John Mellencamp is from Southern Indiana near my hometown, and we went to the same junior college (many years apart). He's Indiana's Bruce Springsteen, basically. Now, I don't know if he was indisposed or finishing a beer or what, but he was a painfully long 2-3 minutes late coming out to sing his new Chevy commercial song "Our Country", reinforcing the ignorant hick stereotype our from Indianapolis north all the way through Detroit have of us. His band and backup singers got the memo. I also find this develpoment amusing, because Mellencamp, who is one musician that walks it like he talks it, has heretofore refused to sell his song rights for commercials.

Love John, but Detroit is not a place which is exactly light on music legends to sing at the World Series, you know? Ever heard of a little label called MOTOWN RECORDS, MLB? Stevie Wonder, Aretha Franklin, Smokey Robinson....oh wait, Anita Baker, Detroit native, 6-time Grammy winner, is singing the "official" national anthem, whew! Maybe America will forget about Johnny-Come-Lately...