# National Anthem at the Home Run Derby **URL:** \ **Category:** The Game Room\ **Created:** [July 16, 2024, 2:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/national-anthem-at-the-home-run-derby/1004298 "2024-07-16T02:58:55Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 6
**Author:** ![Jackmannii](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jackmannii/32/311_2.png) [@Jackmannii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jackmannii)\ **Post date:** [July 18, 2024, 3:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/national-anthem-at-the-home-run-derby/1004298/101 "2024-07-18T15:09:23Z")
> [@kenobi\_65](#): > > > [@rocking\_chair](#): > > > > sweet caroline is played as well > > By the Red Sox, though they apparently play it during the middle of the _eighth_ inning, not for the seventh-inning stretch. A “tradition” that should die and be buried deeply enough that its touching hands can never re-emerge. ---
**Author:** ![Loach](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/loach/32/350_2.png) [@Loach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Loach)\ **Post date:** [July 18, 2024, 3:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/national-anthem-at-the-home-run-derby/1004298/102 "2024-07-18T15:10:42Z")
> [@Baker](#): > > Has anyone mentioned Roseanne Barr in this thread? My father, not an activist, said it would have been worth getting arrested to run out onto the field to grab the mic and have enough time to say “Now let’s do it right.” I told him I would have run interference with security to help him out. > > my two favorite **good** performances were the Oak Ridge Boys and Toni Tenille. Can’t remember the year of Tenilles singing but before she started she asked everyone to join her in singing, then just did it straight. The Oak Ridge Boys sang at the start of the sixth game of the 1985 World Series, and did it straight with a lovely four part harmony. Rosanne did the anthem knowing she wasn’t a good singer. Whoever invited her to sing knew she wasn’t a good singer. The crowd didn’t react the way they had hoped. It’s not really the same as a professional singer bombing. Compare this one to Fergie if you want a fair comparison. Coincidentally that one was also at an allstar game but it was the NBA in that instance. ---
**Author:** ![Loach](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/loach/32/350_2.png) [@Loach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Loach)\ **Post date:** [July 18, 2024, 3:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/national-anthem-at-the-home-run-derby/1004298/103 "2024-07-18T15:11:17Z")
> [@Jackmannii](#): > > > [@kenobi\_65](#): > > > > > [@rocking\_chair](#): > > > > > > sweet caroline is played as well > > > > By the Red Sox, though they apparently play it during the middle of the _eighth_ inning, not for the seventh-inning stretch. > > A “tradition” that should die and be buried deeply enough that its touching hands can never re-emerge. Ba ba baaaaah ---
**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\ **Post date:** [July 18, 2024, 3:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/national-anthem-at-the-home-run-derby/1004298/104 "2024-07-18T15:18:41Z")
Eh, that’s not so bad. The notes are about as good as you’d expect from someone who’s just not a professional singer. All he got really wrong were the words. ---
**Author:** ![Loach](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/loach/32/350_2.png) [@Loach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Loach)\ **Post date:** [July 18, 2024, 3:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/national-anthem-at-the-home-run-derby/1004298/105 "2024-07-18T15:27:01Z")
> [@Chronos](#): > > Eh, that’s not so bad. The notes are about as good as you’d expect from someone who’s just not a professional singer. All he got really wrong were the words. Enrico Pallazzo is a legend. ---
**Author:** ![Mark\_Finn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/34f0e0/32.png) [@Mark\_Finn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mark_Finn)\ **Post date:** [July 18, 2024, 4:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/national-anthem-at-the-home-run-derby/1004298/106 "2024-07-18T16:27:38Z")
Bring back Jose Feliciano and his performance before a 1968 World Series game. Controversial at the time - it has become a classic.(it spent five weeks on the Billboard charts) [1968 WS Gm5: Jose Feliciano performs natonal anthem (youtube.com)](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aQkY2UFBUb4) ---
**Author:** ![Q.Q.Switcheroo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/q.q.switcheroo/32/5713_2.png) [@Q.Q.Switcheroo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Q.Q.Switcheroo)\ **Post date:** [July 18, 2024, 4:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/national-anthem-at-the-home-run-derby/1004298/107 "2024-07-18T16:32:44Z")
As butchered national anthem performances go, it’s hard to top Dennis Park’s rendition of “O Canada”: [![](https://img.youtube.com/vi/KpXzASiXX8U/hqdefault.jpg "Oh Canada in Las Vegas") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KpXzASiXX8U) ---
