An anxious world awaited on Memorial Day. And then: “Today, I’ll be standing for the anthem,” announced Gabe Kapler, the attention-seeking manager of the San Francisco Giants. Then he stood just outside the third base dugout at Citizens Bank Park in Philadelphia for the playing of our national anthem, thereby taking a break from his protest against the direction of the nation.

Kapler had begun his protest Friday with a blog post on his personal website titled “Home of the Brave?” which read in part:

The day 19 children and 2 teachers were murdered, we held a moment of silence at sporting events around the country, then we played the national anthem, and we went on with our lives.

Players, staff and fans stood for the moment of silence, grieving the lives lost, and then we (myself included) continued to stand, proudly proclaiming ourselves the land of the free and the home of the brave. We didn’t stop to reflect on whether we are actually free and brave after this horrific event, we just stood at attention.

When I was the same age as the children in Uvalde, my father taught me to stand for the pledge of allegiance when I believed my country was representing its people well or to protest and stay seated when it wasn’t. I don’t believe it is representing us well right now.

Kapler had us know that he’d continue his protest “until I feel better about the direction of our country,” then his team promptly went out and lost two of three over the weekend to the hometown (and last place) Cincinnati Reds.

Monday was a different story, though. “While I believe strongly in the right to protest and the importance of doing so,” Kapler blogged, “I also believe strongly in honoring and mourning our country’s service men and women who fought and died for that right. Those who serve in our military, and especially those who have paid the ultimate price for our rights and freedoms, deserve that acknowledgment and respect, and I am honored to stand on the line today to show mine.”

Two cheers for Kapler, who’s clearly a more measured kind of protester than cop-hating former 49ers quarterback Colin Kaepernick. At least Kapler understands and respects the importance of Memorial Day. And, as the Washington Free Beacon’s Andrew Stiles noted with tongue in cheek, America prevailed, with Kapler’s Giants going on to win the Memorial Day game 5-4 in extra innings, a clear indication that “good things happen to people who respect America and its military.”

Kapler has plenty of support for his protest. And that includes his fellow San Francisco skipper Steve Kerr, he of basketball’s Golden State Warriors. “I always support any form of peaceful protest,” tweeted the sanctimonious Kerr. “That’s what our country is founded on. I think it’s great that he is making his own statement.”

That’s a lie, though. Steve Kerr absolutely does not “always support any form of peaceful protest.” If you don’t believe us, try this little experiment: Next time you’re in your $1,250 courtside seat at a Warriors game, walk to center court during a timeout and hold up a sign that says, “I support the NRA,” or “I support the Second Amendment.” Then, as you’re being dragged off the court by security, look over at Kerr and say, “Where’s the support, Coach?”

As for Kapler, though, not everyone was supportive. Take Joe Girardi, who replaced Kapler as the Philadelphia Phillies manager following the 2019 season, for example: “Everyone has a choice in this country, right?” Girardi said. “I mean that’s what America is founded on. It’s not the choice that I’ll make. But with all the choices we make in life there are consequences, no matter what you do, so you have to be prepared to explain why you do things in this world. And it’s not something that I would do.”

Or better yet, take 77-year-old Chicago White Sox manager Tony La Russa: “I think he’s exactly right to be concerned … with what’s happening in our country,” La Russa told reporters on Saturday. “He’s right there. Where I disagree is the flag and the anthem are not appropriate places to try to voice your objections.”

La Russa continued: “You need to understand what the veterans think when they hear the anthem or see the flag,” said La Russa. “And the cost they paid and their families. And if you truly understand that, I think it’s impossible not to salute the flag and listen to the anthem.”

Well said, Skipper.