His presence in the concourse was still rewarding: Aging church organists could take a turn at the keyboard and get their picture taken with him. But he had to pack up around the seventh inning — right around the time one of his taped versions of \"Take Me Out to the Ball Game\" started playing.

That's why the man who once opted against prostate cancer surgery because he'd be laid up for opening day has officially called it a night. His only curtain call is a plaque from a sports writers banquet.

He's not bitter — he does, after all, have a
World Series ring courtesy of Tug McGraw and the 1980 Phillies — but he is sad to see the ballpark organist slowly going the way of the twinight doubleheader.

\"Back in the '60s, all the ballparks had organs. All of them,\" Richardson laments.

But not anymore.

About half the teams in the majors still have an organist, but most have seen their playing time cut, just like any other aging veteran.

Nancy Bea Hefley, the Dodgers organist since 1987, doesn't play much during the game anymore. Mostly, it's the national anthem and \"Take Me Out to the Ball Game.\"

\"It's definitely a different era,\" she says. \"The rock tapes are all coming into play a lot.\"