The National Anthem is not entertainment.

Yesterday, March 3, was the 80th anniversary of The Star Spangled Banner being officially named as our national anthem by Congress. Above is a picture of the actual flag that inspired the song.

My alter ego the History Geek has been stirred into activity by recent events surrounding that national anthem.

I pondered that fact while I am still trying to get out of my head the horrors of Christina Aguilera's alleged performance of the song at the Super Bowl. And the memory of other atrocities committed upon our official song.

Now look, like anyone else, I can admit that the song has flaws. A twelve note range is often asking a lot of ordinary people to sing. I get that.

And I realize that a first verse made up of three questions that are not actually answered plus one descriptive statement of explosive devices may not make the most actual sense in terms of describing any particular attributes of our country, let alone our flag (which is what, officially, the song purports to do).

Then there's the fact that the melody was originally used as a drinking song for the Anacreontic Society men's club in London, so it is absolutely ironic that we then used what was a liquor-infused melody of OUR ENEMIES AT THE TIME to eventually craft our national anthem.

I guess it is fitting that pretty much the only time people do sing it is when they are surrounded by alcoholic beverages at a sporting event of some sort.

So, I'll be honest. As a song, it's really not much. As an expression of who we are as a people, it is a nullity. But it is our song and we are used to it, and by being used to it, most of us have come to treasure it-- aesthetics questions aside.

But some people do not know how to behave when it comes to our national anthem. First, one should stand at rest in an attitude of attention. Conversation should cease, and one's attention should be placed upon the flag. Then, one should sing. If one wishes, one can place one's hand over his or her heart as a sign of reverence.

I was at an assembly at one of my kids' schools a while ago. There were a good number of other parents there, as well. The kids and the music teacher asked the crowd to join in the singing of the national anthem. I began singing, and about halfway through the second question, I noticed I was one of THREE people singing. The mother of one of my son's classmates was twisting her body around randomly as if she was having a serizure, and then I realized she was trying to scratch her back against the wall. A man in an Army uniform (rank of sergeant) was playing with his Blackberry in the row in front of me. One little old lady and I were holding down the fort, so to speak, at our end of the gym, and one of my colleagues who is a Navy veteran was booming it out with a lot of verve on the other end of the auditorium. One guy near me sang the first twelve words or so and then stopped. I kept on singing as I was performing this little inventory and just put it out of my mind. Then at the end of the assembly, I felt a tap on my shoulder and there was another little old lady who thanked me for my singing. Then the music teacher came over and said that I was the only one she could hear and thanked me as well. I have to admit I was both embarrassed by these encounters (I do sing loud; that's how Mama taught me) and abashed. Really? Is this the best we can do? But I did thank them after admitting that my volume knob is stuck at 11.

Then there was the whole Super Bowl incident. I turned to my friends sitting at my house at the time when they announced Christina Aguilera and said, "I didn't know that Christina Aguilera KNEW the words." We giggled, and fifteen seconds later, I WAS PROVED RIGHT. Twenty seconds later, it was proved beyond a reasonable doubt that SHE DIDN'T KNOW THE MELODY EITHER.

Really, shouldn't that be required?

And don't even start with me about the scratching the back or fiddling with electronic devices or swilling beer in the meantime, or watching our millionaire athletes jumping up and down or rolling their eyes heavenward in annoyance while this song is being sung.

But then I started thinking. Apparently, somewhere along the line, some people have gotten the idea that this song is a performance. An entertainment, which can be ignored or mocked as one wishes.

It is not.

Having "recording artists" stand up in front of thousands or millions and banshee their way through our national anthem as if they are trying to win a spot on American Idol has reinforced this perception.

They try to make it THEIR OWN song and emphasize their PERFORMANCE of it as unique. But really it is OURS. OUR song.

And I think we should take it back.

So perhaps it would be nice if, henceforth, at least at public events, we leave the alleged recording stars on the sideline, bring out a marching band (as we used to at the Super Bowl), and invite EVERYONE to sing, rather than passively watch some overwrought, dramatic, insincere performance.

