Sunday, April 04, 1999
Organist back in the ballgame
BY KAREN SAMPLES
The Cincinnati Enquirer
COVINGTON — Opening Day will likely find Jack Doll juggling two impulses: one to entertain; the other to avoid getting yelled at.
On Monday, he'll play the organ at Cinergy Field for the first time in 13 years. He has a certain way with the organ — a way that tends to get crowds going, make people laugh and occasionally annoy the heck out of pitchers.
Mr. Doll, who runs the Photo Arts Studio in Covington, played at Reds home games from 1981 to 1985.
That last year, he worked from an elevated stage behind home plate, and fans loved it.
His style was spontaneous and tailored to the game, as if he were scoring a silent film. With a repertoire of '30s and '40s favorites — as well as stuff he made up on the spot — Mr. Doll serenaded players onto the field, lamented rain, followed pop flies and mimicked slides into home plate.
Sometimes, his organ got him in trouble.
There was the game when a pitcher kept throwing balls, also known as “bingos.” Naturally enough, Mr. Doll decided to play the one about the farmer's dog.
“...and Bingo was his name-o...”
“The umpire comes back and says, "Look, I'm having fun, but this guy's ready to kill you,” recalls Mr. Doll, leaning back in his chair and grinning.
He's a professional photographer now and a part-time organist who specializes in big-band sounds. Before his '80s gig with the Reds, he traveled around the country playing organ concerts for the Baldwin company.
His stint with the ballclub ended when Marge Schott decided to use more pre-recorded music.
“They wanted me to make the tapes,” says Mr. Doll, laughing. “I said no.”
Tapes, after all, are a poor substitute for live music that fits the action. The Reds have had some organists since Mr. Doll, but most recently, they haven't provided the same sort of commentary that carries a game through the dull spots.
Pete Rose always jogged to first base on a walk, so Mr. Doll played “chase music” to chart his path. Other players took their sweet time getting there. For them, he'd do “some old, slow, dumb thing,” he says.
Pitchers and catchers conferring on the mound: the theme song from Jeopardy!
Pitchers getting removed from the game: “Please Don't Talk About Me When I'm Gone.”
Raindrops in the stadium: “Stormy Weather.”
These are old-fashioned tunes in a hard-rock world, and kids won't recognize any of them. But Mr. Doll predicts they'll catch on fast.
“Especially if you start making fun of somebody,” he says. “Then they'll start liking the organ.”
Karen Samples is The Enquirer's Kentucky columnist. Her column appears on Sundays and Thursdays in The Kentucky Enquirer. Email
her at ksamples@enquirer.com
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