Byzantium's Shores: chronicling the misadventures of an overalls-clad hippie

I didn't catch much of last night's Baseball All-Star Game, even though it counted*. I watched some of the player introductions, enough to get annoyed that some of these guys look like they played in last year's Little League World Series, and I caught a spare moment here or there in the course of the game. What struck me most, of what I did see, was the seventh inning stretch, when Amy Grant came out and performed one of the shakiest renditions of "God Bless America" in history. It was painfully obvious that something was amiss with Miss Grant -- as if she couldn't hear the accompaniment and thus wasn't sure what key she in which she was supposed to be singing. She kept wincing and putting her hand to either ear, and when she was done she couldn't keep the "My God, that was horrible" expression from her face. I've never been a big Amy Grant fan, but you hate to see someone tank like that. Wow.

* For those not paying attention, the idea this year is to have the winning team of the All-Star Game -- the NL or the AL -- secure home-field advantage for its league champion in the World Series. Previously, it's been the case that they simply alternated year to year: last year, the AL had games 1,2, 6 and 7; the year before that, the NL had those games. Now, the AL will have them, by virtue of their victory last evening. It's a pretty goofy idea, but there it is.

(By the way, here's a good trivia question: What are the only two days of the year when none of the four major professional sports -- MLB, NFL, NHL, NBA -- are active? The day before and the day after the MLB All-Star Game.)