by James Finn Garner
Oh Nancy, for over 40 summers
You’ve brought music and joy to Chisox fans,
Fingers tripping lightly o’er the keyboard,
Perched in the midst of the Comiskey stands.
So many ballparks used canned music now,
With no more soul than an iPod Shuffle.
Dear Nancy, you’re the sweetheart of the park–
Forgive us if we fight back a sniffle.
Thank you for the Mexican Hat Dance,
A Randy Newman song, a Broadway tune.
Thanks for keeping us all singing along
When the team was 20 games out in June.
Like with hot dogs, beer vendors and popcorn,
Games aren’t complete without your sweet refrains.
This isn’t “Na-Na, Hey-Hey, Goodbye”, it’s
“Auf Wiedersehn”, Nancy, and “Danke Schoen”.
This is a nice sendoff. I always enjoyed the wide variety of music that Nancy played. It was quirky, fun and old-fashioned, like Wrigley itself. Who wouldn’t want to hear all those different genres arranged for organ?
Thanks, Jim! Your poem has reminded me of the trips I made with my dad to Wrigley late in his life.
I’m glad I was able to spark a few memories with this. In a few years, a ballpark organ will be an ancient anachronism, like wearing boaters and derbies to the game.