Latest news with #TakeMeOuttotheBallgame
USA Today
2 days ago
- Sport
- USA Today
Illinois quarterback Luke Altmyer Calls Lamar Jackson the dual-threat G.O.A.T.
Illinois quarterback Luke Altmyer Calls Lamar Jackson the dual-threat G.O.A.T. It was officially "Illini Night" at Wrigley Field on Tuesday, as the Chicago Cubs defeated division rival Milwaukee 5-3. As part of the festivities, Illinois Fighting Illini quarterback Luke Altmyer got to have a very "how cool was that?!" moment- singing "Take Me Out to the Ballgame" alongside his head coach, Bret Bielema, during the seventh inning stretch. Before the baseball game, Altmyer met with the media at a Wrigley Field adjacent pub, and talked some football. Asked which NFL quarterbacks he follows and studies, Altmyer responded with a list that included Baltimore Ravens superstar Lamar Jackson. "The guys you watch are the guys I watch, to be honest," Altmyer said at the University of Illinois private party, staged at the Brickhouse Tavern. I watch (Patrick) Mahomes, (Joe) Burrow, (Josh) Allen, and Lamar for good reasons. They're the best at what they do. I watch them all really, and take a lot from each one of them. Mahomes is pretty box office, so when he's playing, I'm tuning in, and Lamar and Burrow and Allen, I take a little bit from each of their games." Altmyer, who transferred into Illinois from an SEC school (Ole Miss) and turned down multiple opportunities to return to the Southeastern Conference to stay in Champaign, completed 60% of his passes last season for 2,717 yards, 22 touchdown passes against just six interceptions. He then mentioned his top quarterback role model, and it happens to be somebody that Bielema coached at the University of Wisconsin. "But growing up, I think Russell Wilson, which is crazy coincidence, because that's Bielema's guy, so it's cool," Altmyer continued. "Because I mimic his game a little bit, being able to run a little bit, throw it well, and a winner, and a guy who carries himself with some great character. So I look up to him a lot." We naturally invited him to elaborate on Lamar, asking him point-blank if he's the dual-threat quarterback G.O.A.T. (greatest of all time). "Yeah, that's pretty understood," Altmyer responded. "When he came out of college, people were saying he's gonna be a receiver. "And his speed and his agility, his elusiveness, but I respect him so much because of the way he's grown his passing. "I don't watch him because he's so elusive, I mean that's just raw talent, but just the way he operates within the pocket and makes the right throw, the right reads and I really think he's underrated." There is certainly validity to the idea that Jackson, ranked the 6th best player in the league by CBS Sports this year, is underrated, despite all his accomplishments and accolades. He didn't win the MVP this past season, despite having the best statistical campaign of his career. Altmyer expounded on the Lamar is underrated idea: "Even as good as he is, as a two-time MVP, and I think he's still underrated, not because he can run, that's obvious, but the way he can make it happen, whatever possible way it takes."
