Who’s the greatest singer of your lifetime? In mine, it would be Tony Bennett.

There’s no doubt.

My lifetime has been filled with music from timeless singers like Whitney Houston, Frank Sinatra, Barbra Streisand, and a host of others too numerous to mention.

And when I mentioned this to a group of radio coworkers, one of them felt my head to see if I was feverish.

The group’s opinion was universal in their love of Sinatra.

Not that Sinatra is (or was) chopped liver. The accolades accorded him are endless.

But when I see headlines the like of which point out the fact that, during the 7th inning stretch of the NLDS in San Francisco, he “messes up the lyrics to ‘God Bless America’” – my blood boils.

Yes, he may have forgotten one line of the lyrics to the anthem – but at 88 and still in possession of the God given voice that has launched so many timeless classics like “I Left My Heart in San Francisco” – really?

Who cares? He’s Tony Bennett.

And he can sing the song however he wants.

I can remember a time when the aforementioned Sinatra was brought up on state at his 80th birthday celebration hardly remembering the lines to “New York, New York!”

Should it have mattered? No.

And it shouldn’t matter that one small line was added by the immortal Bennett. Not while we still have this great American treasure in our midst.

Besides, his fans on Twitter were supportive:

— Erik Malinowski (@erikmal) October 6, 2014
Tony Bennett messing up the words to God Bless America is better than any present performer doing anything.

— Jim Jax Sports/News (@JimJaxMedia) October 7, 2014
Tony Bennett can still sing at my birthday party ... His singing still better than Madison's throw to 3B #giants

— bob elliott (@elliottbaseball) October 6, 2014
Only Tony Bennett could botch the lyrics to God Bless America and still look cool.

— Seth Davis (@SethDavisHoops) October 6, 2014
When I'm 88, I hope to be breathing, let alone singing God Bless America on live TV. You go, Tony Bennett.

— Jeff Heckelman (@HeckelmanMLB) October 6, 2014
Eh, when you're Tony Bennett, you don't have to get the words right.

— Mark Zuckerman (@ZuckermanCSN) October 6, 2014
Right with gold. Those are the words now. Tony Bennett has so decreed.

— Andrew Baggarly (@CSNBaggs) October 6, 2014
Tony Bennett just botched the lyrics to God Bless America, but you know what? It doesn't matter. #Legend

— Phil Taylor (@SI_PhilTaylor) October 6, 2014
Tony Bennett messed up the words to "God Bless America." Twitter has decided that's OK because he's Tony Bennett. Go about your lives.

— Big League Stew (@bigleaguestew) October 6, 2014
(H/t to For the Win)

And besides, who, at his age would have dared to hit the last note as flawlessly as he did.

Genius!

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