Vince Lascheid, longtime organist for the Pittsburgh Pirates and Pittsburgh Penguins -- and the greatest organist in the history of the universe -- has passed away.
Some images of Vince at work:
Why was he so special?
Lascheid had manned the organ for Pirates games since the team moved into Three Rivers Stadium in 1970. He also played for Steelers games when they played at Three Rivers Stadium.More:
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Lascheid was the first to introduce the concept of playing individual songs for players, often playing off their names to come up with ideas. He went from pioneer to hold-over as he remained as other stadiums turned to recorded songs players picked themselves.
"Not only was he the sound of Three Rivers stadium, he was the pioneer of playing individual songs as the batters (home and visiting players) came up to the plate," said former Pirate reliever Kent Tekulve, who has been assisting the Pirates in camp this spring. "He really enjoyed what he did and never cared for the limelight. That's what made him such a special part of the organization for a long a time."
Over the years, Lascheid was very creative in coming up with song choices. Some would be obvious, like the McDonald's theme, "You Deserve a Break Today," when Mark McGwire was visiting, or the theme from "Brian's Song" when Brian Giles manned the outfield for the Pirates. Others were tougher to figure out the association, like the theme for "Grease" for Jason Kendall (Kendall is a brand of motor oil, thus grease). Fans and players alike enjoyed trying to guess the song Lascheid had chosen for each player.
"As players, we always tried to figure out what he was playing for each batter," said shortstop Jack Wilson. "It was unique and always kept us guessing. He will be missed."
Long-time fans will remember Lascheid coming up with clever tunes to support Penguins’ players and to get under the skin of opponents. He started the “Let’s Go Pron-o-vost” chants for right winger Jean Pronovost in the 1970s; played the University of Wisconsin fight song to salute head coach “Badger Bob” Johnson; would belt out “The Night Chicago Died” or “The Night the Lights Went Out in Georgia” for victories over the Chicago Blackhawks or the old Atlanta Flames; and serenaded the three officials with “Three Blind Mice” until the NHL told him to stop!The Penguins' tribute to Lascheid:
Other Vince staples – he would pound out “Hallelujah” when the referee finally called a penalty on an opposing player, and then unfurl a rendition of “Let There Be Peace On Earth” during a bench-clearing brawl.
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