<Ul> <Li> In several sports (basketball and hockey, for example, which have three referees), "Three Blind Mice" is used as a derogatory phrase for poor referees . Bands also play the song to mock referees in similar cases . Such references, however, are frowned upon officially by both sports as unsportsmanlike . Before Major League Baseball required four umpires at every game, there were regularly three . The Brooklyn Dodgers had a fan band called the "Sym - Phoney Band", led by Shorty Laurice, which started playing "Three Blind Mice" when the umpires came out onto the field until the league office ordered the team to stop, around the same time a fourth umpire was added . In 1985, Wilbur Snapp, the organist for the Clearwater Phillies, was thrown out of the game for playing "Three Blind Mice" after what he considered a bad call . In 1992, Jason Patrick, keyboardist for the Amarillo Texans independent baseball team, was also ejected for playing the song after a disputed call . On August 1, 2012, during a Daytona Cubs--Fort Myers Miracle minor - league baseball game, umpire Mario Seneca tossed the public address announcer Derek Dye for playing the song "Three Blind Mice" after a disputed call at first base . </Li> </Ul> <Li> In several sports (basketball and hockey, for example, which have three referees), "Three Blind Mice" is used as a derogatory phrase for poor referees . Bands also play the song to mock referees in similar cases . Such references, however, are frowned upon officially by both sports as unsportsmanlike . Before Major League Baseball required four umpires at every game, there were regularly three . The Brooklyn Dodgers had a fan band called the "Sym - Phoney Band", led by Shorty Laurice, which started playing "Three Blind Mice" when the umpires came out onto the field until the league office ordered the team to stop, around the same time a fourth umpire was added . In 1985, Wilbur Snapp, the organist for the Clearwater Phillies, was thrown out of the game for playing "Three Blind Mice" after what he considered a bad call . In 1992, Jason Patrick, keyboardist for the Amarillo Texans independent baseball team, was also ejected for playing the song after a disputed call . On August 1, 2012, during a Daytona Cubs--Fort Myers Miracle minor - league baseball game, umpire Mario Seneca tossed the public address announcer Derek Dye for playing the song "Three Blind Mice" after a disputed call at first base . </Li> <Ul> <Li> Canadian rock trio Rush often played "Three Blind Mice" as an intro to their own songs in concert, notably during their "Hold Your Fire" tour of 1987--1988 . An elaborate parody of the rhyme, arranged as if it were a piece of jazz - music, occurs in an act by Ronnie Corbett and Ronnie Barker, poking fun at Johnny Dankworth and Cleo Laine . </Li> </Ul> <Li> Canadian rock trio Rush often played "Three Blind Mice" as an intro to their own songs in concert, notably during their "Hold Your Fire" tour of 1987--1988 . An elaborate parody of the rhyme, arranged as if it were a piece of jazz - music, occurs in an act by Ronnie Corbett and Ronnie Barker, poking fun at Johnny Dankworth and Cleo Laine . </Li>

Who cut off the tail of the three blind mice