OK, I am probably going to be flamed for this, but...
This is something I do not understand. Why would people be furious with the
Red Sox for failing to stand at attention for God Bless America? It is,
after all, not your national anthem.
Will there be repercussions for this? Something like the Red Sox being
banned for the rest of the season, or players getting fired or suspensed or
fined?
Jeroen
Jeroen, of all the things you've said recently, this is about the least
likely to get you flamed. They were angry because it was classless.
35,000 people were standing and singing - many, so far as I could tell,
with tears in their eyes. Every Oriole player stood at attention with his
hat over his heart. It was fairly typical of this year's Red Sox team that
they were unwilling to make the fairly trivial effort of getting out of the
dugout and standing up when the visiting team was acting with flawless
decorum.
And no, of course there will be no repercussions. Were there an Oriole who
refused to stand there would be internal repercussions - Cal Ripken would
probably chew them out and make them realize that they had disgraced the
organization. But that's it, and on this year's Red Sox team even that
won't happen. Besides, there probably isn't anything left that can
disgrace the Red Sox after the numerous Carl Everett fiascoes. But you
have the right to stand or not stand, as you see fit, even for the national
anthem, and certainly for God Bless America. This has been tested on
numerous occasions. That's part of what being an American means.
Gautam
