Transcript for the Piece Audio version of Braves Organist Tweets a New Tradition

SLUG: Twittering a New Baseball Tradition
Philip L. Graitcer

Baseball is a game filled with tradition – like singing along when the organ plays “Take Me Out to the Ballgame.” But in many major league ballparks, technology has replaced that tradition - the organist is gone, and fans sing to a recording.

At Turner Field - home of the Atlanta Braves - live organ music is making a comeback - with a 21st Century twist.

Philip Graitcer has this story.
___________________

[Amb: crowd sounds…..runs through the piece]

It’s the top of the fifth inning, and the Braves are playing the Phillies at Turner Field. Phillies right fielder, Ben Francisco, is coming up to bat and the organist is playing Rice-A-Roni.

[Amb: announcer “Right fielder Ben Francisco” ]
[Amb: music – “Rice a Roni, the San Francisco treat”]

That’s a musical joke – a not-so-subtle play on Francisco’s last name.

The guy playing that joke sits behind home plate, two levels up, on a back row of the press box. He’s Matthew Kaminski, in his second season as the Braves’ organist. Hunched over his organ, he looks more like a call center worker than a musician.

Alot of times I have one hand on my computer.I’ve got my headphone on my right ear for the producer, but then I’ve got a headset in my left ear to hear another song I’m learning on the spot.

Kaminski is reading Twitter messages, called tweets, on his computer. He’s doing what’s called crowd sourcing to get ideas for songs.

I’ll say something like “Atlanta Braves versus Philadelphia Phillies. What should I play for Roy Halliday. And I’ll get 20, 30, 40 tweets of what people want me to play.

Twitter is a social media program that’s kind of an online bulletin board. Right now fans are texting their song ideas for Roy Holliday, whose nickname is Doc Holiday.

Sleeffkoff, says Madona’s Holiday would be a good song. This one girl, A Sixtieschick, says how about Witch Doctor. Mattberry Five says the Doctor Who theme song. I’m kinda familiar with that TV show, but not the song. Or anything but Holiday by Greenday. Punk On Deck says Witchdoctor. Madonna’s Holiday is the obvious choice.

No other major league team plays these musical jokes when the visitors come to the plate, and thinking up clever music to play for the visiting teams is hard. It’s inside baseball. So that’s why Kaminski is using Twitter.

One tweeter is Lauren Turbyfield. She tweeted Kaminski to play Holiday Road for the Phillies’ Chase Utley. Turbyfield explains.

… it takes a second for some people to put two and two together. You have do the little calculation here. He’s thinking – Chase Utley, Chevy Chase, Holiday Road, that song goes with the vacation movies. That song is featured in the vacation movies and Chevy Chase is the star of the vacation movies. So if you know your pop culture you’re following the chain.

As the Tweets come in, Kaminski looks up the song on the Internet and, an inning or two later, plays it.

Turbyfield thinks tweeting helps her enjoy a Braves game even more.

T32:0320 As soon as Matthew got on Twitter, I started following him, and I really enjoy the interaction that he has with the fans. T34:01 When your song gets chosen, it’s always exciting.

Now, 12 hundred fans - from all over the country - follow Kaminski, tweeting song suggestions, or asking for help figuring out the musical joke. The Braves organist has created a geeky new baseball tradition.

Still, Kaminski leaves one tradition untouched – no matter what the tweeters say, he always play the same song for the seventh inning stretch….

[amb bring up take me out to the ball game]

I’m Philip Graitcer

Suggested TAG: You can suggest music for Braves organist Matthew Kaminski. His Twitter name is @bravesorganist (“at bravesorganist”).

Back