Oh, Canada...I'm sorry!

As I was half-alert watching the pre-game of Major League Baseball’s All-Star game on Tuesday, I was a little surprised when the Star-Spangled Banner was sang, but O Canada wasn’t. I know that at most sporting events, O Canada isn’t played/sang unless the team is playing a Canadian team. But this is the All-Star Game. A player from the Toronto Blue Jays was starting pitching for the American League and another was at second base. Where was O Canada? I mean, it’s not like Toronto is going to skip the Star-Spangled Banner when the All-Star game is played there again. (Cheryl Crow was on hand to sing the Star-Spangled Banner live.)

I later learned that O Canada was played—and I mean played. They had a recorded version and played that. It wasn’t even televised for those of us at home, which is a pity, because its’ a beautiful song. (That’s even worse than playing a tape-recorded version. Fox should share some blame, along with the organizers of the All-Star game.)

This lack of performance strikes me as the result one of three things: either they couldn’t find someone who was willing to sing, they didn’t care, or they completed missed the boat and forgot about it, grabbing a recording at the last minute. Knowing the number of people who would adore to perform in front of a large, captive crowd, I don’t believe they couldn’t find anyone to sing O Canada. It’s not even like they would’ve had to memorize the lyrics. President Barak Obama was there, so they could’ve just used the teleprompters! I don’t believe they dropped the ball and waited until the last minute. The Cardinals, being in the National League, haven’t had to regularly face a Canadian team since the Expos moved to Washington in 2005. If they kept a tape around for games against the Expos (first of all, shame on them!), I just can’t believe they could find it immediately. It would’ve been easier to just grab someone from the stands to sing O Canada.

I think it was all sorts of failure to not perform the Canadian national anthem with the honor that the United States national anthem was afforded. There were two players from a Canadian team (and two Canadians, although that doesn’t matter because there are so many nationalities on the team. The important fact is that there is a team playing in Canada. Trivia: there was also a guy born in Germany—Edwin Jackson; also, two players were born in Minnesota).

One of the Canadians, Justin Morneau, was not impressed. He accurately pointed out that the reverse happening in Canada would probably cause a mild uproar (not his exact words. He just said it wouldn’t go over too well).

So, California Angels. I understand the next All-Star game will be held in your ballpark. I hope you correct this error.

And since I love crazy contracts, here are two articles on some crazy NBA contract additions. This pleases me, but not as much as it could be. I give it to the Oakland A’s for adding provisions in their contracts about growing mustaches. That’s the kinda of silliness I like!