Patriotism at the Ballpark

Patriotism at the Ballpark, Transcript of Radio Interviews

David Rasmussen, June 2, 2004

SCENE ONE-- Kimmie and friends

Announcer: "Welcome A's fans to the Network Associates Coliseum."

"I'm Kimmie and I'm eleven years old."

Interviewer: Do you like baseball?

"Well... it's okay. I don't play it or anything, but it's fun to watch the good players.

Interviewer: What's your favorite part about coming here to watch the game?

"I like hanging out with my friends. I might actually get to catch a ball, if it comes all the way up here to the highest part of the stadium."


Interviewer: We're in the cheap seats. Do you eat candy while you are here? What makes it fun?

"We eat candy. We get to run around without any parents to supervise us. It's pretty fun."

Interviewer: Do you like "Take Me Out the the Ballgame" and the activities between innings?

"Yeah. All my friends will demonstrate a wave for you if you want."

Interviewer: What are your friend's names?


"This is Chelsea. Hanna. And, Diaemu. (From Tiburon)

Interviewer: Do you all agree with Kimmie, so far?

"And, those are other friends-- Monica, Andrea, Scarla, Johnson, and Bianca."

Interviewer: In the seventh inning, are you going to be singing really loudly?

In unison: "Yeah."


Kimmie continues, "We'll be up there doing a dance."

Interviewer: Really?

"We're going to do a dance and we're going to sing."

Interviewer: Can you sing "Take Me Out to the Ballgame for the radio?"

In unison, loudly, "Take me out the ballgame, take me out with the crowd. Buy me some peanuts sand Crackerjacks. I don't care if I never get back. For it's root, root, root for the A's/hometeam..." (Voices trail off as a boy interrupts "What's this for?"


Interviewer: This is for 90.7 FM, KALX, Berkeley

"I've never heard of that before."

Interviewer: It's okay.

Apologetically, "I have now."

Interviewer: Can I come back here and will you be singing the National Anthem when everyone else is?

In unison: "Yeah, of course" A boy sings overly dramaticly, "Oh Say Can You See."


Interviewer: Okay. I'll come back for that. What grade are you all in?"

"Sixth, going into seventh. We have one more real day of school, because the year ends June Fourth."

SCENE TWO-- Kimmie

Singer on the field performs, "...land of of the free, and the home of the brave. " [Applause]

Interviewer: "Kimmie, you forgot to sing"

"I don't know the words to the whole song. I only know part of it."


Interviewer: Okay. Next time.

SCENE THREE-- Al

"My name's Al. I'm from Antioch. I've been going to A's games for about fifteen years."

Interviewer: Why do you come?

"Fans... the team itself... the atmosphere."

Interviewer: We just randomly are sitting next to each other. I noticed that you have a couple of tatoos. Can you describe them?"


"I have an Oakland A's tatoo that a buddy of mine did and I have an American Eagle and a remembrance of 9-11. I've always had tatoos, even when I was younger."

Interviewer: Why the Oakland A's and why 9-11?

"To remember the people in the tower."

Interviewer: Did you know anyone that was involved?

"Nobody. Nobody at all."


Interviewer: It's obviously very important to you. How about the nation anthem before the game?

"I'm all for it."

Interviewer: Do you think they did a good job today?

"They did an excellent job, an excellent job. They do that all the time."

Interviewer: Do you sing along?

"I try, depending upon where I am."


Interviewer: Sometimes, not so loudly?

"Not so loud, but I'm there.

Interviewer: Anything else you'd like to say for KALX, Berkeley?

"Go A's."

Interviewer: Thanks very much.

SCENE FOUR-- Arvid

"Take me out to the Ballgame" plays and people sing.

Interviewer: Are you proud of your singing?

Arvid replies, "No. Not at all. That's why I put the glove next to my mouth."

Interviewer: Did you sing the National Anthem?

"Yes."


Interviewer: Do you like the National Anthem?

"Yes"

Interviewer: Should we keep the same national anthem or would "We Will Rock You" by the band Queen, be a better national anthem.

"We Will, We Will Rock You."

Interviewer: Okay. Thanks.

SCENE FIVE-- Corina

I'm Corina. I'm thirteen and I'm from Fremont, California.

Interviewer: So, you don't like baseball very much?

