THE BOOK--Playing The Percentages In Baseball

The last time I remember there being even slight outrage when a sports theme was replaced in the U.S. was when the NBA left NBC.  It didn’t reach national anthem status or anything, but it was certainly iconic to the NBA, and I think the NBA might even continue to use it on NBA TV.

A mid-90’s version of the Sportscenter theme also ranks up there, although most people only know the last few notes from that one.

I would think that the Monday Night Football song is as good an anthem as any in this country

I agree on the MNF theme.  I’m assuming he’s referring to the original.  I had a personal outrage when they replaced it with “Are You Ready for Some Football?”.  Not a big Hank Williams Jr. fan.  I was glad to see ESPN bring it back, even if it is updated.

True patriot love Tango…
does it make me un-American to say that i think our national anthem pales in comparison to O Canada? because, well, it really does

One thing that is noticeable here is the sheer amount of American flags that are everywhere.  In Canada, I’d say there’s 10% the number of flags as are in the states.

Where I live (Japan), there are many many many times the Canadian flags there are American.

Embarrassed at home, but proud abroad? Or just worried about being mistaken for an American?

I can’t think of any tune as iconic in the US as the HNIC theme is in Canada.  If you took the Statue of Liberty, and ran it through a magic blender that turned it into music, you’d be close.

I think it should replace O Canada as our national anthem.  I am not joking.  O Canada is kind of a wimpy tune, except when sung by the late Roger Doucet.  (I don’t know why nobody plays a Doucet version any more ... maybe it’s the French.  But Doucet’s version is by far the awesomest.)

The only problem with the HNIC theme is the lack of words, but I’m willing to live with that.

Can you imagine if Canada won the gold in Olympic hockey, and they played that instead of the wimpy canned version of O Canada?  Man, that would be something.  The crowd and the players would go NUTS.

It should be the original arrangement, from the late 60s.  Apparently the master tape has been lost, but there are enough reproductions around.

That would be mightly cool to play the HNIC theme at the Olympics.  Certainly they will play it for the broadcast, but to play it during the ceremonies at the arenas?  Very cool.

Right, I don’t think the US has anything even close to iconic, based on the responses so far.

I offer:

http://youtube.com/watch?v=umQVgv5foi4

Take me out to the ball game.

Ah, yes, it is on that level.  Good job…

So, imagine NBC has always had the rights to that song, for 40 years, then they decide they don’t want it any more.  And ESPN picks it up.  That’s what happened here.