As the camera pans the athletes, it should only show those who are reverently standing during the anthem and singing it. That might get the players' attention, publicity hounds that they tend to be. Anyone jumping up and down or scratching their unmentionables or playing with their hair should be ignored if not shamed.

And to answer the questions in the song itself: Yes, the flag still does wave over the land of the free and the home of the brave. Be glad.

Banning basketball teams from post-season play for lacking enough students

Secretary of Education Arne Duncan, former professional basketball player in Australia, has suggested that NCAA men's basketball team that do not graduate at least 40% of their players should be banned from post-season play. From the New York Daily News: (And here's a link to his actual statement.)

Secretary of Education Arne Duncan is urging the NCAA to ban from the Big Dance teams from schools that fail to graduate 40% of their basketball players. That's the right call.

According to a study released this week, 12 of the 64 schools in this year's tournament fail to meet that minimal benchmark - and many have an even more abysmal record on helping black players toward degrees.

At Maryland, No. 4 Midwest seed, just 8% of players graduate. Among black players, the number is a beyond-scandalous 0%.

At Baylor, No. 3 seed in the South regional, 36% graduate. Among black players, just 29%.

At Kentucky, many people's pick - including President Obama's - to get to the Final Four, 31% graduate. Among black players, just 18%.

With numbers like those, Kentucky wouldn't be in the tourney at all, if the President's own secretary of education has his way. And he should. These programs owe their players far better.

An institution of higher education's job is to prepare young people for the global workforce, not the neighborhood playground.

Yet, as NAACP President Benjamin Jealous pointed out in joining Duncan yesterday, the likes of Maryland (0% black basketball player graduation rate) and California (0%) and UNLV (13%) appear happy to exploit talented young people to generate a month-long bonanza of ratings and school spirit and revenue - but care far less that they complete their educations.

Some schools get it right. Marquette graduates all its white and black basketball players. So do Notre Dame and Wake Forest.

But others, to use Duncan's term, "use and dump" players. The result is that a tiny fraction make the NBA - and hundreds leave school without the skills necessary to build careers.

So turn on the tournament. Enjoy the upsets and last-second finishes. Good luck in your office pool. And just think, for a minute, about what happens to the kids when they leave the court.

Some go on to great things; others get hung out to dry. It doesn't have to be that way.

Read more: http://www.nydailynews.com/opinions/2010/03/18/2010-03-18_march_sanity.html#ixzz0ikfGpg5H

I read an article which included responses from some of the coaches who might suffer the most under this policy. One of my favorite responses by a coach BLAMED SECONDARY SCHOOLS in this country for the problem. Look, pal, you're the one who offered a college scholarship to a kid who was obviously unqualified to actually be a student on your campus, and you didn't care. All you wanted to do was win. This attitude would be fine if this was the minor leagues of the NBA and the athletes were getting paid. But that's not how it works. The NBA is spared the expense of running a developmental league on its own dime, and so they're happy. But colleges are, first of all, schools, and they should seek to accept the students who will actually be able to attend class and benefit from that experience by being able to earn a degree.

But it's not just college coaches who have things backwards. Someone I know was given a permission slip for a tournament by a student who was failing his class horribly. The teacher has a public policy of not signing permission slips for students who are failing. Now let's remember that usually it doesn't seem to matter what policies teachers actually have if they are inconvenient, and the teacher figured that probably the student would go to the tournament anyway. Instead, my colleague got a long email fusillade from this student's track coach, vehemently attacking him for denying this student a "chance at a college scholarship."

Let's get real: with a GPA of 1.5-- the required (and horrifyingly low) GPA to participate in sporting activities in the area-- and with the student failing not one but TWO classes required for graduation, the idea of a college scholarship at all seemed about as unlikely being struck on the head by a meteorite. What the coach was probably really mad about was that, if his athlete didn't go to the tournament, the coach might not have as many chances to win.

Did the coach care that the athlete was failing? Did the coach care that the student obviously wasn't preparing himself for this hypothetical college scholarship to be put to good use? No. And that is a real travesty.

