(So much conversation about the National Anthem lately has been controversial: when we should play it and how we should pose or respond when it is played. Today, I’d just like to share some fun stories about playing the Star Spangled Banner.)
I’ve never been scheduled to sing the national anthem before a sporting event.
Spur of the moment, though, I’ve done that many times….
Usually, of course, the playing or performing of the Star Spangled Banner is carefully planned, and goes off without a hitch. Since I’ve broadcast high school sports for 20 years now, along the way I’ve enjoyed many performances of the anthem, usually by marching bands. (Several of these marching bands included my daughter Cara on flute.) Often, I can tell which of several musical arrangements the band is using. Sometimes a choir or an individual will perform it.
Sunday, June 13th, Bobby Stautzenberger and I got a treat before our broadcast of the Austin Area Baseball Coaches Association All-Star Game. The anthem was performed by Diego Barraz, a junior at McCallum high school in Austin. He plays baseball at McCallum, but as a junior was not eligible to play in the game. He DID however, play the National Anthem… on his electric guitar, Jimi Hendrix style.
Occasionally, the singer is in uniform; examples I’ve encountered include, but are not limited to, football player Preston Yates of Reagan and basketball player Chris Rogers of Churchill. In fact, the week after Yates’ performance, I told Reagan coach Lyndon Hamilton, “last week, Preston Yates had an outstanding performance. Then he played a pretty good football game.”
(Rogers did an excellent job singing the anthem as well, but I never got a chance to talk to the coach about it.)
But, these were all planned, and planned well. Sometimes plans don’t work out. Sometimes plans conflict. Sports complexes hosting multiple games can present an awkward situation. If you’re in the third inning of a baseball game, and the soccer stadium next door plays the Star Spangled Banner before THEIR game, what do you do? Usually, you just keep playing, because you’ve already honored America before your own game. I’ve had several situations where I need to ignore the anthem while performing a duty for my broadcast. (If you think THAT’S awkward, consider how it feels before a game between to private schools who have an invocation before the game. When you’re dealing with broadcast things during a prayer, you feel like a real dirtbag.)
On the opposite end of the spectrum, I’ve had a couple of instances where I came to a game to watch from the press box, and the public address announcer didn’t make it, so I filled in. There was usually a magic button to press somewhere near the microphone that plays the anthem, but when I couldn’t find it, I would just sing the anthem myself.
Once, this happened before an O’Connor baseball game, when David Collenback was the coach. A few days later, Collenback told me his players were razzing me during the anthem, and he told them, “he’s actually doing a pretty good job. Any of YOU want to try it?”
A couple of other times, I admit I felt cornered into singing that anthem. In 2015, before artificial turf baseball fields became readily available, rain forced Northside ISD to move a baseball game between Brandeis and Brennan from the Hardin Athletic Center to Tivy High School in Kerrville. I was scheduled to broadcast the game, so NISD Associate Athletic Director Kevin Hamilton called me to let me know; then I called Bobby Stautzenberger to clear the broadcast accounting for the change of venue. Since I could make the trip, we agreed to carry the game despite the move.
Now, Chris Russ, the Tivy coach, was a gracious host, even working on the field to get it ready for his impromptu guests. But there’s only so much you can do on short notice, and one thing that couldn’t be arranged was someone to do public address or run the scoreboard. To try to overcome this, during commercials of the Brennan-Brandeis game, I went to the public address microphone to announce the score and the inning, just trying to be helpful.
Another twist came when it turned out that Brennan-Brandeis wasn’t the only game moved to Kerrville – Clark vs. Stevens was set to follow that game. We had no plans to broadcast that game, but I figured, I’m already here, I know how to work the microphone, I might as well do public address. So before the game, I announced the starting lineups.
“Leading off for the designated visitor, the Clark Cougars… the center fielder… Cam Phelps. Batting second… the second baseman… Justin Olivares.”
That’s about when I noticed that Phelps had come out of the Clark dugout and lined up along the first base line, with Olivares on his way to joining him.
Why were they lining up along the baseline? I realized it was because they were expecting the National Anthem.
SO….. after the introductions, I steeled myself and sang it. Now, Tivy High School is on the south edge of the town, with gorgeous hills beyond the outfield fence, and the hills created an echo as I sang the anthem over the PA. I have to admit… that was pretty cool.
The first time I sang the anthem at a sporting event, though, may be the most peculiar. Way back in 2003, I was covering the second game of a playoff series between San Antonio Holmes and Austin Westlake. Holmes coach David Davila was concerned about Westlake’s power hitting, so instead of playing at his regular NISD home field, Inselmann Field, he wanted to play at Tejeda Field, the home field for Harlandale and McCollum. Inselmann Field at the time was 300 feet down the lines from home plate to the outfield fence and 360 feet from the tip of home plate to the center field wall, while Tejeda was 330 down the lines and 400 feet to straight away center.
It would be a lot harder to hit home runs at Tejeda. Since his team didn’t hit as many homers as Westlake, that was all part of the Davila Plan.
The trick was that Harlandale and McCollum both had completed their seasons, so Harlandale ISD had mostly packed things up at Tejeda Field. They did have someone available for public address, and they did have a boombox in the press box to play the national anthem, though, so it seemed they were set.
The pregame ceremonies began. In an unusual move, the teams agreed that ALL the players on each team would be introduced before the contest. Not just the nine or ten players were would start the game, but all 20 or more players on each team.
Then, after all the pomp and circumstance, the PA guy announces the playing of the anthem, holds his microphone to the boombox’s speaker, presses play….
And there’s no sound.
The cassette to play the anthem was GONE.
All that build up, and the cassette to play the anthem was nowhere to be found.
I happened to be in commercial, so when our PA guy panicked, I suggested HE sing the anthem. He didn’t feel comfortable with that, so he suggested, “why don’t YOU sing it?”
I agreed.
Our PA guy said, “and now, to sing the National Anthem, we have Mark Kusenberger of the Texas Sports Radio Network.”
I’d never done this before, so I started singing low in my vocal register; I think I sang it in the key of G, but who knows by now?
I don’t remember getting any funny looks from anyone on the field, so based solely on that, I think I did okay.
The funniest incident wasn’t at a baseball game, and I wasn’t even directly involved.
It was a boys basketball playoff game between Stevens and East Central, held at North East ISD’s home court, Littleton Gymnasium. Yes, neutral sites tend to be where the oddities happen.
At the scorer’s table, the public address person was ready for action, and cued up a CD. After player introductions, the solemn moment was about to begin.
“And now, ladies and gentlemen, would you please rise as we honor America… with the playing… of our National Anthem.”
(Someone press play.)
“WHO let the DOGS OUT???!!!??”
Everyone at the gym laughed.
They did find the correct CD, by the way, and did quickly play “the Star Spangled Banner.”
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