Sunday, July 22, 2007
Semi-Regular National Anthem Rant
OK, you want to know why no one sings the Star Spangled Banner at ballgames anymore? It's because too many "featured artists" insist on "personalizing" it. No one knows what's going on, and the crowd is frozen out of participating so the "artist" can gratify his or her ego.
Today's Pirate game was a prime example. I did not get the woman's name, but when she starts out, "Oooooooooohhhhhhhhh sayyyyyyyyyyy caaaaaaannnnn youuuuuuuuuu SEEEEeeEEeEeEeEEeEEeEEEeeEEEeEeEe" the crowd tunes out and starts looking for the beer man. Come on! Its a patriotic aire set to the tune of an old drinking song, not a fucking dirge. Sing it properly, and the rest of us will join in.
It was a Sunday game, so the 7th inning featured "God Bless America" which most featured artists sing as Ethel Merman intended. Not today though! "GooooooooOOOOOoood bless AmeeeeeeeeeeeerrrrricccccaaAAAAAA." Yep, another funerary march, and with made up notes that aren't in any score I've ever seen. No one sang along.
It being the 7th, "God Bless America" was followed by "Take Me Out To The Ballgame" which nearly everyone sang along with, because Vince Lascheid played it the same way he's been playing it since 1908 when he first played it. Everyone knew what notes to sing, and everyone knew the pacing, so there was widespread participation.
Please Pirates, spare us these egomanicas who think they're auditioning for Star Search and give us the Marine Corps Band instead.
Labels: Baseball, national anthem, Pirates, rants, star spangled banner