So Secretary Duncan's proposal is a small but significant step in the right direction. Of course he's spitting into the wind of the money tree that is March Madness, but give him points for trying on this issue.

And now, a GOOD sportsmanship basketball story

Character. That's what sports are supposed to instill:

Winning is "not a matter of life and death," according to the venerable sporting adage coined by former UCLA football coach Red Saunders, "it's more important than that." The reality, of course, is the exact opposite, and that fact was vividly illustrated by the actions of the high school basketball players and coaches of DeKalb, Ill., and Milwaukee Madison earlier this month.

During the day of their match-up, Milwaukee's captain, Johntel Franklin (pictured here) had the misfortune of being at his mother's bedside when she succumbed to a five-year battle with cervical cancer. Understandably, he decided to skip the game, but later Franklin changed his mind.

In the second quarter, he arrived late in what was a close game. Because Franklin was not scheduled to play, DeKalb were awarded two free throws for a technical foul. DeKalb's Darius McNeal stepped to the line, and proceeded to purposely miss the shots, bouncing the ball several times on their way to the baseline. McNeal's attempts were rewarded with a standing ovation from players and fans from both teams.

Franklin eventually scored 10 points as Milwaukee won comfortably. Afterwards, players from both teams went out for pizza together. McNeal's take on his meaningful missed shots: "I did it for the guy who lost his mom ... it was the right thing to do."

And if you didn't get a lump in your throat, you've got a heart of lead.

Win at all costs?

Ever heard the phrase "Win at all costs?" This incident puts a new spin on that phrase.

On January 13,the girls' basketball teams of two small Dallas-area private schools, the Dallas Academy and the Covenant School, played each other. The final score was 100-0 in favor of the Covenant School.

This score has raised questions about sportsmanship and values in youth athletics, and rightly so.



Sadly, this video doesn't provide even half of the real story, though.

The Dallas Academy specializes in working with students with learning disabilities. The girls from the Dallas Academy and their coach have maintained a positive attitude in the face of such a lopsided defeat, talking about team spirit and improvement and playing for the love of the game. They haven't won a game in four years. However, they cancelled any future games against Covenant, and, indeed, withdrew from the league:

The Bulldogs play, Civello said, for more than the final score. They play in hope of improving skills, learning teamwork and picking up whatever life lessons athletics may bring.

But they won't be playing Covenant again this season; they canceled their Jan. 30 game against the team. After the game, Dallas Academy informed the Texas Association of Private and Parochial Schools that it was withdrawing its girls team from the league for the rest of the season.

"We just said, 'The hell with it,' " said Jim Richardson, Dallas Academy's headmaster.

Instead, the team will set up a new schedule against some junior varsity teams.

The Covenant School, which is a Christian school, later issued an apology and announced its intention to forfeit the game:

Officials from The Covenant School visited Dallas Academy on Thursday morning to apologize for their girls basketball team's "victory without honor" in last week's 100-0 game.

Covenant, located in Dallas, also e-mailed the Texas Association of Private and Parochial Schools to declare its desire to forfeit the District 3-2A game.

Edd Burleson, the TAPPS director who oversees 236-member high schools, said there is no formal procedure when a school wants to overturn one of its victories.

"If they want to forfeit, it's forfeited," he said.

Dallas Academy athletic director Jeremy Civello said his school accepted the "heartfelt" apology delivered by Covenant's head of school, Kyle Queal, and athletic director Brice Helton.

Civello said the girls' team, which hasn't won a game in his four years there, doesn't want to be credited with a victory it didn't earn on the court.

"Covenant has a great team," Civello said. "We wish them all the best for the rest of the season. We don't think what happened is a reflection on those girls in any way."

Dallas Academy has since withdrawn its team from the TAPPS district and is piecing together a new schedule that will include junior varsity opponents.

Queal did not return phone messages Thursday. Covenant posted the apology on its Web site 10 days after the game.

The Web site has removed the 100-0 victory from the team's record, which it lists as 6-3. The three losses have been to larger schools. Covenant is undefeated in district, winning its three other Class 2A games, 54-29, 66-7 and 77-27.

