Monday evening, Sharon and I took in a Nashville Sounds game against the Memphis Redbirds, and I was surprised to hear the organist play the opening notes of “A Mighty Fortress” as a Redbird batter named Cory Spangenberg walked to the plate. I’d heard theme music for various players off and on for years, starting with the opening strains of an Irish jig for Mick Kelleher, when he was playing shortstop for the Cubs back in the 1970s. But this week was only the second time I’d heard a distinctly Christian selection. This first time came at Miller Park in Milwaukee, back 2006, when I was pastor of Evanston Baptist Church, and I wrote about it in a piece for Baptist Press, in which this excerpt appeared:

EVANSTON, Ill. (BP)–The other evening, we headed north to Milwaukee to take in a Cubs game at Miller Park, and something strange happened: The Cubs won. I was wearing an old Cubs jersey, bought for $2 at a thrift shop, and I wondered if I might be assaulted by inebriated, bratwurst-engorged Brewers fans. But the evening was a joy –- in a beautiful park with friendly people.

One experience stands out -– hearing the intro music for Brewers outfielder Gabe Gross. Apparently the players can pick the theme song they want played over the P.A. system when they walk up to plate. Most of it was pop, rock, R&B, and rap (no opera, jazz, madrigal, new age or country, so far as I could tell). But Gross’s choice was both familiar and arresting: it was “Blessed Be Your Name” by Beth and Matt Redman . . . No kidding.

When I got back to Evanston, I checked this out on the Internet. Sure enough, Gross was an outspoken Christian from Auburn University. And, of course, he was taking his hits in the blogosphere. For instance, somebody calling himself “Smoove D” wrote the following:

“I was at the game tonight, and I couldn’t believe what I was hearing when Gabe Gross came up to bat. It sounded like some kind of Christian rock [mess]. Does anyone know what it is? I couldn’t make out any of the words other than what I thought sounded like ‘Jesus.’ I know the players pick their own music, meaning I like Gross a little less now."

Well, Smoove D got some blowback from folks who were as grateful as I for his testimony.

I don’t know why the organist at Nashville’s First Horizon Park (located on the historic Sulphur Dell baseball site) played the Martin Luther hymn tune. Maybe he or she just thought ‘Spangenberg’ sounded Germanic. But I think Cory picked that one. This seemed to be the pattern with other players, as, for instance, Hispanic songs tracked with that ethnicity. 

On this particular night, the whole music introduction thing was muddied a bit by promotions for a Christmas light show called Enchant, scheduled for the field during Christmas season. The management handed out hundreds of Santa hats and kept inserting Christmas songs where personalized tunes normally appeared. Of course, some of those holiday tunes were Christian in origin, but here they were essentially advertising jingles.

Whatever the cause of our hearing “A Mighty Fortress,” I don’t think unbelievers or Catholics were drawn to the five solas of the Reformation by a musical line from Luther. But those notes brought some joy to the hearts of the many Protestants in the crowd who knew them well. A pleasant surprise on an early fall night at the ballpark.