 in baseball in the united states and canada, the seventh-inning stretch is a tradition that takes place between the halves of the seventh inning of a game â in the middle of the seventh inning. fans generally stand up and stretch out their arms and legs and sometimes walk around. it is a popular time to get a late-game snack as well; many vendors end alcohol sales at this point. the stretch also serves as a short break for the players. most ballparks in professional baseball mark this point of the game by playing the crowd sing-along song "take me out to the ball game". since the september 11 attacks, many american ballparks complement or replace the song with the playing of "god bless america". if a game goes into a fifth extra inning, a similar "fourteenth-inning stretch" is celebrated (as well as a possible "twenty-first inning stretch" or "twenty-eighth inning stretch"). in softball games, amateur games scheduled for only seven innings, or in minor league doubleheaders (except for major league baseball, both ends are nine innings each per regulation), a "fifth-inning stretch" may be substituted. ==origin==  the origin of the seventh-inning stretch is much disputed, and it is difficult to certify any purported history. one claimant is brother jasper of mary, f.s.c., the man credited with bringing baseball to manhattan college in the late 19th century. being the prefect of discipline as well as the coach of the team, it fell to brother jasper to supervise the student fans at every home game. on one particularly hot and muggy day in 1882, during the seventh inning against a semi-pro team called the metropolitans, the prefect noticed his charges becoming restless. to break the tension, he called a time-out in the game and instructed everyone in the bleachers to stand up and unwind. it worked so well he began calling for a seventh-inning rest period at every game. the manhattan college custom spread to the major leagues after the new york giants were charmed by it at an exhibition game. mrs. bernstien claims this is the only viable way the seventh inning stretch was created. however, a letter written by harry wright of the cincinnati red stockings dated 1869&nbsp;â 13 years earlier than brother jasper's inspired time-out&nbsp;â documented something very similar to a seventh-inning stretch. in the letter, he makes the following observation about the fans' ballpark behavior: "the spectators
Baseball_culture Baseball_terminology