The Web site message from Queal and Todd Doshier, the North Dallas Christian school's chairman, called the 100-0 final a "victory without honor," "shameful" and an "embarrassment."

On Jan. 13, Covenant kept the pressure on winless Dallas Academy until midway though the fourth quarter, when it scored its 100th point. The score was 59-0 at halftime and 88-0 after three quarters.

Dallas Academy is known for its work with students who have learning problems, such as short attention spans and concentration. Dallas Academy headmaster Jim Richardson said those problems sometimes manifest themselves on the court.

Asked about the final score Wednesday by e-mail, Covenant coach Micah Grimes responded: "It's unfortunate we got to 100 points in the game against Dallas Academy. It just happened, and we are not happy about that.

"Please know Covenant intended no harm against them. I see this as a real learning opportunity, so we can prevent this from happening in the future."

The Covenant Web site said the school has "acted to ensure that such an unfortunate incident can never happen again."

It gave offered no details on what actions were taken.

But wait, now it gets even better. Covenant fired the coach when he objected to the apology over the score:

The Covenant School fired its girls basketball coach Sunday, the same day he posted a message on a youth basketball Web site saying he disagreed with school officials who had publicly apologized for the team's 100-0 victory over Dallas Academy.

In reporting the firing, Kyle Queal, Covenant's head of school, emphasized that former coach Micah Grimes "now only represents himself" when discussing the game, which has become a national talking point. Queal said he could not say whether the firing was a direct result of the posting and declined to answer any questions.

In a statement posted Sunday on www.flightbasketball.com, Grimes offered his first public comment since the story was first reported.

"I respectfully disagree with the apology, especially the notion that the Covenant School girls basketball team should feel 'embarrassed' or 'ashamed,' " part of the post says. "We played the game as it was meant to be played and would not intentionally run up the score on any opponent. Although a wide-margin victory is never evidence of compassion, my girls played with honor and integrity and showed respect to Dallas Academy."

Grimes also included the quarter-by-quarter scoring on his post: 35, 24, 29, 12.

At the end of his post on the Web site, which identifies him as co-founder of Flight Basketball, Grimes wrote, "So if I lose my job over these statements, I will walk away with my integrity."

Grimes did not teach or work at The Covenant School. He was in his fourth season as girls basketball coach, having built the program from a 2-19 record his first season to a state championship contender last season. Covenant, which plays larger out-of-district schools, is 6-3 this season and undefeated in its Texas Association of Private and Parochial Schools district. It has informed TAPPS headquarters that it has chosen to forfeit the Dallas Academy game.

What did this win cost?
1. It cost the coach his job.
2. It cost a Christian school its reputation for living out the Christian values of mercy, at least temporarily. They have endeavored to right this, belatedly.
3. It caused at least temporary humiliation to the girls on the Dallas Academy team, although their grace afterwards brought them national attention.

When I was very young, there was no mercy rule in softball. I was once involved in a game in which the final score was 72-3 against a neighboring elementary school. I think I was in fourth grade at the time. We scored a bunch of runs in the first inning, as I remember, but as it became apparent by the middle of the second inning that the other team was completely not up to it, our coaches did change strategies. Our pitcher, who was dominant, was moved to center field. We were told to play any position we had ever wanted to play, but had never gotten to try in a game (I even got to pitch, which convinced me I should never pitch again). One of our players helped a girl on the opposing team learn how to swing levelly, and she got a hit. We cheered the other team when they scored. After the game was over, both teams shared their cans of pop and snacks together, as one group.

But we were still sorry that we had gotten the score up to 72 runs. To this day, as you can see, this game has lingered with me, when other, sweeter victories are nothing but dim sparks in my memory.

I have played sports for nearly forty years. Winning is great, and I love it. I believe in playing my heart out, and I love competition. I even played while pregnant-- carefully, and with doctor's approval. But sometimes, there is nobility on defeat, as well. Knowing that you played hard and made progress in some areas is also valuable. Playing for the love of the game is valuable. Most participants in athletics won't become pros-- but perhaps, they can develop a lifelong opportunity to play the game, as I have, and my life has been the richer for it. The friends I have made and the camaraderie enjoyed have been special gifts. This basketball game reminds us all of that.

