America's pastime, America's song

As I was leaving a minor league baseball stadium a few weeks ago, during the height of the "major league games are too long, hunt for strikes" memorandum scandal, I tried to think of ways games could be shortened without compromising the ethics of the sport. MLB officials and media pundits seemed to have thought of and rejected every possibility. Every aspect of the game had been scrutinized except for two things that weren't truly part of the game—the national anthem and the singing of "Take Me Out to the Ballgame." So, at the time, I wondered which song Americans would miss more if one had to be eliminated to make games shorter.

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"The Star-Spangled Banner" seemed like a simple song back then. This generation is far too young to remember its baseball debut in 1918 during World War I as an impromptu display of patriotism. Until recently, fans were so inured to hearing the anthem that most people paid no attention, commenting only if the singer was particularly inept (Roseanne) or stupid enough to change the lyrics (Aerosmith). Including introductions and applause, singing the anthem can delay the start of a game for over 10 minutes. A month ago, I would have concluded that MLB should consider getting rid of the anthem entirely, or saving it for occasions like the World Series.

In contrast, "Take Me Out to the Ballgame" has always seemed like a permanent part of baseball, as essential as an umpire or a hot dog at the ballpark. It debuted in stadiums a decade before the national anthem and quickly won a place in fans' hearts. With his charming, off-key singing, Harry Caray turned the song into an institution. The myriad successors to his legacy at Wrigley Field mangle the song on a daily basis; Mickey Morandini's son, recently accompanying his father in the broadcast booth, covered his ears during the longtime Phillies second-baseman's rendition. But again, nobody minds. "Take Me Out to the Ballgame" has become an homage to Caray and to America's pastime.

To compare the two songs in terms of their value to baseball would be impossible. "Take Me Out to the Ballgame," though, adds less time to already elongated ballgames, and nobody remembers the national anthem unless someone screws it up. So logically, the anthem would be the one to go. Right?

Wrong. The baseball games on Mon., Sept. 17 changed my mind about the patriotic value of the anthem to sports, and to the nation as a whole. The attacks on the World Trade Center and the Pentagon brought Americans together in mourning. "The Star-Spangled Banner" before Monday's games brought Americans together in sport and remembrance, proving that the American spirit cannot be crushed.

In the scheme of things, baseball is a relatively minor piece of Americana. To the players, it's their job, and like the rest of America, they are heeding President George W. Bush's, DC '68, call to return to work. To fans, it's a distraction from the horrors unfolding on television and in the newspapers. But the tears in the eyes of everyone present at Monday's baseball games suggest that it holds a much more important place in our hearts. During the singing of "The Star-Spangled Banner," grown men cried, umpires brushed away tears, and a nation mourned—together.

That Monday, and in days to follow, "Take Me Out to the Ballgame" disappeared from baseball stadiums—and nobody missed it. Instead, "God Bless America" rang out in ballparks across the country during the seventh-inning stretch. More tears were followed by choruses of "U.S.A.," identical to those that greeted the president during his trip to the wreckage at the World Trade Center.

So I stand corrected. Baseball should look elsewhere for ways to shorten its games. As recent events have shown, nothing can replace the national anthem, no matter how untalented the singer or insignificant the game.

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