[Seattle]

Even while trying to get a brief respite from the local lapdog media, we get this crap from the sports pages.

There's nothing like living amongst the Looney Left.

[Support Free Republic]

God bless our troops. Come home safe, and soon.

[Wil H]

The best way to fight them is to ignore them.

[anniegetyourgun]

Mr. Kelly....it's called calling shame upon the shameful. AND YOU JOIN THE RANKS OF THE SHAMEFUL....heavily populated by leftists like yourself.

[dead]

McCarthyism lives.

Yeah, if the Baseball Hall of Fame is a branch of the government.

He has not even a rudimentary grasp of history.

[ClearCase_guy]

Tim Robbins and Michael Moore have freedom of speech. But no one is required to give them a microphone. If the Hall of Fame could reasonably expect Robbins to talk about Baseball, then they would probably let him come. But Robbins (and Moore) tend to politicize everything. So, if the Hall doesn't want the occasion politicized, they pull back their microphone.

It's their right.

[TexasNative2000]

It deserves this celebration. We deserve to see its stars and writer-director Ron Shelton and hear them talk about this movie 15 years later.

It doesn't deserve anything. If you want to hear the wrier-director talk about it, subscribe to the Bravo Channel.

[ewing]

The best baseball movie ever made is not 'Bull Durham.'

[Only1choice____Freedom]

How do you politicize an event that is canceled?

What if somebody had a protest and nobody came?

[Catphish]

Wherever you come down on the war or whatever your politics - banning an event celebrating a movie because of the actors’ opinions is just absurd. It's the sort of thing the left perpetrates on college campuses. I thought conservatives had moved past that sort of thing.

[Alberta's Child]

If John Rocker still can pitch in the big leagues — I don't know if he can pitch anymore, but he certainly now has the right to try with Tampa Bay — then can't we celebrate the best baseball movie ever made, even if some find the politics of two of its stars offensive?

This comment reveals the utter ignorance of the author. Rocker was suspended by Major League Baseball for comments (largely true, BTW) that he made about Mets fans and the people of New York in general.

I would suggest that this item should be re-written as follows:

If Major League Baseball can suspend John Rocker for comments that he made on his own time to a sports magazine reporter, then the Baseball Hall of Fame can do whatever the hell it wants with regard to Mr. Robbins.

[Only1choice____Freedom]

The best Baseball movie was "Field of Dreams"

Sorry Bull Durham doesn't even make my top ten.

[CanisRex]

Adonal Foyal, maybe the smartest man in the NBA...

Backhanded compliment or truth? We report, you decide.

[Mister Baredog]

Aren't the freedoms Sarandon and Robbins exercise part of what the United States says it is trying to bring to Iraq?

That freedom includes Mr. Petroskey, and who could guarantee that these two idiots wouldn't use their platform to spout more of their drivel, after all it's freedom of speech. It just seems the LEFTIES don't want to pay the price for what they say. Ask Trent Lott about that!

[Spiff]

McCarthyism lives.

McCarthy has been proven right time and time again. We should erect a monument to McCarthy in Washington D.C. and continue his sterling example of how to deal with the vermin that infests our nation.

[T Lady]

Whimper, whimper, sniff, sniff.

-Regards, T.

[Hildy]

This victory in Iraq is causing alot of strange things to happen. I believe that this put to end the stain on our psyche that Vietnam caused. As much as the people of Iraq needed this decisive victory, we also eeded this decisive victory. We can now feel proud of our country, and shame those who don't. YAAAYYYY!!!!

[dyed_in_the_wool]

Free speech does not guaranty the right to disseminate hate, lies and vitriol.
If Robbins and Sarandon can say anything that is valid and not unduly inflammatory, or even if they had a propensity to do so, nobody would be banning them from anything.
This is less to do with Free Speech and everything to do with Hate Speech.

[Izzy Dunne]

Imagine if Petroskey were the NBA commissioner. Dallas' Steve Nash, who has voiced his sensitive disagreements with the war, probably would be banned from the playoffs.

--- Let me explain this ONE MORE TIME.
Petroskey is NOT PART OF THE GOVERNMENT.
He is NOT SUPPRESSING FREE SPEECH of Suzie Saranwrap or anyone else.
He is a PRIVATE CITIZEN, and head of a PRIVATE ORGANIZATION. He is therefore entitled to have a party, or to cancel a party AT HIS OWN DISCRETION.
He has NO AUTHORITY over Suzie Saranwrap and her speechifying, other than withdrawing a platform that is UNDER HIS OWN CONTROL.

Why do I have to explain this over, and over, and over, and over...

[doug from upland]

What the left conveniently refuses to recognize is that, just as Sarandon and Robbins exercised their free speech, Petroskey exercises his. His organization has the right to invite or disinvite anyone it wants. It matters not whether the reason has any validity. Free speech, in fact, is alive and well. The exercise of my free speech includes telling my friends and the FR family that I won't give certain a-holes one more penny of my money. If Sarandon is in a movie, I don't go. I love how free speech works.

[WellsFargo94]

It's a darn shame when they have to listen to opinions that they don't want to hear...aaawwwwhhhh.

Hollyweird/NYC liberals have been in the Clinton's back pocket so long that they actually thought someone cared what they had to say. Reality is biting them in the arse.