The Czar has spent an uncomfortable majority of the weekend watching his boys play baseball. The Цесаревич and Царевич are both on teams this year; however, the Цесаревич had his very first game of the season yesterday, and smeared the other team 10-0. One kid made a pro-level diving catch; even Цесаревич playing second base contributed with a fielded-ground-ball-flick-to-short to put the runner out at second. And he contributed with a ribbie to cap off a really good day. He wanted to sleep in his uniform, he was so excited.

Anyway, enough bragging (yeah, Царевич got an RBI too, but his game yesterday was scrimmage only).

Okay, maybe a little more bragging: the Czar noticed something that perhaps you have seen, too.

In the last few decades, the Czar has attended an uncountable number of sporting events, ranging from T-ball games up to pro level, including all the major sports (no, not soccer, GorT). And he has noticed this—

In the 1990s, it got to the point where the announcer would say “…and will the gentlemen please remove your hats for the singing of our National Anthem.” About a third of the audience would not even rise, and about 20% of the guys would not even take their hats off. The Czar remembers making a pointed comment to a guy (at a tractor pull in 2000—which is still not soccer) because he sat there with his hat on, even though he had the whole country-western God Bless The USA tee-shirt on. Nice patriotism, chuck. Even then, half the attendees would chat and drink through the whole song.

Flash forward to today. The audience stands as the flag appears (if it is being marched in). Beers and sodas are prompty placed on the floor or in cup holders. All hats come off and are placed over the heart. Everyone, absolutely everyone, stands at attention and shuts up or sings.

Whether it was pro-hockey, minor league baseball, charity professional basketball, or even local ball games at the park, people are deliberately treating the flag with respect again.

The Czar puts it back to September 11, 2001; initially, people were shocked back into honoring the flag because they saw where anti-America bashing on the Left and complacency about it on the Right got them.

But today it is way past that: it is momentum. It is Americans of all ages honoring the flag because they want to. Today, the Czar watched a muslim man at a little league game stand his toddler daughter up and spin her to face the flag during the anthem. And the Czar realized it may be a very long time before we see people view the anthem as a pointless delay before the game.

Glad to see you all back.

The Czar of Muscovy

Божію Поспѣшествующею Милостію Мы, Дима Грозный Императоръ и Самодержецъ Всероссiйскiй, цѣсарь Московскiй. The Czar was born in the steppes of Russia in 1267, and was cheated out of total control of all Russia upon the death of Boris Mikhailovich, who replaced Alexander Yaroslav Nevsky in 1263. However, in 1283, our Czar was passed over due to a clerical error and the rule of all Russia went to his second cousin Daniil (Даниил Александрович), whom Czar still resents. As a half-hearted apology, the Czar was awarded control over Muscovy, inconveniently located 5,000 miles away just outside Chicago. He now spends his time seething about this and writing about other stuff that bothers him.