CINCINNATI -- Singing “Take Me Out to the Ballgame” is now just one part of the tradition during the seventh-inning stretch for many teams. In Milwaukee, the Brewers also play “Roll Out the Barrel” to honor the area’s tradition of polka music. In Houston, it's -- fittingly -- “Deep in the Heart of Texas.”
In 2014, the Reds added a tune of their own: “Cincinnati, Ohio,” by Connie Smith. The folksy song begins:
“One more hour and I’ll be home. Close my eyes and rest my bones. Can’t be more than a mile or so. From Cincinnati, Ohio, Cincinnati, Ohio.”
The lyrics and music were written and first recorded by Whispering Bill Anderson, a member of the Country Music Hall of Fame, in 1964. But it hit the Top 10 on the country music charts in 1967, when Anderson's protégée -- Smith -- released it on her album.
A few years earlier, Smith was singing in Columbus, Ohio, when Anderson discovered her and brought her to Nashville. She is also in the Country Music Hall of Fame and married to another legend of the industry, Marty Stuart.
Before the ’14 season, the Reds had used the song occasionally but not in a fixed spot during games. The tune received an endorsement from ownership.
“The Reds had been looking for a theme song, so to speak,” said Rick Walls, executive director of the Reds Hall of Fame. “They wanted something that would resonate with the fans and they could sing along. They tried to come up with one that was well liked. I believe Mr. [Bob] and Mrs. [Susie] Castellini liked this one, among others.”
“Cincinnati, Ohio” will continue to be a seventh-inning tradition at Great American Ball Park in 2021.
Senior Reporter Mark Sheldon has covered the Reds for MLB.com since 2006, and previously covered the Twins from 2001-05.
