The last time the Dodgers won a World Series they had guys named Gibson, Hershiser, Sax, Scioscia, Guerrero, Howell (two, in fact), Hatcher, Shelby and Leary (among others) on their roster. They also had a rookie named Hefley. No, not on the field but rather at the keyboard of the Dodger Stadium organ. Yes, the last time the Dodgers won a World Series was in 1988 and it was Nancy Bea Hefley’s first season with the team.

After 28 years and to the disappointment of Dodger fans young and old, Hefley – or Nancy Bea as she is affectionately known – played Take Me Out to the Ball Game for the final time on October 15, 2015 when the Dodgers were eliminated by the Mets in Game-5 of the NLDS, having announced her retirement two weeks earlier.

“I have had a wonderful time playing for the Dodgers and their fans,” Hefley said in a written statement on October 2. “My husband and I felt that this was the right time to settle down in our home in Silver Springs [Nevada] and eliminate all the travel. The Dodgers have told me I can come back and make guest appearances and I greatly appreciate this gesture. I hope to get back to Dodger Stadium on occasion.”

Nancy Bea and Bill Hefley.
(Photo credit – George Wilhelm)

Even though Nancy Bea was to the Dodger Stadium organ that Vin Scully is to the Dodger Stadium microphone, many Dodger fans were unaware that the 79-year-old organist and her husband Bill commuted over seven and a half hours and 450 miles each way from their rural home outside of Carson City, Nevada to Dodger Stadium. Obviously, they stayed in town during each Dodgers home stand and would then return to their home in Silver Springs when the team went on the road.

One of the things Dodger fans will miss most about Nancy Bea are her great photos on Twitter – including this one of rush hour traffic in Silver Springs, Nevada. (Photo courtesy of @NancyBea)

But even in her retirement, Nancy Bea promises Dodger fans that she will, on occasion, return to Blue Heaven on Earth from time to time.

“I hopefully am not saying goodbye to everybody,” Hefley said. “They have told me I’m welcome back anytime I want, and that I’ll come back for special occasions – the FanFests and different things like that – so it’s not a total goodbye.”

So who, then, could possibly fill the enormous shoes of Nancy Bea as the Dodgers new organist? The answer to that is a no-brainer – Dieter Ruehle, the longtime organist, D.J. and music director for the LA Kings and LA Lakers at Staples Center.

Although many Dodgers fans were hoping that Dieter Ruehle would replace Nancy Bea, it wasn’t confirmed until he posted this on Twitter as the gates to FanFest 2016 opened. (Courtesy of @DieterRuehle)

Ruehle, who was born and raised in Los Angeles and lives in nearby Burbank, has been the Kings organist for 20 years and the Lakers for 15, and like most professional musicians, he began playing at a very young age.

“When I watched hockey on TV as a kid, I always heard the organ in the background,” Ruehle told LA Times reporter Chris Erskine during an October 2015 interview. “It spoke to me.”

But unlike most sports team organists, Ruehle didn’t have to wait long to get a shot at playing the organ for his favorite hockey team. At the age of 12 he submitted a request and was given an opportunity to play the organ during a Kings game at the Great Western Forum – and he was hooked for life.

“I totally fell in love with it,” Ruehle recalled.

Eight years later and at the tender age of only 20 years old, Ruehle was hired by the Kings as their full time organist and has never looked back. He was brought on-board as the Lakers full time organist five years later. Since then, Ruehle has played at five Olympics, including the 2014 Winter Games in Sochi, Russia along with New York Rangers organist Ray Castoldi. He also filled in occasionally at Dodger Stadium when Nancy Bea and her husband went on vacation.

“Dodger Stadium has the best sound system I’ve heard at a baseball stadium,” Ruehle told Tien Nguyen of L.A. Taco in an interview last October. “But there’s a sound delay, so when I hit a note, I don’t hear it right away. I have to wear headphones because of the delay.”

Did Dieter know that the Dodgers would be courting him to replace Nancy Bea when she announced her well-deserved retirement last October?

“I have no idea what the Dodgers will do,” Ruehle told Nguyen. “I enjoy filling in, but I have no idea if the Dodgers will even keep the organist position.”

Not only did the Dodgers keep the position but they plugged Ruehle into it just in time for the January 30 FanFest event, where he entertained the nearly 25,000 who attended.

With the Kings and Lakers in the middle of their respective seasons and the Dodgers Home Opener only eight weeks away, who’s going to fill in at Dodger Stadium should the Kings make the playoffs? Although no one knows for sure yet, the Dodgers would be absolutely foolish not to invite Nancy Bea to return.

Dieter Ruehle at the keys of the Dodger Stadium organ at FanFest 2016.
(Photo credit – Jon SooHoo)

Whether or not Dieter Ruehle will have the same kind of mojo that Nancy Bea had in her rookie season with the Dodgers back in 1988 remains to be seen. But one thing’s for certain – he definitely knows about it.

It’s your move, Dieter.