Pine Tree

 

Wilbur Snapp was a WWII veteran who never learned to read music. He taught himself to play organ by ear when he ran a music store in Ohio. After he retired, Wilbur moved to Florida and began playing the organ at Jack Russell Baseball Stadium in Clearwater. On June 25, 1985, an umpire called an out against the home team, the Clearwater Phillies. The crowd objected, and Wilbur broke into a rousing rendition of “Three Blind Mice.” The ump was not amused. He threw his arm up, and Wilbur became the only ballpark organist to ever be ousted from a game. He stepped away from the keyboard and spent the rest of the game making balloon animals – mice, of course – for fans. Wilbur continued working as ballpark organist until 1997, when the stadium switched to recorded music. He happily signed autographs for anyone who asked, “Wilbur Snapp, Three Blind Mice Organist.”