Dave Winfield to narrate celebration of baseball at Purdue

Dave Winfield

Purdue Convocations and the Lafayette Symphony Orchestra are presenting the show.

The two-hour production features a collection of vintage baseball images from the National Baseball Hall of Fame and classic baseball songs performed by vocal soloists and the Lafayette Symphony Orchestra. Robert Thompson, who has conducted the Seattle and Houston symphonies, will lead the Lafayette Symphony Orchestra.

Ed Williams, executive director of the Lafayette Symphony Orchestra, said he is very excited about this distinctive and exciting opportunity to collaborate with Purdue Convocations on this project.

"The LSO has made a commitment to pursue innovative programming and collaborations that help further our mission of bringing great music to our community," Williams said. "The Baseball Music Project is a perfect fit in both areas."

The program will include baseball songs "Casey at the Bat," "Take Me Out to the Ballgame," "Did You See Jackie Robinson Hit That Ball?" and "Let's Keep the Dodgers in Brooklyn." The evening will conclude with a musical video tribute to all 259 members of the National Baseball Hall of Fame with music from the baseball films "Field of Dreams" and "The Natural."

Baseball and music have been indelibly intertwined since the sport's inception. Nearly 100 songs were written about baseball between 1858 and 1900 alone, and the major collections of baseball music in the United States contain nearly 1,000 works written about the sport. This touring musical celebration of the National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum takes the best of baseball music and memories to communities throughout the country.

Dave Winfield, who has been hailed as one of the greatest athletes to ever play professional sports, will narrate the performance. Inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame in 2001, he is the only athlete ever to have been drafted by the National Basketball Association, the National Football League and Major League Baseball.

One of only seven players in the history of baseball to crack more than 3,000 hits to slam more than 450 home runs, the twelve-time All-Star is among the all-time leaders in hits (3,110), home runs (465) and RBIs (1,833). He played eight All-Star seasons with the New York Yankees, and in 1992 he drove in the winning run for the Toronto Blue Jays to win the World Series.

Todd Wetzel, director of Purdue Convocations, said he was intrigued by this production from the start.

"The idea behind this concert — that you can combine two of our most compelling social forces, music and sport — is very powerful," Wetzel said. "This production magically marries them with a great narrator, Dave Winfield, and creates a rich musical experience with our friends at the Lafayette Symphony Orchestra."

Tickets to "The Baseball Music Project" are available at the Elliott Hall and Stewart Center box offices at (765) 494-3933 or (800) 914-SHOW. Tickets also are available through Ticketmaster outlets. Tickets are $20-38 for adults and $20-27 for children 18 and younger, Purdue students and Ivy Tech Lafayette students.

Members of the public who would like to learn more about baseball history are invited to a pre-show lecture at 1:30 p.m. Sept. 17 in Schleman Hall, Room 112. Don Seybold, former associate director of Convocations, will speak about the societal impact of baseball in America throughout the last century. The event is free and open to the public.

The public also is invited to meet the members of the Purdue baseball team immediately prior to the performance. Team members and coaching staff will be available for autographs in the Elliott Hall lobby beginning at 2:15 p.m. Sept. 17.

The Louisville Slugger Museum & Factory and David Seeds are sponsoring the national tour of "The Baseball Music Project." Caterpillar is supporting the local presentation.

Writer: Christy Jones, (765) 494-1089, christyjones@purdue.edu

Source: Kerry Schutt Nason, Purdue Convocations interim director of marketing, (765) 494-9071, knason@purdue.edu

Purdue News Service: (765) 494-2096; purduenews@purdue.edu

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