National Anthem

Easy to call what Joe Price is doing some sort of quixotic quest, to attach religious significance to a pilgrimage bursting with symbolism and ritual. But really all he hopes to do is follow his passion for the sport of baseball while penning his own unique love story. O, say can you see ... Price is a religious studies professor at Whittier College with an interest in sports, an ear for song and an astounding wife who has agreed to accompany him this summer to 100 minor league ballparks in 40 states — just so Joe can lead the crowd in "The Star-Spangled Banner.

First thing I do as Magic Johnson is to call Matt Kemp's bluff: "I think I heard you saying you could take me in basketball," I say. "Bring it on. " If the Dodgers are serious about reconnecting with the city, they'll throw a hard court down in Dodger Stadium some off-night this spring, put on a little exhibition between Johnson and Kemp to benefit AIDS research and youth baseball. Fill the field level with kids. After a quick one-on-one game in which Magic swats Kemp's shots into the upper deck, each player could bring a few of his friends out for a little scrimmage.

  "Borat" does it again, but this time it was organizers of a sports event in Kuwait and not Sacha Baron Cohen who slipped up. The obscene anthem from the 2006 satirical film rather than the country's true national anthem was played Thursday at an awards ceremony for a Kazakhstan athlete who had won a gold medal for shooting at the 10th Arab Shooting Championship, according to media reports....

I don't know where, but they send you there … to Dodger Stadium? It's true, there is an odd, commercial, but hopefully still wonderful marriage of two Southern Californian icons about to transpire. The Dodgers and the Beach Boys are attempting to merge 50-year anniversaries, complete with a mini-concert before the home opener, and naturally, co-branded merchandise. Still, these are the Beach Boys, the most iconic of all West Coast rock bands, if not the most iconic American rock band.

Question: As usual at sporting events, Sunday's NBA All-Star game will be preceded by the national anthem. Why? Answer: Like telemarketers, trekkies and investment bankers, sports fans are only human. And humans are creatures of habit. American humans are creatures of heavy-mettle habit.

In Calgary true patriot love showed on the face of Prime Minister Brian Mulroney as he stood amid the Canadian electorate . . . (not in a bullet-proof box) . . . during the singing of their national anthem at the Olympics (Feb. 20). The soloist, an a cappella vocalist, was a Yukon-born citizen whose ancestors had lived there "for 11,000 years." He sang "Oh Canada," not in English or French, but rather in his native tribal tongue. I have never heard "The Star Spangled Banner" sung in Cherokee, Navajo or Sioux.

Rep. Andrew Jacobs gets my vote (he has proposed legislation to change the national anthem to "America the Beautiful"). Observations of Guthrie's roamer "walking that ribbon of highway" cannot possibly match mine. Many years ago, seated in the plastic nose of a B-24 bomber, I had the best seat in the house. Hours on end I flew over the deserts, rivers, mountains, plains and cities in training. Enthralled by diversity. Bates was right. This is a beautiful land. McCarthy says she may have been giddy.

  "Borat" does it again, but this time it was organizers of a sports event in Kuwait and not Sacha Baron Cohen who slipped up. The obscene anthem from the 2006 satirical film rather than the country's true national anthem was played Thursday at an awards ceremony for a Kazakhstan athlete who had won a gold medal for shooting at the 10th Arab Shooting Championship, according to media reports....

From Philadelphia — You hear about someone and how impressive he is as a person, solid and all that. It has to be just a good show for the cameras, doesn't it? No one is too good to be true until you talk to Chris Paul. He has it, whatever it is that allows someone to have such an impact on those around him. It's one thing to feel chills while watching the Clippers' peewee guard go razzle and dazzle on everyone on the court. It's quite another to be moved and feel what his coach and teammates have been saying all along: He's special.

Mike Johnson , UCLA's interim coach, has yet to be told by new head Coach Jim L. Mora , but he said he will be moving on. Mora is set to bring in former Arizona State assistant Noel Mazzone as UCLA's offensive coordinator. Johnson was the Bruins' offensive coordinator for one season. "Jim and I had a good conversation, but we didn't even talk about whether I was coming back," Johnson said. "You've got to see the writing on wall. They hire Noel Mazzone and make him the offensive coordinator, you got to see that.

At 6 feet 4, 250 pounds, with 4.7 40-yard speed and a relentless drive to pursue ball carriers, Kylie Fitts of Redlands East Valley appears to be the perfect fit to create havoc on defense. "He's such a beast," Coach Kurt Bruich said. As the stakes get higher, Fitts elevates his own performance. "Going out there, with all the fans and all the pressure, I just love the whole atmosphere," he said. The Wildcats are 10-0 and seeded No. 3 in the Inland Division playoffs.

Army Pfc. Douglas J. Jeffries Jr. liked to perform — and not just on stage with the alternative rock band he played in during high school. Known for his sense of humor and fondness for comical stunts, Jeffries once wore an inflatable sumo wrestler costume to Porterville's Wal-Mart, the biggest place in the Tulare County town northeast of Bakersfield, and walked down the aisles strumming his guitar. "When the batteries went dead, his suit deflated," recounted his father, Douglas Jeffries Sr. "And he continued walking through, playing his guitar.

The other morning I woke up to find a football in my bed. Down where the dog should have been, a football. Guess I'd had a little too much grape juice the night before, at least that's what I'm telling the wife. I snuggled the football. Whispered sweet nothings. Made a lunch date. Spooned. See, football is more than a one-night stand with me. It's a chronic, lifelong commitment. I've studied football back to the days of Cactus Face Duggan. Yes, he was an actual player (for the Giants)

Garang Yai was 7 when government soldiers burned down his village, forcing him to flee to Ethiopia, a three-month walk that many of his fellow refugees didn't survive. One of the famous "Lost Boys," Yai eventually found refuge in the United States. Now a U.S. citizen, he lives in Virginia and works as a university custodian. Photos: Independence celebration Yai, 31, flew back to Sudan this week to celebrate an occasion that has drawn thousands of exiles like him: the independence of the Republic of South Sudan after a generations-long war that left more than 2 million people dead.

SUNDAY Party over here! Beyoncé, Mary J. Blige, Chris Brown, Alicia Keys and Lil Wayne are among the performers slated for "The BET Awards 2011. " Comic Steve Harvey and R&B legend Patti LaBelle receive special honors; Kevin Hart hosts. (BET, 8 p.m.) Whither Sookie? Our favorite semi-fairy (Anna Paquin) vanished in a flash of light in last season's finale of "True Blood. " But she'll be back, along with all the vampires and other groovy ghoulies, when the super-sexy supernatural drama returns.