DaytonDailyNews.com

CHICAGO — Gary Pressy has never played Carnegie Hall, and he doesn't have a Grammy or a gold record. Still, 81 days a year, he performs to a packed house with some of pop culture's biggest names.

Pressy is the lead organist for the Chicago Cubs, accompanying the celebrity karaoke performances of "Take Me Out to the Ballgame" at Wrigley Field.

The national pastime's anthem is 100 years old this season, and the list of Wrigley crooners continues to grow, usually one cringe-inducing note at a time.

Pressy recalls some of the most memorable performers.

The Best

Vin Scully, Dodgers announcer: "He was my favorite. I told him he was an Irish tenor in his other life."

Kenny Rogers, country singer: "He's a pure singer and he did it so well. He was excellent."

Simon Le Bon, lead singer of Duran Duran: "He was really into it and he knew all about the song."

Bill Murray, actor: "He did it at the playoff game for the wild card in 1998 with a lot of energy. He threw dollar bills out of the booth. I think they were 20s. He's a big tipper."

Dutchie Caray, widow of Harry Caray: "She did it on opening day in 1998. She was the first to do it after Harry died. She did an awesome job under a lot of pressure."

The Worst

Ozzy Osbourne, singer: "My God, maybe he sang it backwards. He did carry a tune, but what he said in between I don't know."

Jeff Gordon, NASCAR driver: "He made a mistake when he said welcome to Wrigley Stadium. Then he forgot the words. Boy, did he get booed."

Mike Ditka, Chicago Bears legend: "He almost missed it. He arrived late and grabbed the mike and did the polka rendition — he kind of rushed through it. But I call it the Knute Rockne version because we got seven runs (over the seventh and eighth innings)."

Vince Vaughn, actor: "He's done it a number of times. He's always good, but once he was hanging out of the booth. We thought he was going to fall."

Bernie Mac, actor: "That's kind of a sore spot. He sung it in Game 6 of the 2003 NL playoffs (the Steve Bartman game lost by the Cubs). Things were looking good at the time. But instead of singing 'Cubbies,' he said, 'Champs.' After that, things unraveled."