Boston Red Sox left fielder Jason Bay, center, a native of Canada, congratulates a fellow new U.S. citizen after they both took the oath of citizenship at a naturalization ceremony at Faneuil Hall in Boston, Thursday July 2, 2009. (AP Photo/Eric J. Shelton)The Associated Press
Boston Red Sox outfielder Jason Bay said he hopes Major League Baseball has learned a lesson after airing a taped version of O Canada prior to the All-Star Game in St. Louis last Tuesday.
MLB apologized for the faux pas and explained that a tight schedule prevented it from having a live performance. Singer Sheryl Crow sang The Star-Spangled Banner live.
Bay felt the apology was necessary.
"I think it means everything," he said. "A lot of people were upset, myself included. I don't think [MLB]understood that it would have the magnitude it did. So people voiced their displeasure and they apologized and I'm sure it will be remedied in the future. That's all you can ask for.
"It's not an end-of-the-earth type debacle, but as long as they understand that it wasn't acceptable, then we can move forward."
Bay hails from Trail, B.C., but became an American citizen during a ceremony in Boston on July 2.