Baseball Fans Rally to Honor Forgotten 'Take Me Out to the Ballgame' Scribe

(July 9) -- It looks like Jack Norworth, lyricist for baseball's unofficial national anthem, "Take Me Out to the Ballgame," may be getting his due after all.

Strange that just three months ago in an AOL Weird News story, I wrote about how the man who penned the lyrics for one of our nation's most familiar anthem's was laid to rest in a small, all-but-forgotten plot of earth -- within view of Anaheim Stadium.

How could a game that pays so much attention to its own history have allowed this to slip through the cracks? Didn't Jack Norworth not deserve at least a little more notoriety?

As it turns out, there was a variety of reasons. To baseball's credit, it did honor him in 2008, the 100th anniversary of the song. But with no known living relatives to maintain or even create a more distinctive marker than the barely legible piece of degrading granite, his final resting place languished.

But baseball, in addition to priding itself on history, can also boast fans who understand the importance of the game's past.

And that's who took over: the fans.

The chain of events happened as follows: J.P. Myers, a 47-year-old blood courier from Diamond Bar, Calif., read the story we posted on opening day and was moved to form a Facebook page devoted to honoring the man who penned an American classic -- and reaching out to other fans in the hopes of creating a new monument for Norworth at the cemetery.


Enter Maria and Charles Sotelo, who run High Desert Monuments in Hesperia, Calif. When they heard what Myers wanted to do, they offered to create a standalone monument for Norworth, free of charge.

Well, the monument is designed and ready. And the date and time are set to unveil the marker: 10 a.m. Sunday.

All that remained was the cost of the plot the fans must purchase at the cemetery so they have a place for the statue: about $5,000.

Some fans who heard about the project have stepped up already to donate money. Jamie Chisick, the owner of Mar Vista Financial, an equipment leasing company in Orange, Calif., heard Myers on the radio and generously offered a $2,000 family donation.

"This is important," Chisick told AOL News. "It's a part of our American tradition, and Mr. Norworth's legacy should be properly recognized. I encouraged other baseball fans to do whatever they can to help out."

That left about a $3,000 shortfall with about a week left before the cemetery payment is due.

Enter Doug and Nancy Sebastian, who run KinderVision, the national child safety education program dedicated to the protection of children from abduction and sexual exploitation. They've decided to pinch-hit for the Norworth marker project in a number of ways.

They're including a donation box at their MLB FanFest booth in Anaheim next week, and also donating $1 for every annual subscription to one of their new philanthropic programs being launched at FanFest.

Additionally, they've also made arrangements for Hall of Fame pitcher Rollie Fingers to attend the unveiling ceremony. (KinderVision works closely with several major leaguers who act as KinderVision spokesmen.)

Nancy Sebastian, executive director of the KinderVision Foundation, told AOL News, " 'Take Me Out to the Ballgame' seems to encourage sharing quality time with a child, time that could impact that child for life, so we're honored to get involved.

"KinderVision exists to protect children from predators, but we deliver that message in a fun way that also encourages sharing time with a child. Jack Norworth did lots of good for kids and what he did lives on today. KinderVision hopes to impact lives for generations to come -- just like Jack Norworth."

As for the balance of the money, AOL delivered the game-winning clutch hit.

Myers, who got the ball rolling on the project, finds it hard to believe that things are happening this fast. "It feels amazing," he told AOL News. "I tend to be a cynic, but there are some really good people out there that want to do good things. To see people come together for one cause like this is breathtaking."

Maria Sotelo, who has designed the marker, is equally taken aback. "A month ago, I saw nothing but barriers for this project. Now we are just a week away and it feels wonderful to know that soon, more people will know about Mr. Jack Norworth. We will be proud to know we were part of that."

The ceremony in Anaheim is expected to include at least one major league Hall of Famer, the Laguna Beach Little League team (which plays each year for the Jack Norworth trophy as Laguna was Norworth's last place of residence and he helped found the league there), the original Jack Norworth trophy and, of course, Myers and Maria Sotelo, who spearheaded the movement.