DITTO!
MEGA- 
Stay Strong
Fuzzy
Posted on 04/11/2003 10:29:45 AM PDT by 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.
On one occasion, a game was played through a torrential downpour and both players and spectators were left guessing why the umpires didn't call the game. Well, in the third inning, Germany stepped up to the plate wearing a raincoat and tall boots with an umbrella in one hand and a bat in the other. The umpire called the game.
Another time, Germany, playing against a hostile crowd, was put into the game as a pinch-hitter and stepped up to the plate as the boos grew deafening. Germany turned to the crowd and announced that they were about to see the greatest batter alive demonstrate his wonderful hitting skills. On the first pitch, Germany hit a homerun out of the ballpark as a stunned crowd gazed at this zany baseball character as he began his trek around the basepath.
The show was not over as Germany, amazingly, slid into first base announcing to the crowd, "Schaefer leads by a head at the quarter". He picked himself up and then slid into each of the remaining bases announcing his progress after each slide. His final slide into home plate was punctuated with Germany leaping to his feet, doffing his cap and then announcing, "This, ladies and gentlemen concludes the afternoon's performance."
In 1907, Germany stunned the baseball world when he stole second base and then on the next pitch stole first base. That's right! It was a close game with Germany on first and Davy Jones on third. The manager called for a double steal. The steal was on with the next pitch but the catcher, bluffing a throw to third and holding the runner, then threw to second base. Schaefer beat the throw. Amazingly, on the next pitch, Germany made a mad dash from second and slid safely back into first base. The umpire was dumbfounded as was everyone else. But after some intense deliberation with the opposing players, the umpire let the play stand. Then, on the next pitch, Schaefer sped to second as the catcher's throw sailed wildly over second base allowing the runner from third to score.
Schaefer's shenanigan came up at the next baseball rules committee meeting and a new rule was created stating that once a runner touched second base he could not return to first. Ironically, Schaefer was a teammate of Nick Altrock, called by many the 'clown-prince' of baseball . Germany Schaefer definitely was the 'baron of highjinx'!
But you don't really need to Freep them, they do a great job of making a$$es of themselves. Here's one classic:
Apr-09-03, 10:41 AM (ET)
Why are we paying soldiers to vandalize statues?????????
This is so goddamned ridiculous..........
F**K these 'troops'. I don't give a s**t if they all get their asses killed.
That's right. He's pissed because our troops are "vandals".
They are scum
DITTO!
MEGA-
Stay Strong
Fuzzy
I stand (or sit)corrected. Thank you.
Thank you - I didn't know that. I don't follow "stars" at all.
I DO follow my President & OUR SOLDIERS.
Again - I do NOT care about "stars", so thank you.
The following contact info was taken from a site asking that supoportor's of Tim Robbins, whom thyey termed "an American Patriot", to call in and voice their support of him. We must be heard!!
Contact info is:
Main switchboard — 607.547.7200
Toll-free number — 888 HALL-OF-FAME or 888.425.5633
FAX — 607.547.2044
Education Department — 607.547.0362
Information, catalog requests, customer service — Call our toll-free number above
Membership program, group sales, special events — Call our toll-free number above
Membership program FAX — 607.547.2044
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.