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The Tampa Bay Devil Rays hold auditions to find 25 people to sing the national anthem this year.
By MIKE BRASSFIELD
© St. Petersburg Times, published January 9, 2002
ST. PETERSBURG -- Among the first to perform the national anthem Tuesday was a country band called Dark Horse, which sang a three-part harmony. It was respectful, and well-done, but on the outer edge of what the judges would accept.
The band may get to do the honors when the Texas Rangers come to town for a spring training game against the Devil Rays.
Another hopeful, Carlos Johnson, sang The Star-Spangled Banner with a plastic breathing tube filtering his voice through a keyboard.
"I wanted to add my own little touch to it," said the Air Force veteran from St. Petersburg. "Peter Frampton made his guitar talk. I make my keyboard talk."
Johnson probably won't be performing at Tropicana Field.
The two acts represent the broad range of singers auditioning Tuesday and today for a chance to sing the national anthem at upcoming Devil Rays games.
The judges -- two Devil Rays employees -- are looking for showmanship, skill and a traditional performance. They do not encourage people to put their own spin on the song.
"Especially now in this time of patriotism, we don't want people taking liberties with the anthem," said John Franzone, the Rays' director of event productions, who served as one of the judges.
Many who sang Tuesday had been practicing for weeks. One by one, they walked out onto the artificial turf, stepped up to the microphone and belted out their best effort.
They had to contend with the pressure of auditioning, the echoing effects of the Trop, and the fact that the anthem is notoriously hard to sing because of its octave-and-a-half range. Singers have to manage the killer high notes when they get to ". . . land of the FREEEEEEEE . . . "
No money is involved. All 100 auditioners just want the experience of singing the anthem at a game -- people like David Salim, 50, who drove 50 miles from Wesley Chapel. He asked where the dome's American flag was, then faced it as he sang.
"It's a great way to express how you feel about your country," he said. "I've got a lot of friends who are not too healthy because they defended that flag."
About one in four of the singers will be chosen by Franzone and the other judge, Stephanie Renica, who works in Franzone's office.
Last year, the team held open auditions and was overwhelmed when 500 singers showed up. This time, 100 spots were assigned on a first-come, first-served basis.
People sang with gusto but battled nerves.
"I think I did okay. I could have done better," said Jovante Johnson, a 20-year-old Lakewood High School graduate.
Jane Miller of Pinellas Point sang too fast. Franzone had her do it again, slower. Her 6-month-old son, Devin, watched.
"When I first started practicing, he cried every time," Miller said. "Either I got better or he got used to it."
Inetta FitzGerald, a marketing professional from Largo, thinks the anthem should be sung only by people who understand why it is our anthem.
"It's a four-stanza poem that tells a story" from the War of 1812, she said. "They really had no idea at the time if there was going to be a United States in the morning. They were looking for that flag."
Some anthems were better than others Tuesday. The judges weren't complaining.
"It comes with the territory," said Franzone, who figures he has heard 384 national anthems at Devil Rays games over the past four years, if you count spring training.
He listens with a critical ear, but he's not jaded yet.
"Every so often, an anthem comes along and knocks your socks off," he said. "It gives you chills. Every so often, you just say "Wow.' "