In mid 1990, Joan Kroc as the owner of the San Diego Padres MLB team sold it to TV producer Tom Werner. About six weeks into his ownership, Werner attempted to cross-promote the team with one of his TV sitcom series.

While the Padres were playing a twilight doubleheader game against the Cincinnati Reds at Jack Murphy Stadium on an evening billed as 'Working Women's Night', Werner invited Roseanne Barr, the eponymous star of the sitcom "Roseanne (ABC 1988 - 1997) to perform The Star-Spangled Banner. She comically sang the national anthem in a loud, screechy voice. After finishing her rendition, she grabbed her crotch and spat at the ground in an attempt to parody baseball players. This publicity stunt was met with condemnation from baseball fans, sportswriters, and the U.S. President. Some of them even called it the "Barr-Mangled Banner" or the "Barr-Strangled Banner."

The President of the United States, George H. W. Bush, called her out. His said that her actions were totally reprehensible and repugnant. Barr’s National Anthem attempt was seen as a very viral moment in a pre-viral age. The incident left people in a real raw state. A few days later Barr agreed to answer questions. She tried to explain – perhaps more clearly than ever– how she found herself in the center of Jack Murphy Stadium screeching her way to infamy.

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