Something to think about today as we all worship at the altar of the Super Bowl this evening. I personally will be cheering on the Cardinals in my Kurt Warner jersey, hoping for a miracle.

Oh, puh-leeeeeze.

Hey, y'all! Only TWO kids in Texas out of 10,000 tested positive for steroids!

The nation's largest steroids testing program caught only two Texas high school athletes taking unauthorized substances out of more than 10,000 students who were tested, according to results issued Wednesday.

The results renewed criticism about the two-year $6 million program approved by lawmakers last year.

The two students who tested positive weren't identified by name, school or sport. Documents obtained by The Associated Press showed that a senior tested positive for the anabolic steroid boldenone, and a 10th grader was found using a steroid called methylandrostandiol.

Four tests came back unresolved and three students refused to be tested, according to the figures released by the University Interscholastic League. One athlete left a testing area without cause or approval, and 18 missed the mandatory testing without an excused absence.

Lt. Gov. David Dewhurst, one of the key figures in pushing the plan through the Legislature, was "encouraged" by the results Wednesday and feels the program's success should be measured by the number of students who never begin using steroids, said spokesman Mike Wintemute.

A critic, Republican state Sen. Dan Patrick, said the initiative is a "feel good" program that is not acting as a deterrent and should be abolished.

"It's turned out to be a colossal waste of taxpayer money," said Patrick. He said he would rather spend the money battling alcohol abuse among teens, arguing that it is a much bigger problem.

UIL spokeswoman Kim Rogers said the two students who tested positive are multi-sport athletes, but that the sports they play are unknown. Rogers said she did not know when conclusive results from the four unresolved tests would be ready.

Testing was conducted at 195 schools, testing 6,455 boys and 3,662 girls. Many participated in more than one sport. More than 3,300 football players were tested, more than three times the number of any other sport.

And no, I am not picking on Texas, because God knows high school sports are a big deal in lots of places. But I think I smell something not quite right (pronounced "rahhht") here.

Doing the right thing

I'm hoping you all have heard this story already.

With two runners on base and a strike against her, Sara Tucholsky of Western Oregon University uncorked her best swing and did something she had never done, in high school or college. Her first home run cleared the center-field fence.

But it appeared to be the shortest of dreams come true when she missed first base, started back to tag it and collapsed with a knee injury.

She crawled back to first but could do no more. The first-base coach said she would be called out if her teammates tried to help her. Or, the umpire said, a pinch runner could be called in, and the homer would count as a single.

Then, members of the Central Washington University softball team stunned spectators by carrying Tucholsky around the bases Saturday so the three-run homer would count — an act that contributed to their own elimination from the playoffs.

Central Washington first baseman Mallory Holtman, the career home run leader in the Great Northwest Athletic Conference, asked the umpire if she and her teammates could help Tucholsky.

The umpire said there was no rule against it.

So Holtman and shortstop Liz Wallace put their arms under Tucholsky's legs, and she put her arms over their shoulders. The three headed around the base paths, stopping to let Tucholsky touch each base with her good leg.

"The only thing I remember is that Mallory asked me which leg was the one that hurt," Tucholsky said. "I told her it was my right leg and she said, 'OK, we're going to drop you down gently and you need to touch it with your left leg,' and I said 'OK, thank you very much.'"

"She said, 'You deserve it, you hit it over the fence,' and we all kind of just laughed."

"We started laughing when we touched second base," Holtman said. "I said, 'I wonder what this must look like to other people.'"

"We didn't know that she was a senior or that this was her first home run," Wallace said Wednesday. "That makes the story more touching than it was. We just wanted to help her."

Holtman said she and Wallace weren't thinking about the playoff spot, and didn't consider the gesture something others wouldn't do.

As for Tucholsky, the 5-foot-2 right fielder was focused on her pain.

"I really didn't say too much. I was trying to breathe," she told The Associated Press in a telephone interview Wednesday.

