There's a full NFL schedule today, which means the potential for national anthem protests is abundant.
Here's the thing about the perceived sanctity of the anthem: It was purged from most sports broadcasts years ago.
Unless it's a celebrity performance or some other special occasion, you're not going to see or hear the anthem. If it gets on the air, it was probably a mistake in timing.
On most football and baseball broadcasts, the anthem is scheduled for a time when the radio and TV audiences are either listening to a taped interview or commercials.
Basically, the anthem doesn't matter to them unless it's a basis for a protest.
Comedian Robert Klein years ago said the importance of the anthem was as a timing device. At, "Oh say can you see...." fans at the venue reflexively knew it was time to either hit the rest room or the beer stand because kickoff was near.
Would people miss the anthem if it weren't played? Probably not. Most aren't paying attention.
Maybe that's the unintended consequence of what Colin Kaepernick has brought to the NFL. He made the national anthem relevant at NFL games.
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--ADVANCED CHEATING
The Boston Red Sox were busted last week, caught stealing the New York Yankees' signs by using an Apple watch.
Only the technology changes. Cheating has been part of sports forever, but now devices make it more convenient.
When the Pirates' Harvey Haddix pitched 12 perfect innings in Milwaukee in 1959, he discovered decades later that the Braves were stealing catcher Smoky Burgess' signals throughout the game. Someone in the bullpen had binoculars and would focus on Burgess.
The spy would hang a towel on the fence (or not) to let the batter know if the upcoming pitch was a fastball or breaking ball. Even when they knew what was coming, the Braves couldn't touch Haddix that night.
So now the crimes are being aided by technology. A St. Louis Cardinals executive was sentenced to prison after he admitted to hacking the Houston Astros' scouting files. A producer on Penguins telecasts got in trouble with the NHL when he declined to use a replay because it showed an angle that would have overturned the call to the Penguins' detriment on a replay challenge.
Apple watches? Makes the New England Patriots' use of video tape to capture opponents' sideline signals seem so 1990s.
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--ONE MORE CHANCE
It wasn't a big story, but the Penguins' hiring of Kevin Stevens to their scouting staff last week was significant.
Stevens' life since he was a standout on the Penguins' first two Stanley Cups has been a train wreck. He suffered a devastating injury when he crashed face-first to the ice in the 1993 playoffs.
He was never the same player after the facial reconstruction surgery. He developed a dependence on drugs that cost him his career and estranged him from family members. He was done as a player when he walked away from the Penguins during a trip to Buffalo.
He worked as a Penguins' scout once before and did a good job. But his inability to focus led him to leave and find more drug-related trouble.
Now he's back, getting another chance at 52.
Stevens owes this job to Mario Lemieux. Lemieux won't give up on Stevens, even though others may have.
There have been jokes on the Internet for a long time about "F.O.M," which stands for "Friends of Mario." Pierre Larouche is a charter member.
It's no laughing matter to Lemieux, who takes care of people he values. When the decision was made to drop Paul Steigerwald from the broadcast team after more than 30 years, Lemieux didn't overrule his people. But he did make sure there was another job for Steigerwald in the organization.
Kevin Stevens can be grateful for his membership in "F.O.M."
(John Mehno can be reached at: johnmehnocolumn@gmail.com)
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