American Idle
BEFORE THE ROYALS' first World Series game in 29 years, Georgia native Trisha Yearwood sang the national anthem. Before the first game in San Fran, the performer was Little Big Town, a country outfit from Alabama. A modest proposal: local acts only in the Fall Classic. K.C. could have tapped Janelle Monàe or Martina McBride from across the border or, if truly desperate, butt rockers Puddle of Mudd. The Bay Area has countless options, at least a few of whom weren't in the Grateful Dead. Here's how the rest of this year's playoff teams stack up talentwise.
AMERICAN LEAGUE
[Los Angeles Angels]
No doubt: It should be Orange County--native Gwen Stefani. Unless the game's on Friday, in which case, Rebecca Black!
[Oakland Athletics]
The 2012 death of Dave Brubeck and the continued troubles of Sly Stone mean one thing: It's Hammer time!
[Baltimore Orioles]
Nothing fires up the home crowd like a performance from Tori Amos ... which is probably why the city that gave us the anthem used opera stud Richard Troxell for the ALCS.
[Detroit Tigers]
A Seemingly endless supply of Motown talent (Stevie Wonder, Aretha Franklin) means we'll likely never have to sit through a Jack White anthem.
NATIONAL LEAGUE
[St. Louis Cardinals]
No joking—Michael McDonald was born to sing the national anthem at sporting events. Yah-mo be there when he takes the mike.
[Los Angeles Dodgers]
L.A. has produced beautiful harmonizers (The Beach Boys, CSNY, The Byrds, Eagles) and hip new groups (Haim, et al.). So David Lee Roth it is!
[Washington Nationals]
D.C. was home to Marvin Gaye, who performed arguably the greatest anthem ever. We can dream of that during the spoken-word version we'll likely get from Henry Rollins.
[Pittsburgh Pirates]
Christina Aguilera spent some time near the Steel City, but a Girl Talk mashup would be far more palatable than a Rusted Root performance.
SIGN OF THE APOCALYPSE
The Warriors made rookie guard Aaron Craft dress up like a bear and sing Miley Cyrus before an open practice, then cut him the next day.
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RICK KERN/WIREIMAGE/GETTY IMAGES (YEARWOOD)
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TWITTER.COM (CRAFT)
EIGHT PHOTOS