<P> As to the name, there appears to be no written record of the name "seventh - inning stretch" before 1920, which since at least the late 1870s was called the Lucky Seventh, indicating that the 7th inning was settled on for superstitious reasons . </P> <P> In modern baseball, standing up and singing "Take Me Out to the Ball Game" during the seventh - inning stretch is a popular tradition . It was first played at a ballpark at a high school in Los Angeles, California in 1934 . The lyrics for the 1908 Tin Pan Alley standard were written by vaudeville star Jack Norworth (1879--1959), who had ironically never attended an actual baseball game prior to writing the song, and only attended his first Major League game in 1940 . </P> <P> There is no certain date when the tradition began, but the practice gained exceptional notoriety from broadcaster Harry Caray . Caray would sing the song to himself in the broadcast booth during the stretch while a play - by - play announcer for the Chicago White Sox . After hearing him sing one day, White Sox owner Bill Veeck Jr., the famed baseball promoter, had Caray's microphone turned on so that the ballpark could hear him sing . When Caray moved into the Chicago Cubs broadcast booth, he continued the practice, sparking what has become a Cubs tradition by regularly leading the crowd in singing the song in every seventh - inning stretch . Since his death, the Cubs have invited various celebrities to lead the crowd during the stretch, including James Belushi, John Cusack, Mike Ditka, Michael J. Fox, Bill Murray, Dan Patrick, Ozzy Osbourne, Eddie Vedder, Mr. T and Billy Corgan . </P> <P> Many teams will also play a local traditional song either before or after "Take Me Out to the Ballgame". Since the 1970s, the Baltimore Orioles have often played the raucous John Denver song "Thank God I'm a Country Boy" at the conclusion of "Take Me Out to the Ball Game". During the bridge of the song, in which Denver holds a long note, fans yell "Ooooooooh!" (since the name Orioles is often shortened to "O's".) The Atlanta Braves also play this song after "Take Me Out To The Ball Game". </P>

Who started singing take me out to the ballgame