**Author:** ![hajario](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hajario/32/171_2.png) [@hajario](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/hajario)\ **Post date:** [July 18, 2024, 4:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/national-anthem-at-the-home-run-derby/1004298/108 "2024-07-18T16:32:47Z")
And finished in less than two minutes. ---
**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\ **Post date:** [July 18, 2024, 4:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/national-anthem-at-the-home-run-derby/1004298/109 "2024-07-18T16:57:48Z")
That’s a lot better than most, but I don’t think that singing the anthem before a game is the right venue to be putting your own personal touch on a song. Releasing an album? Sure, do whatever you want with the songs there, because the people buying it will be the folks who like your personal touches. But at a game, where most of the people are there for the game, not for you, give the crowd the song they know and expect. ---
**Author:** ![Mahaloth](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mahaloth/32/1079_2.png) [@Mahaloth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mahaloth)\ **Post date:** [July 19, 2024, 12:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/national-anthem-at-the-home-run-derby/1004298/110 "2024-07-19T00:10:35Z")
> [@Q.Q.Switcheroo](#): > > As butchered national anthem performances go, it’s hard to top Dennis Park’s rendition of “O Canada”: The video description indicates he’d never heard the proper song before. Could that really be true? Sort of Auld Lang Syne meets O Christmas Tree. ---
**Author:** ![running\_coach](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/running_coach/32/15836_2.png) [@running\_coach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/running_coach)\ **Post date:** [July 19, 2024, 12:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/national-anthem-at-the-home-run-derby/1004298/111 "2024-07-19T00:22:57Z")
> [@Jackmannii](#): > > > [@kenobi\_65](#): > > > > > [@rocking\_chair](#): > > > > > > sweet caroline is played as well > > > > By the Red Sox, though they apparently play it during the middle of the _eighth_ inning, not for the seventh-inning stretch. > > A “tradition” that should die and be buried deeply enough that its touching hands can never re-emerge. - You can have Brother Love do the service. There should be plenty of babies and old ladies in attendance. ---
**Author:** ![Q.Q.Switcheroo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/q.q.switcheroo/32/5713_2.png) [@Q.Q.Switcheroo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Q.Q.Switcheroo)\ **Post date:** [July 19, 2024, 12:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/national-anthem-at-the-home-run-derby/1004298/112 "2024-07-19T00:33:02Z")
He claimed that he learned it ahead of time but was thrown off by a combination of (1) unexpectedly having to sing without a backing track, and (2) the echo from the sound system. > **[25 years on, infamous O Canada performance remains part of CFL folklore | CBC...](https://www.cbc.ca/amp/1.5217652)** > > It has brought Dennis Casey Park plenty of fame and notoriety and even led to him meeting his wife. ---
**Author:** ![needscoffee](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/needscoffee/32/1076_2.png) [@needscoffee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/needscoffee)\ **Post date:** [July 19, 2024, 12:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/national-anthem-at-the-home-run-derby/1004298/113 "2024-07-19T00:58:12Z")
> [@Mark\_Finn](#): > > Bring back Jose Feliciano and his performance before a 1968 World Series game. Controversial at the time - it has become a classic.(it spent five weeks on the Billboard charts) [1968 WS Gm5: Jose Feliciano performs natonal anthem (youtube.com)](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aQkY2UFBUb4) - I can’t believe I’ve never heard that before. It was lovely. ---
**Author:** ![Mahaloth](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mahaloth/32/1079_2.png) [@Mahaloth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mahaloth)\ **Post date:** [July 19, 2024, 1:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/national-anthem-at-the-home-run-derby/1004298/114 "2024-07-19T01:03:22Z")
I’ve never heard it better than Whitney Houston in 1991. It went as viral as these things could go back then. Heard it on the radio for awhile, even. [![](https://img.youtube.com/vi/N_lCmBvYMRs/hqdefault.jpg "Whitney Houston - Star Spangled-Banner") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N_lCmBvYMRs&t=72) ---
