Rangers 3B coach Beasley to sing national anthem on Opening Day
When the Texas Rangers open up their season at home against the defending American League champions, the Cleveland Indians, fans in attendance will be in for a treat.
Third-base coach Tony Beasley, who was declared cancer-free during the offseason after missing most of the 2016 season while undergoing chemotherapy, will sing the national anthem.
The 50-year-old was diagnosed with rectal cancer on Feb. 19, 2016, but was given a clean bill of health this past December after several chemo treatments throughout last spring.
He also underwent a surgical procedure to remove tumor remnants from his bowel.
"It doesn't sound right to (call it rewarding) when you are dealing with a disease; you don't relate that to a reward," Beasley told Evan Grant of The Dallas Morning News after receiving his clean bill of health. "But there has been so much good on so many fronts.
"Somebody once told me not to see obstacles, only opportunities. And this has given me the opportunity to be the man who I said I am. I've always said I'm a man of faith, but we can say things and not live it. This has given me a chance to live it. I'm thankful if people have had a chance to see it."
This wouldn't be the first time Beasley has sung the anthem, either. He has performed it on both July 30, 2008 and April 24, 2010 while he was a coach with the Pittsburgh Pirates.
Beasley has been with the Rangers since 2015, but has also spent time in the Pirates and Washington Nationals' organizations as a coach.