USA Today
2 days ago
- Sport
- USA Today
Illini quarterback Luke Altmyer discusses how he's trying to improve his NFL Draft stock
Illini quarterback Luke Altmyer discusses how he's trying to improve his NFL Draft stock In 2023, he had a 13-10 TD pass to INT ratio, 7.0 yards per attempt and a passer rating of 131.9. Last season, he improved those numbers to 22-6, 7.8 and 144.0 If you look at national college football starting quarterback power rankings, you'll often see Illinois Fighting Illini signal caller Luke Altmyer near the top. Among Big Ten QB1s, Altmyer is the highest tier of power rankings. However, if you look at NFL Draft prospect rankings for 2026, you won't often see Altmyer's name. This, despite all that he's accomplished at the collegiate level thus far. Altmyer has another chance this year at Illinois to get his name into the draft prospect conversation. When you look at his career arc, it's very likely that the Starkville, MS native and Ole Miss transfer will do so. In 2023, he had a 13-10 TD pass to INT ratio, 7.0 yards per attempt and a passer rating of 131.9. Last season, while leading the Illini to a 10 win season that included a New Year's bowl victory, he improved those numbers to 22-6, 7.8 and 144.0 To quote Disco Stu from The Simpsons, "if these trends Altmyer was on hand for Illini Night at Wrigley Field, meeting the media at a private function just outside the Friendly Confines. The Illinois quarterback would later sing the seventh inning stretch of Cubs vs Brewers, alongside his coach Bret Bielema, who told the fans who had traveled in from Wisconsin to "sit down." Prior to the distinctive "Take Me Out to the Ballgame" rendition, Altmyer provided some memorable soundbites. Asked what he's doing to work on his game, and improve his NFL Draft stock, he answered: "All areas, physically, I want to get better at my strength, my speed, my agility, my body control. "There's so many things that scouts and teams look at within a player that can go and help their team, and that's what I'm doing every single day. "It's what I did this morning, you know, to get stronger, to work on my balance, my health, my ability to sustain the season without injury, all that stuff. So I'm working really hard to do it. "So hopefully they see that on the field in 2025, but intangibly, it's those things I work on every single day too. I mean, the scouts and those NFL teams that pay the big bucks, they look into every little bit. So I just try to do whatever I can to be in that position one day, but there's tons of areas in my game I can get better at." On this current Illini squad, one that is widely considered to be a leading College Football Playoff contender in 2025, the individual player with the highest NFL Draft stock is edge rusher Gabe Jacas. "He's gonna make a lot of money in the NFL one day, probably," Altmyer said of Jacas. There are many factors in Altmyer's favor, one of which is his having experience in the two biggest college football conferences. While it's technically a "power four" these days, it's really more of a "power two" in the Big Ten and SEC. Altmyer has experience playing in both, and with that he's on the radar of coaches and personnel in both the south and the north. These people all know NFL people, and that can only help his professional prospects. Altmyer discussed his decision to leave Mississippi for Illinois, and why he decided to stay when the SEC offers came rolling again this offseason. "It's a long way from home, I'll tell you that," Altmyer added. "Out of high school, I didn't have a Big 10 offer at all, so it's something that's super foreign to me. I didn't grow up watching Big 10 football, and so it was definitely a mental hump that I had to get over, but it was the right thing to do. I knew that hump and that change and that growth would only bring out the best to me. "So it was definitely difficult, because it was change and growth, new people, new area, new everything, but I know that it's that hump that makes me who I am every single day. "So it's been great. My family's grown to love this place, Illinois, Chicago, Champaign, whatever it is. And so my friends, they all got their their calendar circled, all for the dates that they'll be up here to watch, and it's just it's a good time to be a little football fan."
Chicago Tribune
12-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Chicago Tribune
How ‘Take Me Out to the Ball Game' seeded a music nonprofit supporting the songwriters of tomorrow
