Day 39: Ride 'Em Cowboy

 Tonight, I sang the national anthem for the Professional Bullriders Association (PBR). The ins and out of the PBR are fascinating and they treated me well. My nephew shadowed me all evening and he loved every moment from checking out the bulls to walking through the dirt-filled arena. I love having my nephew with me when I sing more than anything. He understands the importance of what I do and he absorbs the details of each event and appreciates the experience. This gig might have been the highlight of the last year for me and ranks right up at the top with singing for NASCAR's 60,000 people a few years ago.

And the bonus for this almost 40-year-old? Cowboys. Everywhere. In chaps. Lord have mercy!

Day 29: Standing for Stan Again

Originally, I planned to use this space to ream Albert Pujols, his camp and the St. Louis Cardinals for allowing their contract negotiations to turn into a circus of selfishness and greed. But then, Stan Musial received the Medal of Honor. Oh yeah! Stan Musial received the Medal of Honor in Washington D.C., from the President of the United States!

There are hundreds of stories out there about the ceremony and Mr. Musial's reaction so I won't bore you with repetition. But I wanted to share a quick story about the day I met Mr. Musial myself.

Roger Dean Stadium in Florida invited me to sing the national anthem on opening day of St. Louis Cardinals Spring Training. Prior to the game, the staff escorted me to the field where I waited for about 20 minutes until game time. As they prepared for the pregame ceremonies, Hall of Famers streamed out of the dugout. First, Hall of Fame announcer Jack Buck stepped out and promptly introduced himself to me. As if that was necessary... He was followed by Lou Brock and Bob Gibson and Red Schoendienst. And finally, Stan Musial arrived. They were all so kind. And I stood in awe as they shook hands with one another and waved to the crowd. I am rarely star struck but I understood that I was in the presence of men who had made history.

The anthem was sung and as I exited the field, a sweet older woman grabbed my arm. "That was the most beautiful anthem I've ever heard," she said. I spoke to her for a moment, thanked her and headed on my way. Later that night, my friend Cindy and I ate dinner at my favorite Italian restaurant in West Palm Beach. As we were being seated, the same older woman came around the corner and recognized me. She was Lillian Musial, Stan's wife. Again, she stopped me and introduced me to her husband. He was a seemingly gentle man and very kind. He complimented me briefly but generously then collected his wife and left.

Today, I am standing up for Stan again just like the campaign that helped him get the Medal of Honor. Let us put our focus into recognizing moments like this that are honorable and worthy of praise and consideration. Let us not contribute to the energy that might make another man's quest for an obscene amount of money overshadow something great.

I often say that it is time for us as a country and a world and a people in general to return to the simpler things. The way to do that is to look back at what came before you and live your life in appreciation of it. Take note Albert. And all of you other baseball players too.

Day 23: Oh say can you see...

note: Day 23 is Thursday, Febuary 10th.

Today, The St. Louis Hall of Fame held a luncheon honoring two of this year's inductees. Quite the crowd gathered to recognize Bruce Sutter, St. Louis Cardinals Hall of Fame pitcher and Bill Bradley, Hall of Fame basketball player, Rhodes scholar and former senator. The room was filled with athletes and fans and members of the media. I had the honor and privilege of singing the national anthem to help kick off the event.

Award-winning broadcaster Ron Jacober introduced me. Because people had already started eating lunch, he told them that they could stay seated if they wanted during the anthem. But as I sang the first phrase the crowd began to stand. First, one by one, they set down their forks and pulled up their napkins and rose to their feet. Then whole tables stood. And within seconds, the entire room stood tall with their hands on their hearts. After the final note, Mr. Jacober said, "The NFL should be paying attention to you."

I hadn't planned to mentioned Christina Aguilera's anthem singing error at Superbowl XLV on this blog until  Mr. Jacober made that comment. I have been singing the national anthem for 23 years. And there is one thing that I know for sure about the anthem: the singing of our national anthem is a precious moment.

The lyrics come from a poem written by Francis Scott Key and they are based on a specific battle. A man had left Baltimore to try to rescue his friend who was being held captive by the British army. When he tried to return, he couldn't because there was a planned attack on the city. He watched from afar and he spotted the flag waving over the city. The man kept watch over night and at one point, in the midst of the bombing, he lost sight of the flag. As dawn came and the smoke cleared, he realized that the flag was still there.

There is nothing about that story that is not relevant today. For most of my life, our country has been at war. There are men and women enduring battle day and night and when they make it through... when they fight through the night... they are that flag that is still standing when the smoke clears.

Every American should know the words and understand the meaning behind the song and appreciate that it is just as relevant today as it was in 1814. And every anthem singer should remember that the performance is secondary to telling the story.