'BULL DURHAM' STAR RESPONDS TO CRITICISM

KFMB TV CBS ^ | 04-11-2003

[new cruelty]

Not every screwball in the Hall of Fame is a baseball.

One of them just happens to be its president.

That would be Dale Petroskey, and after this latest mess, there's reason to wonder how much longer he will hold on to that exalted position.

Petroskey, a former assistant press secretary in the Reagan administration, wrote a letter Monday to actor Tim Robbins informing him the hall was canceling a 15th anniversary celebration of the movie "Bull Durham" scheduled for April 26-27 at Cooperstown.

Had Petroskey deep-sixed Robbins for a barely credible throwing motion while portraying fireballing right-hander Nuke LaLoosh in the movie, that would have been one thing. Instead, the hall boss cited Robbins' anti-war stance.

He said the actor's "very public criticism of President Bush ... helps undermine the U.S. position, which ultimately could put our troops in even more danger."

This is how far wide of the plate that pitch was delivered: Just a few days before Petroskey wrote the letter, sailors aboard the USS Theodore Roosevelt told a reporter that to lift spirits, they increasingly tuned out the news in favor of lighter entertainment. One of their favorites, naturally, was "Bull Durham."

"I donated the uniform I wore to the hall," Robbins said. "Man, what an honor that was. Now I just hope it's there the next time I get back."

By Thursday, the actor was more resigned than mad. A day earlier, he dashed off a response to Petroskey, telling him: "You belong with the cowards and ideologues in a hall of infamy and shame."

Until then, Robbins and Susan Sarandon, his co-star in the movie and longtime companion, had intended to take their sons to the anniversary celebration. While there, Robbins planned to look in on the uniform, part of the hall's "Baseball in the Movies" exhibit. Now they won't be going anywhere near the place.

"This was just a celebration, a chance to see some friends from the movie and make what's become almost an annual trip with our boys," Sarandon said.

"I'm not sure what he was so scared about. As far as I knew, we weren't speaking. I wasn't even planning to wear makeup. And to politicize baseball is to violate the spirit of what it's all about."

Indeed, major league baseball distanced itself almost immediately, saying in a statement it had "nothing to do with the Hall of Fame event."

"It is not our practice to make political statements," spokesman Rich Levin added.

Petroskey, who became president four years ago, was unavailable for comment. But hall spokesman Jeff Idelson said, "The letter stands for itself." He added that 5,000 e-mails poured in Thursday alone, both pro and con.

"It's too early to sort them out," he said. "Suffice it to say we're an emotional venue."

Baseball's place in American life, while hardly as prominent as it was once, still matters.

During World War II, President Roosevelt ordered the games to go on and Hall of Famer Bob Feller still recalls how scores were printed on the same sheet as the orders of the day and how most mornings, he memorized both before settling in behind a 40mm cannon on the deck of a battleship in the South Pacific.

When an earthquake devastated San Francisco just moments before the first pitch of Game 3 of the 1989 World Series, the city asked baseball to resume play as quickly as possible. In the aftermath of Sept. 11, the game provided an emotional rallying point in one community after another. All told, there are 66 members of the hall who served in the military during wartime.

Say what you want about the propriety of celebrities sounding off on complex issues, but Robbins knows plenty about the lore and history of baseball. He grew up in New York City playing stickball, stoopball and softball in the park and made the first of his four trips to Cooperstown as a 10-year-old.

He signed his letter to Petroskey with a reference to an old World Series champion: "Long live democracy, free speech and the '69 Mets - all improbable, glorious miracles that I have always believed in."

He didn't stop there.

"These kind of bullying, intimidating tactics have no place in democracy," Robbins said, "and certainly no place in baseball. I'm still wondering what kind of message they were sending me and anybody else who happens to disagree with this president."

On the plus side, Robbins vowed the cancellation won't keep him from returning to the hall. But he won't even start making plans to get there until the middle of the summer, sometime after an exhibit on "Baseball and the Presidency" has already closed.

