What a fine pair they make. Hootie and the Blowhard.
No sooner had Augusta National chairman Hootie Johnson pronounced that the Stone Age had not yet ended than it was revealed that a former Reagan flak named Dale Petroskey emerged from his own cave and cancelled the Baseball Hall of Fame's planned 15th anniversary celebration of Bull Durham because of the anti-war views of co-stars Susan Sarandon and Tim Robbins.
And you thought the only Joe McCarthy in Cooperstown was the legendary former manager?
Let's get this straight: Cooperstown has admitted racists, drunks, gamblers and people with god knows what else in their closet. It's already admitted Reds, for Pete's sake. It has articles on display from guys who dabbled in illegal drugs when they played and, in the next decade, will start admitting a generation of power hitters and power pitchers, at least a few of whom used illegal steroids. It has, in short, admitted the worst and the best of the game and society — people whose tendencies leaned toward cross burning as well as trailblazing. It is representative.
But according to Petroskey, who is the Hall of Fame president, there is no room for political dissent, certainly not at a time when the U.S. is bringing freedom, prosperity and a side order of fries to Iraq.
Bad enough that those of us in a sovereign country in which the majority doesn't support the invasion have to listen to God Bless America in Toronto. A question: Since commissioner Bud Selig wants it played during holidays, does that mean we get to hear it on Victoria Day and Canada Day?
This is a disturbing departure, since baseball did a tasteful job of returning to the field after a brief hiatus following the terror attacks of Sept. 11, 2001, avoiding the over-the-top, full metal jacket bloodlust of the National Football League — the sport that best represents the worst of American society. Baseball is a considered game — too considered for the video age — and in making this decision, Petroskey and whoever else had a hand in it have revealed themselves to be wholly out of touch with the spirit of the hall, especially at a time when the game needs to become an even bigger tent to accommodate players such as Hideki Matsui and when it is preparing to admit its first-ever player from the Montreal Expos, Gary Carter.
In a letter sent to Sarandon and Robbins, Petroskey told the actors that the festivities, scheduled for April 26 and 27, had been called off because some of their recent comments "ultimately could put our troops in more danger."
"In a free country such as ours, every American has the right to his or her own opinions, and to express them," the letter said. "Public figures, such as you, have platforms much larger than the average American's, which provides you an extraordinary opportunity to have your views heard — and an equally large obligation to act and speak responsibly. We believe your very public criticism of President Bush at this important — and sensitive — time in our nation's history helps undermine the U.S. position, which ultimately could put our troops in even more danger. As an institution, we stand behind our President and our troops in this conflict."
Robbins told ESPN he sent a letter to Petroskey, telling him: "You belong with the cowards and ideologues in a hall of infamy and shame."
Robbins wrote he'd been looking forward to "a weekend away from politics and war," and told Petroskey he did not realize baseball was "a Republican sport."
Look. Bull Durham is hardly high art, even stacked up against the long list of truly unremarkable sports films.
But it has contributed a great deal to the culture surrounding the game and has made more of a positive impact on society's consciousness about baseball than Barry Bonds, Roger Clemens, Donald Fehr, Bud Selig, Dale Petroskey, Expos baseball in Puerto Rico and tied all-star games combined.
In many ways, it is two of the best hours of recent baseball history.
The myopia is surprising. You'd think a former White House assistant press secretary for Ronald Reagan would know full well the meaning of Bull.
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