Charice vs. Gregg Patton (Press-Enterprise)

Charice at LA Dodgers Home Opener 4/13/09

About the only sour note on Charice leading the singing of the Star-Spangled Banner at the Los Angeles Dodgers home opener on April 13, 2009, came from this sports columnist of The Press-Enterprise (a Riverside County and San Bernardino County tabloid), Gregg Patton, who wrote:

“First a Dodger Stadium record crowd shows up, a 16-year-old waif belts out one of the biggest national anthems you’ll ever hear, a stealth bomber flies over, and then the Dodgers annihilate their traditional enemy from San Francisco, 11-1.”

Waif? Was Patton even listening to the intros or did he have Dodger hotdogs stuck on both ears during this part of the event? Then Patton went on to characterize Dodger catcher Russell Martin’s remarks as a JOKE:

“(The anthem) was better than the game,” joked catcher Russell Martin of singer Charice’s pregame home run, before adding, “We hit, pitched, played defense …”

Was Russell Martin really joking when he said that?  Patton didn’t say anything about Manager Joe Torre’s adoring comment for Charice’s rendition.

Before the Internet Age, it would have been easy to see how easy it would be for columnist Gregg Patton to gloss over the identity, personal background, or caliber of Charice vis-a-vis what she was asked to perform.  But now, with Google, Yahoo, YouTube (particularly YouTube) and a host of other Internet search engines that can easily bring almost any information at his fingertips, Patton, in this instance, shoots his foot from the hip and easily makes himself appear like a fossilized antediluvian cretin.

If Patton was sore that a Filipina singing phenom and established international diva at the tender age of 16 was asked to lead the singing of the national anthem at a major U.S. sports event instead of a local talent (of which there are many), then he should take his beef with the Los Angeles Dodgers management, or Major League Baseball.  Don’t take it on Charice.  You learned way back in Psychology 101 how displaced aggression can get you in trouble, didn’t you, Mr. Patton?

If you wish to say or write something directly to Gregg Patton regarding his unflattering account of CHARICE‘s participation in the Los Angeles Dodgers home opener, here’s how to reach him:

(951) 368-9597 or

gpatton@PE.com