On April 26th, 1941, The Chicago Cubs become the first team to install an organ in their stadium.

When I was growing up (and training to be a pastor), I thought that the worst part of being in church was having to listen to the organ. My feelings about that have never changed. In fact, I believe that if there is a hell, it is filled with organ music.

Having said that, my feelings about the instrument are quite conflicted when it comes to baseball. Since I cannot separate the organ from my enjoyment of singing “Take Me Out to the Ballgame.”

And here again I am conflicted, since generally speaking I do not enjoy singing. In fact, next to organ music, the other “worst” thing for me about church has always been singing hymns!

But I do enjoy the “real” seventh-inning stretch. I put the word real there because my local team, the Minnesota Twins, will occasionally substitute singing “America the Beautiful” in the seventh. Something I also find irritating as hell.

Since I am already listing things here that I hate, let me add singing the National Anthem. Why is it necessary to go through this performative gesture before each and every game?! Save it for Opening Day and Fourth of July if it needs to be done. But on a random, cold night in April it is merely pandering.