"No"

Interviewer: What were your favorite songs that they played today?

"Mourneau Five... that song that they just played... "This Love"... yeah. The songs between innings are much more interesting than the game.


Interviewer: Did you like "Take Me Out to The Ballgame" or did you like "The Star Spangled Banner"?

"I didn't think the singer was all that great for "The Star Spangled Banner."

Interviewer: Did you sing with her to drown her out?

"What?"

Interviewer: Did you sing along with her so that you could drown her out?

"Nope, because that's very rude, and even if you don't like someone you should be polite and be silent."


Interviewer: But, it's a sing-along isn't it?

"But, no one else was singing along."

Interviewer: So, you didn't want to be the only one singing.

"Exactly."

Interviewer: I asked your friend here if "We Will Rock You" would be a better national anthem.

"I don't know. Does it have any patriotism in it?"


Interviewer: I don't know I'll ask you?

"I don't think it shows any type of patriotism and it has nothing to do with baseball. Right?"

Interviewer: "The Star Spangled Banner" doesn't have anything to do with baseball, either.

"The "Star Spangled Banner" has to do with the actual country, so it works."

Interviewer: So what I said is a bad idea.

"The flag symbolizes patriotism and "The Star Spangled Banner" is to ensure it."


Interviewer: Are you a patriotic person?

"No."

Interviewer: Why not?

"Well, I would be. But, I really don't like our government right now, so I'm mad at it, and I'm just being stupid by not being patriotic."

Interviewer: Why are you mad at the government?


"Bush is running it."

Interviewer: So, you don't like Iraq and the war?

"I don't like war, in general."

Interviewer: Except for the war, you'd be very patriotic?

"That's it. Yeah."


Interviewer: Would you sing "The Star Spangled Banner" louder if Bush wasn't president?

"It depends on who is performing it."

Interviewer: Could you wear a flag pin or a tatoo?

"Sure. I sometimes do, anyway, like on Memorial Day, I wore one, but no one noticed because I was at home."

Background: Did they win?... No... They tied.


Interviewer: Do you think they are going to win?

"No"

Background: Crowd erupts.

"Never mind. They just won, didn't they?"

Background: ...his first homerun of the year

SCENE SIX-- Varoon

Kiss music plays...

[Varoon is a thirteen year old boy, whose voice hasn't changed.]

Interviewer: Varoon, They didn't do, "We Will Rock You?"

"No, actually they did... not very loudly... I would have liked it to be louder so I could have jammed along, and sung it myself.... They didn't do it very loud. I think they did it in the fourth or the fifth.

Interviewer: Were you serious when you said before the game that "We Will Rock You" would be a good national anthem?


"Yeah. Yeah, I was. I think it pumps people up and gets them into the game."

Interviewer: Does it make you feel patriotic?

"The national anthem is good, because it's patriotic, but I still think "We Will Rock You" would make a good song to play at the beginning of every game."

Background: Thank you for coming.

Interviewer: Okay. Thanks Varoon.

"Bye."

Cue to "We Will Rock You"

#

---

ARTIST: Queen
TITLE: We Will Rock You
Lyrics

Buddy you're a boy make a big noise
Playing in the street gonna be a big man some day
You got mud on your face you big disgrace
Kickin' your can all over the place singing
We will we will rock you
We will we will rock you

Buddy you're a young man, hard man
Shoutin' in the street gonna take on the world some day
You got blood on your face you big disgrace
Waving your banner all over the place
We will we will rock you, sing it
We will we will rock you

Buddy you're an old man, poor man
Pleadin' with your eyes gonna make you some peace some day
You got mud on your face you big disgrace
Somebody better put you back into your place
We will we will rock you, sing it
We will we will rock you
Everybody, we will we will rock you
We will we will rock you, all right


Official National Anthem (since 1931): Star Spangled Banner
by Francis Scott Key

 Oh, say can you see, by the dawn's early light, 
 What so proudly we hailed at the twilight's last gleaming? 
 Whose broad stripes and bright stars, through the perilous fight, 
 O'er the ramparts we watched, were so gallantly streaming? 
 And the rockets' red glare, the bombs bursting in air, 
 Gave proof through the night that our flag was still there. 
 O say, does that star-spangled banner yet wave 
 O'er the land of the free and the home of the brave?