phased out, as with the still-popular yet arguably offensive Tomahawk Chop at Turner Field. Recent California legislation will ban on public schools using “Redskins” as a team mascot.

Other ballpark traditions, like Neil Diamond’s “Sweet Caroline” at Fenway Park, have become only more meaningful since their inception. The 2013 Boston Marathon bombing made the ballpark sing-a-long not only a Boston Strong anthem set in the presence of the Green Monster, but the Boston ballpark tradition in turn began to reflect and symbolize the spirit and solidarity of the city which turned to baseball during a time of bereavement.

Old ballpark traditions can be preserved along with necessary enhancements to the fan experience and upgrades to aging ballparks. The Mets’ home run apple, first installed in May 1980 at Shea Stadium, inspired a newer and larger apple in center field at Citi Field. Conservation of the original home run apple along with the addition of the new red center field celebratory fruit gives the ballpark character and the fans a shared and preserved tradition while they enjoy their new confines.

Brooks Boyer, senior vice president for sales and marketing for the Chicago White Sox, cited the importance of organ music in baseball in a 2006 MLB.com article before organist Nancy Faust retired.

“It’s tough because you want to be something for everybody,” said Boyer. “There are people who don’t like organ music. Then, there are people who prefer it to be the only thing they hear at a ballpark. It’s something that’s really part of the history of baseball, and we certainly want to continue to offer it.”

There are baseball fans who look down in the palm of their hand at their phone the whole game. Even though we are now able to re-watch the highlights from numerous angles from our smart phones within seconds of the action, there is still not a virtual replacement for being in the moment and watching the game unfold live in front of you. I was there when Clayton Kershaw hit his Opening Day home run at Dodger Stadium against San Francisco in the eighth inning in 2013, and no video recording could ever replicate the energy of Dodger Stadium during that moment.

While the ballpark experience is ever evolving and adapting to society and demographics, the rich history of the game and the shared traditions should not be abandoned or watered down in favor of attention-grabbing advertising gimmicks. Losing Nancy Bea, and her ability to speak to the crowd through her music, is a step in the wrong direction.

References & Resources:

• Josh Sanborn, Time, “California ‘Redskins’ Ban a Rare Statewide Win for Movement,” Oct. 12, 2015
• Nancy Bea Hefley’s Facebook page
• Scott Merkin, MLB.com, “To many, organs give life to baseball,” April 21, 2006