Lindsay Imber

Last updated
Lindsay Imber
Born (1988-02-16) February 16, 1988 (age 36)
Los Angeles, California
OccupationOrganist • Umpire/Rules Analyst
Organization(s) Anaheim Ducks, NHL
TitleHouse Organist, Honda Center Owner, Close Call Sports
Website CloseCallSports.com

Lindsay Imber (born February 16, 1988, in Los Angeles, California) is an American musician who is the stadium organist for the National Hockey League's Anaheim Ducks. [1]

Contents

Early life

Imber grew up in the Los Angeles area and began training classically in piano at the age of seven. After graduating from UC Irvine with degrees in social ecology and criminology, law, and society, Imber obtained a security statistics job with Major League Baseball's Los Angeles Dodgers organization. While working for the Dodgers, she became a self-taught organist, using the Dodgers' Roland Atelier AT-80s organ as a practice instrument. [2]

Imber's early professional sports experience includes filling in for 27-year Dodgers organist Nancy Bea Hefley when she was absent from games in Los Angeles. [3]

Anaheim Ducks organist

When the Anaheim Ducks and Los Angeles Kings played during the 2014 NHL Stadium Series at Dodger Stadium, Imber met Staples Center organist Dieter Ruehle. At the time, while Ruehle played for the Kings, the Ducks did not employ an organist.

In 2015, the Ducks acting on Ruehle's recommendation invited Imber to audition for the organist vacancy; Her first game with Anaheim was Game 1 of the 2015 Stanley Cup Playoffs's First Round series between Anaheim and the visiting Winnipeg Jets. Similar to Atlanta Braves organist Matthew Kaminski's use of organ walkup songs, Imber plays a short flourish tailored for each player upon a goal or assist announcement.

In 2020, the Loyola Marymount Lions baseball team announced Imber as organist for its Sunday Kids Days promotion. [4]

Imber designed the Ducks' first-ever Pride themed warm-up jerseys to honor the LGBT community. Ducks players wore these jerseys during the team's inaugural Pride Night vs the Montreal Canadiens on March 3, 2023. [5]

Sports officiating analyst

A part-time referee and umpire, Imber in 2006 created Umpire Ejection Fantasy League, a website that tracks MLB umpire ejections. [6]

In 2011, the site became known as Close Call Sports, and added to its ejection tracking feature the role of analyzing and explaining rules and controversial calls. It has attracted the attention of several current and past MLB umpires, such as Bob Davidson, who has become a site regular. CloseCallSports has produced several podcasts featuring interviews with former umpires, including Davidson, Dale Scott, Jim Joyce, and others. [7]

In 2015, Imber published an article in the Society for American Baseball Research (SABR)'s flagship publication, The Baseball Resource Journal, about MLB's inaugural season with expanded instant replay. [8] Imber also is credited as a contributing author to The SABR Book of Umpires and Umpiring, having written a chapter entitled, "'You're Out of Here' - A History of Umpire Ejections." [9]

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References

  1. ↑ Elliott, Helene (November 27, 2021). "Column: 'You can be who you are.' Ducks organist Lindsay Imber shares her transition journey". Los Angeles Times.
  2. ↑ Russo, Jenelyn (May 4, 2017). "Organist Imber Infuses Ducks Games at Honda Center with Delightful Tone". AnaheimDucks.com.
  3. ↑ Stephen, Eric (October 2, 2015). "Longtime Dodgers organist Nancy Bea Hefley announces retirement". True Blue LA. SB Nation.
  4. ↑ "Things to Look Forward to this year at Page Stadium". Loyola Marymount University Lions. February 12, 2020.
  5. ↑ "Ducks to Host Inaugural Pride Night Tomorrow at Honda Center". NHL.com. 2 March 2023. Retrieved 2023-03-08.
  6. ↑ Britt, Aaron (September 27, 2013). "Drafting Umps and Counting Ejections: The Fantasy League That Keeps MLB Honest". Sports Illustrated.
  7. ↑ Buchanan, Zach (September 21, 2020). "Meet CloseCallSports, the tiny corner of the baseball internet just for umpires". The Athletic.
  8. ↑ Imber, Gil (Spring 2015). "Reviewing Instant Replay: Observations and Implications from Replay's Inaugural Season". Baseball Research Journal. 44 (1): 45–53.
  9. ↑ Gerlach, Larry (March 18, 2017). The SABR Book of Umpires and Umpiring. Phoenix, AZ: Society for American Baseball Research, Inc. pp. 288–295. ISBN   978-1-943816-45-3.
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