No more “O!”
If it’s possible that anything good came out of the Sept. 11, 2001 attacks on the World Trade Center and Pentagon, it is this:
Remember how at the start of baseball games, during the Star Spangled Banner, we would get to the lines, “Gave proof thro’ the night that our flag was still there./ O say, does that star-spangled banner yet wave,” and everybody would shout the “O!”?
That always seemed as out of place and imbecilic as starting the wave during the seventh inning of a close game. But it doesn’t happen anymore.
When was the last time you heard a crowd shout the “O!”? Can’t remember? I’ll tell you - it was Sept. 10, 2001. After that, the national anthem became a sacred thing. Heck, we even started singing God Bless America during the seventh inning stretch.
Now, I’m not a hugely patriotic guy. But I recognized that other people at games were. I never liked the “O!” shout and I’m glad for its demise. Play ball.
September 1st, 2006 at 2:11 am
I never heard anybody shout “O” like that before… maybe it was just Phillies fans.
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September 3rd, 2006 at 5:53 pm
coley, that is from baltimore where the O’s play.
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September 3rd, 2006 at 8:56 pm
They used to shout it at Fenway, but only sometimes. I thought I heard it making a tiny comeback this season, but maybe I’m just making that up.
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