NEW YORK — It's sung every summer in baseball stadiums around the United States. But the impact of 'Take Me Out to the Ball Game' goes much further than simply getting fans out of their seats for the 7th-inning stretch. More than a century after Jack Norworth penned the lyrics, a nonprofit founded with the song's royalties is celebrating 50 years of supporting young musicians — including the talent behind some of today's most popular musicals. The ASCAP Foundation, the charitable arm for the American Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers, was established in 1975 after Norworth's estate left a bequest of the licensing payments for baseball's unofficial anthem and his other hits. 'Just as all music begins with a song, the ASCAP Foundation began with a song,' said Paul Williams, the group's president and a composer-lyricist whose award-winning career includes 'Rainbow Connection.' The organization provides money, lessons and mentorship at all career stages in an industry where that support is badly needed by artists who often toil for years working other gigs while trying to get their music before the right ears. To reach its semicentennial, however, the foundation has had to identify new funding streams and reinvent programming. 'Take Me Out to the Ballgame,' written in 1908, has since entered the public domain and no longer generates revenue. The foundation nowadays relies on a mix of philanthropies, corporate sponsors and general public donations. The Louis Armstrong Educational Foundation is a longtime backer and storied New York law firm Paul Weiss is another sponsor. And, according to Williams, 'there's not a lot of stingy songwriters out there.' The late Jerry Leiber and Mike Stoller, as well as Herb Alpert, are among those with named scholarships and awards. Williams said other bequests, which are charitable gifts left through a will, have come from 'Hello, Dolly!' composer-lyricist Jerry Herman and 'Tea for Two' lyricist Irving Ceasar. 'It's really a way of making a mark on the world and extending their values forward,' fundraising coach Claire Axelrad said of bequests, which she added have consistently made up about one-tenth of charitable gifts. With dwindling arts funding and millions of children reportedly going without music education, the ASCAP Foundation is also trying to reach underserved communities. Leaders count nearly 60,000 K-12 students who participated in last year's programs. They help teach guitar to New York summer campers and bring students to free Broadway-caliber productions. Youth are learning to play the djembe, a drum originally from West Africa, through a collaboration with urban farming nonprofit Harlem Grown. Tax filings show the foundation gave away more than $325,000 in grants for scholarships, fellowships and cash awards in 2023. Award-winning songwriter Emily Bear, who co-wrote the soundtrack for Disney's 'Moana 2,' said the foundation took her 'very seriously' when she was a five-year-old prodigy receiving its young composer award. 'That kind of validation at that kind of age means so much when you're just a little girl with very big dreams and you're in a room full of people that you idolize,' she said. Composer Stephen Schwartz, who was honored this week with the ASCAP Foundation Champion Award during a June 10 fundraiser at Tony winner Adam Guettel's Manhattan home, said the nonprofit is filling gaps as the government 'supports the arts less and less.' This April also marked the third year that Schwartz has hosted the foundation's two-day Musical Theatre Fest in Los Angeles. The location allows participants to get feedback from prominent guests and connect with Hollywood studios — one way the foundation is trying to stay relevant by serving the renewed interest in musicals for television and film screens. It's emblematic of the mentorship younger composers say Schwartz — a Broadway icon whose hits include 'Godspell,' 'Pippin' and 'Wicked' — has offered to emerging artists over the years. Benj Pasek and Justin Paul, the songwriting duo behind 'Dear Evan Hansen,' credited the ASCAP Foundation for 'cementing' their connection with Schwartz. Pasek said such close proximity to a hero, who then became a 'living, breathing person who gives you advice,' made the profession 'more plausible.' 'Typically, you're working on projects on a wing and a prayer and hoping that someday it reaches the stage,' Paul said. 'So, an organization like the ASCAP Foundation breathing life into not just your work, but your pocketbooks, is a huge, huge support.' Schwartz said it was 'scary and bewildering' when he first started out without any connections. He sees an important role for himself as someone who can 'ease the way a bit' to help newcomers' 'talents flourish earlier and more completely.' There's also another motivation. 'It's slightly selfish because I get to see good work and enjoy it,' Schwartz added.
