Steeg cleared up a few things Sunday. First, the anthem that day was a combined affair, with the Florida Symphony Orchestra backing up Houston. The orchestra recorded the instrumentals that would go behind Houston's rendition. That tape was brought to Los Angeles, and Houston practiced a few times, then recorded the version that would be played in the stadium, the one we've heard so often over the weekend. "That isn't rare,'' he said. "I'd say about 80 percent of the anthems in my time were recorded beforehand.''

The difference with this anthem was that Houston actually sang it on the field before the game -- in front of a dead mike. "I was on the Giants sidelines, standing right behind Lawrence Taylor and Carl Banks,'' said Steeg. "I heard her. It was fabulous.''

Said Steeg: "Lip-syncing is the wrong phrase. She sang it. I heard it. And the emotion on the field when she was finished was noticeable. I saw it on the faces of the Giants. No one knew what the moment would be like, but it was emotion, and fabulous. I'll never forget Taylor saying to Banks -- you think these guys are so intent on the game right then -- but he said, 'Oh my God! Is she good-looking!' ''

Steve Tasker of the Bills was on the opposite sideline. "She hit it out of the park,'' he said. "I'm an anthem enthusiast. I like to listen to them and judge them, and there's never been one like that. I remember looking around when it was over. I looked in the stands and saw fans waving their little American flags with one hand and wiping tears away with the other. I looked over and saw Jim Kelly and Marv [levy] wiping away tears. And I'm standing right near one of the officials that day, Larry Nemmers -- and he's wiping his eyes. Amazing.''

Lip-syncing or not, it got the crowd going. And the teams. What we heard was a recorded voice and still, after the game, I remember a couple of Giants talking about how special the moment was; players never talk about the anthem. And the next day, radio stations across the country played the anthem so much it shot up into the Billboard Top 10. Houston agreed to give all the proceeds to the American Red Cross; more than $500,000 was raised.