Last night they played the 79th All Star Baseball Game in what could be the last nationally televised event at the old Yankee Stadium. The game lasted 15 innings and almost 5 hours moving into the early morning hours. The American League finally won the game, 4-3, but it really wasn't so much about who won or lost, but the event itself.
Back in April during MLB's opening week I wrote a post about this promotion, The Baby Ruth "Take Me Out to the Ballgame" Video Contest. Nestle's Baby Ruth and MLB teamed up and invited fans to submit their own consumer-generated content in celebration of the song's 100th anniversary. The lucky winner was given the opportunity to lead the song during the 7th Inning Stretch at Yankee Stadium during last night's game.
Well Adam Wilbur, a high school band teacher from Medford, NY, won the contest and got to lead 56,000 fans in singing "Take Me Out to the Ballgame".
Adam competed the day before against two other finalists, Chad Gunderson of Sherman Oaks, CA, and Robert Huffman of Birmingham, AL, at the MLB FanFest held at New York City’s Javits Convention Center. Each had to sing the song for the three celebrity judges; actor William Peterson from “CSI: Crime Scene Investigation”, “Extra” entertainment reporter AJ Calloway and former Yankees centerfielder Bernie Williams, an accomplished guitarist, who said “They were all great”.
Once the judges announced Adam was the winner he said “I feel good. I didn’t come here expecting to win,” and then described his immediate reaction as “excitement, followed by extreme fear”.
More than 620,000 fans voted in the selection of the three singers last month from among several hundred who submitted videos to the promotional website at MLB.com/babyruth. On the video submitted by Adam he not only sang the song but also played the ukulele and was accompanied by his twin brother Fred who played the tuba and is also a high school band teacher. Fred was a little disappointed that he couldn’t get to share the spotlight with his brother and said “The fact that we won is just awesome”.
Nestle's Baby Ruth gave out samples of the popular candy bar at both the FanFest and at the All-Star Game. Asked whether the winning video might have a post-All-Star afterlife, Tricia Bowles, brand manager for Nestlé Brands, said “It just might now. Who knows? We’ll see what happens from here.”
Adam and his brother Fred made sure they included several Baby Ruth mentions in the video arrangement which improves the odds that it may end up as a TV ad or at least reach a wide audience on YouTube. The song was originally written by Jack Norworth and Albert Von Pilzer in 1908 which has had many other notable vocalists, including Frank Sinatra, Ella Fitzgerald, Aretha Franklin as well as Harry Caray, Chicago's famous sportscaster.
Congratulations to Adam and Fred Wilbur as well as the other finalists.
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