12-06-2025
- Entertainment
How 'Take Me Out to the Ball Game' seeded a music nonprofit supporting the songwriters of tomorrow
NEW YORK -- It's sung every summer in baseball stadiums around the United States. But the impact of 'Take Me Out to the Ball Game' goes much further than simply getting fans out of their seats for the 7th-inning stretch. More than a century after Jack Norworth penned the lyrics, a nonprofit founded with the song's royalties is celebrating 50 years of supporting young musicians — including the talent behind some of today's most popular musicals. The ASCAP Foundation, the charitable arm for the American Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers, was established in 1975 after Norworth's estate left a bequest of the licensing payments for baseball's unofficial anthem and his other hits. 'Just as all music begins with a song, the ASCAP Foundation began with a song,' said Paul Williams, the group's president and a composer-lyricist whose award-winning career includes 'Rainbow Connection.' The organization provides money, lessons and mentorship at all career stages in an industry where that support is badly needed by artists who often toil for years working other gigs while trying to get their music before the right ears. To reach its semicentennial, however, the foundation has had to identify new funding streams and reinvent programming. 'Take Me Out to the Ballgame,' written in 1908, has since entered the public domain and no longer generates revenue. The foundation nowadays relies on a mix of philanthropies, corporate sponsors and general public donations. The Louis Armstrong Educational Foundation is a longtime backer and storied New York law firm Paul Weiss is another sponsor. And, according to Williams, 'there's not a lot of stingy songwriters out there.' The late Jerry Leiber and Mike Stoller, as well as Herb Alpert, are among those with named scholarships and awards. Williams said other bequests, which are charitable gifts left through a will, have come from 'Hello, Dolly!' composer-lyricist Jerry Herman and 'Tea for Two' lyricist Irving Ceasar. 'It's really a way of making a mark on the world and extending their values forward,' fundraising coach Claire Axelrad said of bequests, which she added have consistently made up about one-tenth of charitable gifts. With dwindling arts funding and millions of children reportedly going without music education, the ASCAP Foundation is also trying to reach underserved communities. Leaders count nearly 60,000 K-12 students who participated in last year's programs. They help teach guitar to New York summer campers and bring students to free Broadway-caliber productions. Youth are learning to play the djembe, a drum originally from West Africa, through a collaboration with urban farming nonprofit Harlem Grown. Tax filings show the foundation gave away more than $325,000 in grants for scholarships, fellowships and cash awards in 2023. Award-winning songwriter Emily Bear, who co-wrote the soundtrack for Disney's 'Moana 2,' said the foundation took her 'very seriously" when she was a five-year-old prodigy receiving its young composer award. 'That kind of validation at that kind of age means so much when you're just a little girl with very big dreams and you're in a room full of people that you idolize," she said. Composer Stephen Schwartz, who was honored this week with the ASCAP Foundation Champion Award during a June 10 fundraiser at Tony winner Adam Guettel's Manhattan home, said the nonprofit is filling gaps as the government 'supports the arts less and less.' This April also marked the third year that Schwartz has hosted the foundation's two-day Musical Theatre Fest in Los Angeles. The location allows participants to get feedback from prominent guests and connect with Hollywood studios — one way the foundation is trying to stay relevant by serving the renewed interest in musicals for television and film screens. It's emblematic of the mentorship younger composers say Schwartz — a Broadway icon whose hits include 'Godspell,' 'Pippin' and 'Wicked' — has offered to emerging artists over the years. Benj Pasek and Justin Paul, the songwriting duo behind 'Dear Evan Hansen,' credited the ASCAP Foundation for 'cementing' their connection with Schwartz. Pasek said such close proximity to a hero, who then became a "living, breathing person who gives you advice,' made the profession 'more plausible.' 'Typically, you're working on projects on a wing and a prayer and hoping that someday it reaches the stage,' Paul said. "So, an organization like the ASCAP Foundation breathing life into not just your work, but your pocketbooks, is a huge, huge support.' Schwartz said it was 'scary and bewildering' when he first started out without any connections. He sees an important role for himself as someone who can 'ease the way a bit' to help newcomers' 'talents flourish earlier and more completely.' There's also another motivation. 'It's slightly selfish because I get to see good work and enjoy it,' Schwartz added. ___
The Hill
12-06-2025
- Entertainment
- The Hill
How ‘Take Me Out to the Ball Game' seeded a music nonprofit supporting the songwriters of tomorrow
