* The National Anthem: A World Series appraisal

I’m not pretending to be the most patriotic guy in the country, but there are some things that bug me: American flags that are displayed in states of disrepair, not taking your hat off for the National Anthem, and performers who use it as a personal platform for their ego. To me, it’s like a cantor on the High Holy Days going into Pavaratti mode. You know, singing in such an operatic way that the congregation can’t possibly join in and, oh I don’t know, PRAY?

Jose Feliciano set the bar for performers when he sang prior to the fifth game at the 1968 World Series in Detroit. He was lambasted by the media for such a disrespectful rendering. But it pales in comparison to what it has become. Only a Game presented the following story on Feliciano’s performance, how it rejuvenated a Tigers club (which was down three games to one), and what it meant to a troubled nation in that watershed year. (The story kicks in at about the 6:30 mark, if you can’t wait.)

Here’s the video (Don’tcha just love Youtube?)

The New York Times ran an Associated Press story (“Fans Protest Soul Singer’s Anthem Version”) the next day stating, among other things, that ” Feliciano’s offering “differed greatly from its usual formal strains [and] was booed by many in the crowd of 53,634.” NBC, the network that carried the Series that year, said it had received 400 calls in protest. The article quoted the brother of Tigers’ infielder Ray Olyer who said “I’m young enough to understand [the unorthodox version], but I think it stunk. It was nonpatriotic.” I also find it interesting that the writer found it necessary to mention that Feliciano was a “blind Puerto Rican singer.” Can you imagine such a description today?

You can read the AP story here.

Compare Feliciano’s relatively mellowness to Patti LaBelle’s rendition in this year’s Fall Classic on Oct. 26:

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