It has been 9 years since the September 11 2001 attacks, Bush is out of office, and I’d say the Great Recession is more of a concern than the Taliban these days.
So, how about no longer replacing* Take Me Out to the Ballgame* with *God *Bless America during the 7th inning stretch?
Which teams still do that? I’m pretty sure that it’s not universal.
If the Cubs had switched to “God Bless America” during the stretch in the days after 9/11, they didn’t do it for long. Since Harry Carey passed away, the Cubs have had a (fairly annoying) tradition of celebrity “conductors” leading the crowd in “Take Me Out To The Ballgame”, and that’s what they’ve been doing in recent years.
I’m pretty sure that the White Sox have been back to “Take Me Out” for years (if they ever switched in the first place).
Suits me fine. I didn’t think Take Me Out to the Ballgame had been replaced, though. I thought some teams (like the Yankees) were just doing both of them.
I was at a game last month, and I’m quite certain that the song was not God Bless America.
I haven’t been to an MLB game in about two years, but the Triple-A team here only does the National Anthem before the game and Take Me Out to the Ballgame during the stretch.
The Diamondbacks use it. Not sure if it is for every game, but I know I had to see John McCain’s ugly face on the jumbotron while God Bless America was being sung at the last D-backs game I went to. McCain was in the audience.
Sounds like this really comes down to: “It’s been 9 years since 9/11…can we please get the Arizona Diamondbacks to stop playing ‘God Bless America’ during the seventh-inning stretch?”
Maybe the Diamondbacks still use it since they won the World Series in 2001!
Maybe.
I’ll add that the Tigers don’t. Anyone other than the Diamondbacks?
The Yankees still play it. Usually it’s the Kate Smith recording.
The Colorado Rockies play both. I actually got into a discussion with my brother-in-law about it last week. We were at a game together and afterwards asked me why I did not stand during “God Bless America.”
I was pretty adamant that it was a retarded idea back in 2001, I feel like I was ahead of the curve.
Check out the men’s finals at the tennis U.S. Open this year.
I watch the opening ceremony for it usually and the last few years, they have been singing God Bless America instead of the Star Spangled Banner.
I’ve been shocked each time.
It might have been America the Beautiful, by the way.
As long as it’s not Ronan Tynan, I don’t care.
They should play This Land is Your Land. Every verse.
Standing ovation
I was at a Seattle Mariners game this Memorial Day and I’m pretty sure they did sing “God Bless America” at the seventh inning stretch. Every other Mariners game in the past five years just has “Take Me Out To The Ballgame” followed by “Louie Louie”.
Wasn’t it the case before WW2 they only sang the national anthem before big games like the World Series, opening day, and national holidays?
Padres play it before “Take Me Out…”, but not at most games. They do play it every Sunday, however. I could definitely do without it, especially because I have no idea what to do during it. Everyone else stands and removes their hats as if it’s the national anthem, but isn’t it just a song?
Heard it at a Mets game recently and the announcer even asked people to stand for it, which surprised me.
I would actually love not to hear “Take Me Out…” ever again.
The Indians lost to the Angels last night in 16 innings, and the spectators had to hear “Take Me Out to the Ball Game” twice. Once in the seventh, and once in the 14th.