Starting in a thread last season (and touched on a couple of other times in the past few months) there was discussion about possibly getting together a group (Federal Baseball Singers? Feel free to suggest a better name) to sing the National Anthem at the ballpark this summer. Well, stuff just got real, y'all :-) The Nationals are scheduling auditions (not open to the public) on Saturday, March 10. Only 90 singers/groups will be scheduled, and it's first come/first served. I have a contact in the Nationals' offices that has already put my name on the audition list. From the announcement:

NATIONAL ANTHEM PERFORMERS

The first 90 anthem hopefuls to submit their resume (performance or otherwise) and a recent photo to anthem@nationals.com will be invited to audition live at Nationals Park on Saturday, March 10.

Anthem performers must meet the following prerequisites:

-The anthem should be no longer than 90 seconds

-The anthem must be performed in the traditional style; all auditions must be A cappella.

-Groups and instrumentalists are invited to audition as well

These auditions are not open to the public and will take place regardless of weather conditions For more information, visit nationals.com.

Of course, I don't actually have a group together yet, and apparently I have only a few weeks to put one together. Anyone interested in joining our happy crew please contact me directly at d[underscore]c[underscore]guy@yahoo dot com (yeah, I know, original, isn't it?). Posting in this thread is less helpful, but appreciated as a second option. Bonus points if you have a personal favorite arrangement of the Anthem to try, and/or access to a recording studio. The latter is helpful because the team will also take recorded submissions.

Who's in?