“root, root, root for the Brewers!”

In what is becoming an annual tradition, the staff at Wrigley Field let Brewers announcer Bob Uecker lead the crowd in the traditional singing of “Take Me Out to the Ball Game” during the seventh inning stretch. 

“If they boo, I’m going to sing louder, and louder and louder… They boo because I sing, instead of singing, ‘root for the Cubs,’ I sing ‘root for the Brewers.’ Root for the Cubs? I mean, come on. What do they expect me to do”

So then he sings, and it goes a little something like this:

“… root, root, root for the Brewers… (pause for chorus of boos and “–uuuB-ies!” from the crowd) … You’ll do the same for the Cubs, for it’s one, two, three strikes you’re out at the ol’ ball game!”

The Cubs fans actually cheered after the song, which is a rare show of class. Perhaps they’re paying penance for all their awful shenanigans at Miller Park every year. When Uecker got back to the booth, Cory Provus said he owed him an apology.

“Yeah, you and that walking fungo bat, that’s our engineer. Yesterday, these two compadres… they were both in agreement that I would get booed. 

 

I like it when they scream and holler so loud. They know what I’m going to do, and they scream ‘Cubs’ so loud. It’s beautiful.”

 

In honor of the Fourth of July, and the recent excitement about the U.S. men’s team, here’s my other favorite version of the song.

 

 

And now they’re chanting “Let’s go, Brewers!” in the ninth at Wrigley.