Fan who won 7th-inning stretch contest dies

GUTTENBERG, Iowa -- An eastern Iowa man who became the first Chicago Cubs fan to sing "Take Me Out to the Ballgame" at Wrigley Field has died from bone cancer.

Dustin Eglseder passed away in his Guttenberg home Wednesday. He was 23.

Eglseder was chosen from thousands of entrants to sing the song during the seventh-inning stretch against Pittsburgh on Sept. 21, 2007. Eglseder played third base in high school, but he also nurtured his voice in high school chorus and chamber choir.

"He stood up in front of 41,000 people and just nailed it," Cubs broadcaster Bob Brenly said at the time.

The Cubs organization then invited Eglseder and his family to a convention in Chicago in January. He again sang the classic baseball tune, this time to a crowd of thousands of fans, coaches and players at the opening ceremony.

Eglseder was also invited by Cubs TV broadcasters to their booth for an interview at Wrigley Field in April.

Eglseder was diagnosed with bone cancer in the spring of 2007, and he had surgery that May to have a bone removed from his right arm. Despite the surgery at the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minn., and subsequent chemotherapy at University Hospitals in Iowa City, the cancer returned. Eglseder's arm was amputated in November.

Cubs shortstop Ryan Theriot was one of three Cubs players who called Eglseder before his surgery and stayed in touch with him afterward.