**Author:** ![The\_Other\_Waldo\_Pepper](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/the_other_waldo_pepper/32/12370_2.png) [@The\_Other\_Waldo\_Pepper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Other_Waldo_Pepper)\ **Post date:** [July 19, 2024, 1:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/national-anthem-at-the-home-run-derby/1004298/115 "2024-07-19T01:11:45Z")
> [@Sylvanz](#): > > She did have a couple good notes in the anthem In my youth, I sobbed during a bad breakup. What my ex told me then was — less cold than that. ---
**Author:** ![peccavi](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/peccavi/32/388_2.png) [@peccavi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/peccavi)\ **Post date:** [July 19, 2024, 1:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/national-anthem-at-the-home-run-derby/1004298/116 "2024-07-19T01:12:23Z")
For straightforward versions, it’s hard to top Linda Ronstadt’s version. In the realm of taking liberties with the anthem, I’ve always has a soft spot for Marvin Gaye’s rendition at the NBA All Star Game. [![](https://img.youtube.com/vi/3MbkSrK5spM/hqdefault.jpg "Linda Ronstadt - The National Anthem") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3MbkSrK5spM) [![](https://i.ytimg.com/vi/QRvVzaQ6i8A/hqdefault.jpg "Marvin Gaye sings American National Anthem") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QRvVzaQ6i8A) ---
**Author:** ![Q.Q.Switcheroo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/q.q.switcheroo/32/5713_2.png) [@Q.Q.Switcheroo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Q.Q.Switcheroo)\ **Post date:** [July 19, 2024, 1:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/national-anthem-at-the-home-run-derby/1004298/117 "2024-07-19T01:54:22Z")
> [@peccavi](#): > > In the realm of taking liberties with the anthem, I’ve always has a soft spot for Marvin Gaye’s rendition at the NBA All Star Game. Another favorite from that realm: [![](https://i.ytimg.com/vi/H6elFxI-0vo/hqdefault.jpg?sqp=-oaymwEmCOADEOgC8quKqQMa8AEB-AH-BIAC4AOKAgwIABABGEYgSihlMA8=&rs=AOn4CLCm_ByMVxmxYfeeR_5Bssy9d4Pvww "SCTV AMERICAN NATIONAL ANTHEM") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H6elFxI-0vo) ---
**Author:** ![Monty](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/monty/32/47_2.png) [@Monty](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Monty)\ **Post date:** [July 19, 2024, 2:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/national-anthem-at-the-home-run-derby/1004298/118 "2024-07-19T02:23:38Z")
Why isn’t anyone ripping the Home Run Derby staff responsible for this fiasco a new one? Nobody noticed right before sending her out that she was drunk? I just watched/listened (suffered is probably a better verb for it) to her rendition on Youtube. That was criminal. It’s also the only time I’ve ever heard a female voice crack. I’ve never heard of her before this dustup. The first video of her other work posted in this thread didn’t impress me all that much, either. I thought “bubble gum music” but then thought that doesn’t apply because that genere is up-beat, IIRC. Yeah, the HRD staff need to do better at selection. Or, better yet, we can just drop the whole patriotic display at the beginning of sports events and get on with the actual event. ---
**Author:** ![wguy123](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wguy123/32/3161_2.png) [@wguy123](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/wguy123)\ **Post date:** [July 19, 2024, 2:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/national-anthem-at-the-home-run-derby/1004298/119 "2024-07-19T02:45:44Z")
> [@Jegpeg](#): > > Surely not the worst you have heard, have you not heard this Don’t call me Shirley! Not sure how it made it 12 hours before I could slam this non-breaking ball over the fence. ---
**Author:** ![Sylvanz](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/fbc32d/32.png) [@Sylvanz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sylvanz)\ **Post date:** [July 19, 2024, 4:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/national-anthem-at-the-home-run-derby/1004298/120 "2024-07-19T04:07:04Z")
I never liked Whitney’s version. I’m not crazy about all the ornamentation. It has it’s place, but to me anyway it’s gotten to be _the thing._ Everyone has to use overdone ‘runs,’ and vocal gymnastics. Ugh. In the case of her anthem, trilling up and down the scale added to the length. Having to hear it before every kid’s ball game and bowling tournament. Made it seem twice as long. And let me tell you, all that repetition let me really marvel at how way over done it was. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/national-anthem-at-the-home-run-derby/1004298.md?page=5) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/national-anthem-at-the-home-run-derby/1004298.md?page=7)