[new cruelty]

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[The G Man]

Hmmmm ... it seems to me that the conventional wisdom at the time was that John Rocker needed to be punished by baseball for his views. Whats so different about this?

[Bikers4Bush]

Robbins started the bullying when he tried to use his "status" to influence our war stance.

He has nobody to blame but himself.

[Eric in the Ozarks]

There you go. I'm not buying what he's selling.

[SevenofNine]

Hey Tim report off NY Daily News is that one of Dubya former players want kick your a*** give you a hint

He pitch 7 No hitters
He has all over 5,000 strikeouts

Dude you don't want tick off this Texan

[wingster]

He's right though about one thing:

"He didn't stop there.

"These kind of bullying, intimidating tactics have no place in democracy," Robbins said, "and certainly no place in baseball. I'm still wondering what kind of message they were sending me and anybody else who happens to disagree with this president." "

Their place is in the democratic party and DNC!

[zingzang]

It's high time that jerk-off actors like Robbins realize that what they say in public can have consequences. All of them need to realize that the 1st Amendment is alive and well and that it goes both ways. Obviously this commie still doesn't get it, but he just might once his bank account starts to suffer because of his big mouth. They can all say whatever they want, but private citizens and corporations can also say what they want and take actions against them as well. For Robbins to cry about this is the height of arrogance. He's basically saying that he should not be challenged for his views because his point is the only one that matters. Yeah, he's real interested in democracy. </sarcasm>

[The G Man]

I am so proud of the HOF I may actually start watching baseball again for the first time since the '94 lockout.

Eh, on second thought ... maybe I won't.

[Nagual]

"I'm not sure what he was so scared about. As far as I knew, we weren't speaking. I wasn't even planning to wear makeup. And to politicize baseball is to violate the spirit of what it's all about."

You lie like Baghdad Bob, dude.

Glad you and your old lady got dumped!!!

[Conspiracy Guy]

Tim's standard response to criticism, "Susan, tell them what you told me!"

[Kay Soze]

Baseball is the all American sport and as such is not to be exploited by those that supporters genocidal maniac rulers when our sons and daughters in placed in harms way because of their public moral and financial support.

He and his girl friend Susan Sarandon fully and unconditionally support a genocidal dictator and his murdering sons.

They support torture, mass murder, racism, rape, ethnic cleansing.

The US is against these and when we can we oppose it.

And YES I AM QUESTIONING THEIR PATRIOTISIM!

patriot

\Pa"tri*ot\, n. [F. patriote; cf. Sp. patriota, It. patriotto; all fr. Gr. ? a fellow-countryman, fr. ? established by forefathers, fr. ? father. See Father.] One who loves his country, and zealously supports its authority and interests. --Bp. Hall.

