Thursday, July 29, 2010

The Sym-Phony Band

Here is a great color drawing of the old Brooklyn Dodger fan conceived Sym-Phony Band, via eBay. I don't know if this is rare or who the artist is, S. Rini, but it is sure is nice.

Back in Brooklyn, Dodger fandom was more fanatic and ridiculous than you can imagine. They had the infamous superfan Hilda Chester at the ready with her cowbell in hand and her mouth ready to scream out orders. Then, in the mid-30's a group of fans brought in their instruments and played them to their hearts content during games. They were named the Sym-Phony Band by announcer Red Barber in 1939. As the story goes, a group of patrons arrived at a game one afternoon with their instruments after a planned picnic had gone bust. Initially they were refused entry so they ditched their instruments in a hiding spot. Then, once they got in they went to the rear of the stadium and hauled them up to themselves with a rope. It didn't take long for Branch Rickey to recognize their popularity with the fans. So, he gave them their own row of seats in the aptly named Section 8.

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