Toronto and St. Petersburg, Fla. — Like it or not, Canadian baseball fans will be hearing God Bless America played during the seventh-inning stretch of each team's first home game.
Toronto's SkyDome will air the song during the New York Yankees game on Monday night, a Toronto Blue Jays spokesman said. Normally, Okay, Blue Jays is played during the seventh-inning stretch.
The directive was handed down from Major League Baseball, which has decreed that God Bless America will be sung during the seventh-inning stretch of all home openers, Sunday games and holiday games to honour U.S. military men and women serving in Iraq.
The announcement comes as tensions between the United States and Canada continue to grow over the war on Iraq. Speaking earlier this week of Canada's refusal to join the war, U.S. Ambassador Paul Cellucci said it was "disappointing that one of our family is not supporting us."
Reaction from Toronto sports fans came quickly.
"That's insane. We're not America, we're Canada," said Rob Groves, who was having a beer at Wayne Gretzky's bar on Blue Jays Way close to the SkyDome last night. "I would boo until my eyes fell out."
A Jays fan sitting at the bar agreed. "I'd boo. The anthem's one thing, but God Bless America is a totally different story," Sean McNamara said.
At the same time, antiwar protests across the country have been increasing.
"I certainly don't think Canadians should be saying <ic>God Bless America <nm>," Irene MacInnes, a Vancouver co-ordinator of www.stopwar.ca, said yesterday.
Earlier this week, fans at a hockey game in Montreal's Bell Centre booed and hissed during the U.S. national anthem — even though it came after an announcement asking the crowd to "respect the great countries" whose teams were playing.
Raymond Legault, spokesman for the Montreal-based antiwar group Échec à la guerre, said yesterday he doesn't think the song should be played when Canada's official position does not support the war. "This has been forced by economic interests. . . . Singing God Bless America in these circumstances is pretty awful."
Blue Jays president and chief executive Paul Godfrey said he did not try to talk Major League Baseball officials out of mandating the playing of God Bless America.
"But I explained to them the two sides of the coin, just to make them aware of what the possibilities are," Mr. Godfrey said.
"It's one of those no-win situations. You have to ask yourself how you would be viewed if you don't play it."
Mr. Godfrey met with the Blue Jays players on Wednesday at the team's spring training complex in Dunedin, Fla., to explain his personal position. Mr. Godfrey, a former chairman of Toronto Metro Council, has publicly criticized the Canadian government's stand in not becoming an active member of the U.S.-led war effort.
"For people to boo the playing of God Bless America would be like booing the national anthem and I hope and expect that people are courteous enough to acknowledge the bonds between the countries," Mr. Godfrey said. "People have died in Iraq. We should respect the rights and beliefs of [Americans] just as we would expect them to respect ours."
Mr. Godfrey was taken to task for agreeing to play God Bless America by broadcast executive John Shannon yesterday afternoon on Bob McCowan's Prime Time Sports on The Fan 590, which, like the Blue Jays, is owned by Rogers Communications. The two men engaged in a heated debate.
Mr. Godfrey said that he addressed the issue with the players in his meeting because "I had generally been asked about it by some people within our baseball organization." He also said that the Blue Jays will have internal meetings with marketing and game promotions staff to possibly come up with some manner of videotaped message.
After the booing incident in Montreal, the Canadiens hockey team had Hall of Famer Jean Beliveau deliver a taped message before the playing of the anthems in the next home game, in which he urged respect for both countries.
The Expos don't have a game in Montreal until April 22. The team's home opener is April 11 in Puerto Rico, a U.S. territory.
God Bless America was played during the first Jays game after Sept. 11, 2001, against the Orioles at the SkyDome. American flags dotted the stands, and a banner reading "God bless USA" hung from the wall. U.S. flags were also displayed at a Montreal game on Sept. 17.
To celebrate the start of this season, an opening-day logo will be on the field and on top of the three bases during each team's initial home stand.
Six teams will wear commemorative patches: the Chicago White Sox (hosting the all-star game), Cincinnati Reds (first season at the Great American Ball Park), New York Yankees (100th anniversary), Philadelphia Phillies (final season in Veterans Stadium) and San Francisco Giants (National League champions).
The Yankees also will wear the patches on their caps and use commemorative balls at all home games. Special balls will be used at Monday's opener of the Great American Ball Park, all games at Veterans Stadium and all Montreal Expos' games in San Juan, Puerto Rico.
Baseball also announced an agreement with Armed Forces Radio and Television Service to carry eight to 10 games each week during the season, starting with tomorrow night's opener between Texas and Anaheim.
With a report from Canadian Press