Same for :
1 Robert Altman
2 Gillian Anderson
3 Ed Asner
4 Alec Baldwin
5 Kim Basinger
6 The Beastie Boys
7 Ed BegleyJr.
8 Ben and Jerry's Ice Cream
9 Harry Belafonte
10 Peter Boyle
11 Jonatha Brooke
12 Warren Brothers
13 Jackson Browne
14 Peter Buck and Michael Stipe
15 David Byrne
16 Diahann Carroll
17 Rosanne Cash
18 Don Cheadle
19 Dixie Chicks
20 Jill Clayburgh
21 George Clooney
22 John Cougar Mellencamp
23 Peter Coyote
24 Lindsay Crouse
25 Sheryl Crowe
26 John Cusak
27 Joan Cusak
28 Chuck D
29 Vincent D’Onofrio
30 Tyne Daley
31 Matt Damon
32 Rosario Dawson
33 David Duchovny
34 Olympia Dukakis
35 Kirsten Dunst
36 Fred Durst
37 Hector Elizondo
38 Missy Elliott
39 Cary Elwes
40 Mike Farrell
41 Mia Farrow
42 Laurence Fishburne
43 Jane Fonda
44 Bonnie Franklin
45 Jeananne Garafalo
46 Richard Gere
47 Melissa Gilbert
48 Danny Glover
49 Elliott Gould
50 Nanci Griffith
51 Robert Guillaume
52 Jake Gyllenhall
53 Maggie Gyllenhall
54 Woody Harrelson
55 Ed Harris
56 Emmylou Harris
57 Ethan Hawke
58 Dustin Hoffman
59 Ken Howard
60 Helen Hunt
61 Anjelica Huston
62 Chryssy Hynde
63 Jane Kaczmarek
64 Melina Kanakaredes
65 Casey Kasem
66 Sally Kirkland
67 Lenny Kravitz
68 Samuel L. Jackson
69 Yo La Tengo
70 Jessica Lange
71 Spike Lee
72 Jamie Lee Curtis
73 Tea Leoni
74 Kelly Lynch
75 Wendie Malick
76 Camryn Manheim
77 Marsha Mason
78 Richard Masur
79 Dave Matthews
80 George Michael
81 Michael Moore
82 Esai Morales
83 Alanis Morissette
84 Me’Shell Ndegeocello
85 The Neptunes
86 Chris Noth
87 Ed O'’Neill
88 System of a Down
89 Sean Patrick Flanery
90 Alexandra Paul
91 Sean Penn
92 Barry Pepper
93 CCH Pounder
94 Bonnie Raitt
95 Lou Reed
96 Carl Reiner
97 Tim Robbins
98 Charles S. Dutton
99 Susan Sarandon
100 Martin Scorsese
101 Tony Shalhoub
102 Martin Sheen
103 Kevin Spacey
104 Gloria Steinem
105 Cat Stevens
106 Oliver Stone
107 Marcia Strassman
108 Barbara Streisand
109 Loretta Swit
110 Studs Terkel
111 Lily Tomlin
112 Blair Underwood
113 Caetano Veloso
114 The View on ABC (Star Jones, Meredith Viera, Joy Behar)
115 Dennis Weaver
116 Bradley Whitford
117 James Whitmore
118 Robin Williams
119 Alfre Woodard
120 Noah Wyle
121 Spearhead
122 Run-DMC
123 Jay-Z
124 Stephen King

[jwalsh07]

Freedom of speech and association is a two way street and it's high time these self deluding idiots found out about it. Way to go Petrovesky.

[shotgun]

"Robbins knows plenty about the lore and history of baseball. He grew up in New York City playing stickball, stoopball and softball in the park and made the first of his four trips to Cooperstown as a 10-year-old."

So now he's an expert in all things baseball, PAH LEEEESSSSE..he sounds more like a professional Lollygagger to me!

The next thing these people will want is that the Manager in the dug out listen to their opinions about how the game should be played.

Shut up Meat!!

[gg188]

Can anyone compile or point to a source of Robbins/Sarandon quotes? This would help buttress me in discussions about the HOF's action.

[NC Conservative]

Hey Tim report off NY Daily News is that one of Dubya former players want kick your a*** give you a hint

[Hildy]

Excuse me, wasn't Kevin Costner the star of Bull Durham?

[hometoroost]

Yesterday's USA Today had a quote from Robbins' letter to the Hall of Fame that said "I didn't know baseball was a Republican sport."

Petroskey should write back and say "You are correct Mr. Robbins, baseball is not a Republican sport. But, it is an American sport and that is why you are not welcome at the Hall of Fame."

[tell me]

He's just mad because now he can't be a big baseball hero to his sons. Boo-hoo. He was whining on ESPN this morning about it. He told a sympathetic ESPN reporter that "he wouldn't have said anything about the war." Yea, right.

[bray]

Perhaps they didn't want to allow anyone who has given up more "home runs" than any of the Hall pitchers??? Somehow the Hall of Fame will survive these two nitwits.

Pray for GW and Our Troops