"I didn't realize what was going on until I had time to sit down and let the pain relax a little bit," she said. "Then I realized the extent of what I actually did."

"I hope I would do the same for her in the same situation," Tucholsky added.

As the trio reached home plate, Tucholsky said, the entire Western Oregon team was in tears.

Central Washington coach Gary Frederick, a 14-year coaching veteran, called the act of sportsmanship "unbelievable."

For Western Oregon coach Pam Knox, the gesture resolved the dilemma Tucholsky's injury presented.

"She was going to kill me if we sub and take (the home run) away. But at the same time I was concerned for her. I didn't know what to do," Knox said.

Tucholsky's injury is a possible torn ligament that will sideline her for the rest of the season, and she plans to graduate in the spring with a degree in business. Her home run sent Western Oregon to a 4-2 victory, ending Central Washington's chances of winning the conference and advancing to the playoffs.

"In the end, it is not about winning and losing so much," Holtman said. "It was about this girl. She hit it over the fence and was in pain, and she deserved a home run."

The first baseman and the shortstop of the opposing team carried the hitter around the last three bases, stopping to allow her to touch each base with her good foot. They did this, even though the home run scored three runs, counting Tucholsky, which provided the margin of victory.

I have played softball for-- oh, about two millenia, since I was six. (I currently play on a co-ed team with one guy who screams at everyone but himself for errors-- for instance, when he overthrows me at my base, he claims it is because he couldn't see my glove, meaning that I didn't paint it dayglo orange rather than that he threw wildly, but I digress.) When I play, I want to win, but fairly.

One of the women who carried Tucholsky is an accomplished home run hitter, and knew that hitting it over the fence happens rarely-- even more so when you're barely five feet tall. This was about more than one game.

These two young women demonstrated what is good about sports. Of course, they are taking hits on mainline sports blogs, which are hooting that this is why women's sports will never be taken seriously: because of these ladies' sportsmanship, their team lost. Let the sneering begin! I for one will cheer the example they set. In a time when we hear too much about cheating in sport, this is one story that shows there is another way.

Teary-eyed alert: you've been warned

I just got back from watching my daughter's basketball team triumphantly figure out how to win a game and ran into this story from one of my favorite reads, meeciteewurkor from Mah Beloved Home State.

You must read this, and if you don't get choked up, you have no heart.

At a time when youth sports are too often tainted by overzealous parents or callous coaches, Cylie Pastian provides a ray of hope.

You could argue that the fifth-grader from De Smet was the most valuable player of the 16th annual Girls Tri-State Basketball Tournament, which ended Saturday after filling Sioux Falls gyms with 98 teams from five states.

Cylie didn't make a field goal, grab a rebound, dish off an assist or record a steal for the Bulldogs, who finished fourth in their section.

But the 11-year-old fired up free throws with enough care and consistency to make Shaquille O'Neal look like a rec league dropout.

More importantly, she continued to teach her teammates - and every opponent they face - that sports still can play a positive role in shaping the way we live.

Two years ago, Cylie was diagnosed with a form of bone cancer called osteosarcoma - which led to extended chemotherapy and the removal of part of her right femur.

Her doctors say she can't have physical contact. But it was always her dream to play basketball.

So her coaches devised a plan: Every time one of the De Smet players is fouled and is awarded free throws, Cylie comes in to shoot for them.

Whether she makes or misses, the whistle blows and she comes out of the game to resume her role as scorekeeper. The other team is awarded the ball, no matter who gathers the rebound.

According to her coaches, Doug Osthus and Jennifer Pommer, no opposing coach ever has complained. For a game at least, the hypercompetitive culture of youth athletics is nowhere to be found.

"When you think what Cylie must have gone through, all that other stuff just fades away," Osthus says. "It basically teaches you that when push comes to shove, people put things in perspective. I can't think of one problem that we've had."

As for Cylie, she works on her free throws at every practice, and she has a goal for her basketball career.

"I want to play at South Dakota State," she tells you.

Please read the entire story.

Everyone involved in this story has behaved like a champion. God bless them.