NEW YORK (AP) — It's sung every summer in baseball stadiums around the United States. But the impact of 'Take Me Out to the Ball Game' goes much further than simply getting fans out of their seats for the 7th-inning stretch. More than a century after Jack Norworth penned the lyrics, a nonprofit founded with the song's royalties is celebrating 50 years of supporting young musicians — including the talent behind some of today's most popular musicals. The ASCAP Foundation, the charitable arm for the American Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers, was established in 1975 after Norworth's estate left a bequest of the licensing payments for baseball's unofficial anthem and his other hits. 'Just as all music begins with a song, the ASCAP Foundation began with a song,' said Paul Williams, the group's president and a composer-lyricist whose award-winning career includes 'Rainbow Connection.' The organization provides money, lessons and mentorship at all career stages in an industry where that support is badly needed by artists who often toil for years working other gigs while trying to get their music before the right ears. To reach its semicentennial, however, the foundation has had to identify new funding streams and reinvent programming. 'Take Me Out to the Ballgame,' written in 1908, has since entered the public domain and no longer generates revenue. The foundation nowadays relies on a mix of philanthropies, corporate sponsors and general public donations. The Louis Armstrong Educational Foundation is a longtime backer and storied New York law firm Paul Weiss is another sponsor. And, according to Williams, 'there's not a lot of stingy songwriters out there.' The late Jerry Leiber and Mike Stoller, as well as Herb Alpert, are among those with named scholarships and awards. Williams said other bequests, which are charitable gifts left through a will, have come from 'Hello, Dolly!' composer-lyricist Jerry Herman and 'Tea for Two' lyricist Irving Ceasar. 'It's really a way of making a mark on the world and extending their values forward,' fundraising coach Claire Axelrad said of bequests, which she added have consistently made up about one-tenth of charitable gifts. With dwindling arts funding and millions of children reportedly going without music education, the ASCAP Foundation is also trying to reach underserved communities. Leaders count nearly 60,000 K-12 students who participated in last year's programs. They help teach guitar to New York summer campers and bring students to free Broadway-caliber productions. Youth are learning to play the djembe, a drum originally from West Africa, through a collaboration with urban farming nonprofit Harlem Grown. Tax filings show the foundation gave away more than $325,000 in grants for scholarships, fellowships and cash awards in 2023. Award-winning songwriter Emily Bear, who co-wrote the soundtrack for Disney's 'Moana 2,' said the foundation took her 'very seriously' when she was a five-year-old prodigy receiving its young composer award. 'That kind of validation at that kind of age means so much when you're just a little girl with very big dreams and you're in a room full of people that you idolize,' she said. Composer Stephen Schwartz, who was honored this week with the ASCAP Foundation Champion Award during a June 10 fundraiser at Tony winner Adam Guettel's Manhattan home, said the nonprofit is filling gaps as the government 'supports the arts less and less.' This April also marked the third year that Schwartz has hosted the foundation's two-day Musical Theatre Fest in Los Angeles. The location allows participants to get feedback from prominent guests and connect with Hollywood studios — one way the foundation is trying to stay relevant by serving the renewed interest in musicals for television and film screens. It's emblematic of the mentorship younger composers say Schwartz — a Broadway icon whose hits include 'Godspell,' 'Pippin' and 'Wicked' — has offered to emerging artists over the years. Benj Pasek and Justin Paul, the songwriting duo behind 'Dear Evan Hansen,' credited the ASCAP Foundation for 'cementing' their connection with Schwartz. Pasek said such close proximity to a hero, who then became a 'living, breathing person who gives you advice,' made the profession 'more plausible.' 'Typically, you're working on projects on a wing and a prayer and hoping that someday it reaches the stage,' Paul said. 'So, an organization like the ASCAP Foundation breathing life into not just your work, but your pocketbooks, is a huge, huge support.' Schwartz said it was 'scary and bewildering' when he first started out without any connections. He sees an important role for himself as someone who can 'ease the way a bit' to help newcomers' 'talents flourish earlier and more completely.' There's also another motivation. 'It's slightly selfish because I get to see good work and enjoy it,' Schwartz added. ___ Associated Press coverage of philanthropy and non-profits receives support through the AP's collaboration with The Conversation US, with funding from Lilly Endowment Inc. The AP is solely responsible for this content. For all of AP's philanthropy coverage, visit
