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Ashburn felt terrible about the incident and brought Roth flowers while she was recovering in the hospital. Ashburn’s connection to Roth, who was the wife of Philadelphia Bulletin Sports Editor Earl Roth, continued after his playing career ended. He periodically wrote columns for the Bulletin while serving as a broadcaster for the Phillies.
The municipal philharmonic symphony and chorus were rehearsing Symphony No. 9 by Ludwig Von Beethoven.
Since the chorus doesn’t enter until the final movement, the singers were becoming very bored – especially the men in the back row. Then the basses had a clever idea. During the break, they tied a nylon fishline around the conductor’s score, four pages prior to the beginning of the last movement. They ran the line up through a roof vent, across the street and down into Joe’s tavern. This allowed them to relax at the bar chugging brews, and when the line jerked, they could run across the street and take their places in the chorus at the precise time.
Their plan worked flawlessly, especially when the conductor paused before continuing, to have the trombones, who were playing somewhat flat, tune their instruments.
So all singers were in readiness as the conductor raised his baton. Well….. almost all… except for the two men who had passed out at the bar.
And so, therefore, this became the first case in musical history where it was the bottom of the ninth, the basses were loaded, the score was tied, there were two out, the lead-off man was up and the inside pitch was low.
