I was leafing through some of my baseball memorabilia and found some info that I thought you'd all enjoy.  Things that make you go.."NO KIDDING."  There are actually verses to the song TAKE ME OUT TO THE BALL GAME.  We all just sing the chorus for the 7th Inning Stretch.  I also heard there are verses to GOD BLESS AMERICA, but we only hear the chorus most of the time. A lot of ballparks sing that Irving Berlin classic after the ball games nowadays. How about our national anthem's lyrics were written to fit an old English Pub song. 

Do any of you know more interesting stuff like this?  Some call me Cliff Clavin, because I'm full of 'useless knowledge' among other things, but I think it's cool.  Did you know that there were two sequels written to the famous poem CASEY AT THE BAT?  One I believe was written during the Depression with more of a happier ending and another version during WWII.

Back to the ball game song. This song was written in 1908 by a man named Jack Norworth. One day when he was riding a New York City subway train, he spotted a sign that said "Ballgame Today at the Polo Grounds." Some baseball-related lyrics popped into his head, that were later set to some music by Albert Von Tilzer, to become the well known baseball song, "Take Me Out To The Ballgame." Despite the fact that neither Norworth or Tilzer had ever been to a baseball game at the time the song was written, it is one of the most widely sung songs in America.

(1927 version with verses )

Nelly Kelly loved baseball games,
Knew the players, knew all their names,
You could see her there ev'ry day,
Shout "Hurray" when they'd play.
Her boy friend by the name of Joe
Said, "To Coney Isle, dear, let's go,"
Then Nelly started to fret and pout,
And to him I heard her shout.

"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."