Nancy Bea Hefley Gets Increased Playing Time on Friday Night

One of my favorite parts of going to Dodger games is listening to the sweet sounds of of team organist Nancy Bea Hefley between innings.  Now in her 23rd year with the club, Nancy Bea is a fan favorite, yet sadly, her profession seems to be something of a dying breed among MLB  clubs these days.

But fear not, organ music fans!  During Friday night’s game, Nancy Bea is going to have an increased role throughout the game, playing songs from the 50′s as part of the Dodgers’ “55 Since ’55″ promotion.  The first 20,000 fans in attendance also get a special Vin Scully poster, as seen here.  Tickets are still available, by the way.

In addition, we’re excited to announce that we’re going behind the scenes on Friday night and will be shadowing Nancy throughout this special game, so be sure and check back for Twitter updates all night long.  The full story, including our exclusive interview and photos, will be up on Saturday.  This will be the second in our periodic series of profiles of great Dodger employees that make the fan experience so enjoyable.  For those of you new to our site, be sure and check out our story on Dodger team photographer Jon SooHoo and our experience shadowing him during a Spring Training game earlier this year.

UPDATE: The Nancy Bea Hefley story is up!

Notes from Spring Training: Day Four

From the Dodgers official Spring Training media notes for Wednesday, February 23:

A BIRTHDAY TUNE: The Dodgers would like to wish organist Nancy Bea Hefley a happy birthday! This past offseason, Hefley signed a three-year extension to keep her behind the Dodger Stadium organ through the 2012 season, which will be her 25th year with the club. 

IT’S TIME FOR DODGER BASEBALL:The Dodgers and White Sox will face off for seven innings in the first “B” game of Spring Training on March 2 at 11:00 am on Field 1.

JUST PLAYING CATCH: In addition to their fielding drills, Scott Elbert, Eric Stults, Charlie Haeger, James McDonald andCarlos Monasterios all threw bullpens this morning in pursuit of the fifth starter spot.  Rotation anchors Chad Billingsley and Vicente Padilla also took a turn on the hill with Jonathan Broxton, George Sherrill, Hong-Chih Kuo, Eric Gagne, Ramon Troncoso, Travis Schlichting, Jon Link and Francisco Felix.

LOOKING FOR A TEE TIME?: Eric Karroswill host the 12th annual St. Francis Medical Center Foundation Golf Classic this Friday at Trump National Golf Course in Rancho Palos Verdes, CA. Festivities include a sports celebrity photo/autograph opportunity, an incredible golf experience, putting, hole-in-one, longest drive and closest-to-the-pin contests, dinner and auctions. Proceeds will benefit outreach programs and charitable care for children and families in the Southeast Los Angeles community. For more information contact Grace Mendez, SFMC Foundation, (310) 900-7331. 

KONICHIWA: The Dodgers would like to welcome Director of Asian Operations Acey Kohrogi, Japanese scout Keiichi Kojimaand the Meiji University baseball team to Camelback Ranch.  2010 marks the 100th anniversary of the team and they will have a camp at CBR – G until March 6. 

30/30:For the second straight year, MLB Network will once again televise the series “30 Clubs in 30 Days” with hour-long features on each of the 30 Major League clubs previewing the 2010 season. The network will be at Camelback Ranch – Glendale on March 18 and 19, with the Dodger show airing on the 19th. The MLB Network anchors and reporters will be conducting interviews with key players, coaches and others associated with each club. 

LEGENDS NIGHT:Boy is that an understatement. This Saturday, Dodger Hall of Famer Sandy Koufax and Dodger Manager Joe Torrewill raise money and awareness for Torre’s foundation “Safe at Home,” by taking part in an event at LA Live’s Nokia Theater. Tickets can still be purchased via ticketmaster.com, or charge-by-phone lines at (800) 745-3000.                                                                  

JOE COLLEGE:This Sunday is the inaugural “Dodgertown Classic” at Dodger Stadium, featuring two of our local Pac-10 schools in action on the diamond. The University of Southern California will take on the University of California , Los Angeles in the main event at 2 p.m. The undercard at 10 a.m. will put baseball powers Vanderbilt and Oklahoma State on display. Tickets for the event cost $5 and can be purchased in advance at dodgers.com and in person at USC and UCLA campus box offices. Day of game tickets can be purchased at Dodger Stadium for $10. Each ticket will permit access to both of the day’s games. Parking is free.                                                                        

SINGLE-GAME TICKETS ON SALE MARCH 6: Dodgers single-game tickets go on sale on Saturday, March 6 at 10:00 am online, by phone and at Dodger Stadium. The team will hold an on-sale event in Lot P at Dodger Stadium with Dodger legends Ron Cey and “Sweet” Lou Johnson, and all fans purchasing at least one ticket will receive two free tickets to the Dodgers’ exhibition home opener against the Indians on April 1. Dodger Dogs will be available for $2 and merchandise kiosks will be open as well.

The First Lady of the Dodgers

The Pasadena Star-News wrote a great piece the other day (“Color This Organist Dodger Blue”) on Dodger organist Nancy Hefley who just celebrated her 20th year with the team.  I’ve had a chance to meet Nancy, and she is so genuinely sweet and always seems to have a smile on her face.  I like to think of her as the “First Lady of the Dodgers” (no disrespect to Jamie McCourt, of course!).
It’s nice to see that Dodger fans didn’t let the previous ownership (Fox) follow the lead of other teams and use strictly digital music in the 1990′s.  Nancy’s organ brings a nice retro touch to the stadium and it’s one of the little things that makes the ballpark experience special.  Plus, with all the face time she gets on Diamond Vision, she’s got to be one of the most recognized faces in the organization.


Photo Credit: www.baseballreliquary.org