Let's Rename it The Hall of Fascism

The Baseball Hall of Fame has cancelled a 15th anniversary celebration of the great Ron Shelton film Bull Durham because of antiwar criticism by Tim Robbins and Susan Sarandon, who appear in the picture. Hall president Dale Petroskey, a former White House assistant press secretary under Ronald Reagan, sent a letter to the actors this week telling them the festivities scheduled for April 26-27 in Cooperstown, N.Y., had been called off.

"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," Petroskey wrote in his letter. "As an institution, we stand behind our President and our troops in this conflict."

Reading this story, one can't help but feel disgusted. Hasn't The Hall of Fame ever heard of free speech? Are they trying to send a message that to be anti-war is to be anti-American, and to be anti-American is to be anti-baseball? Who the hell does this fascist Petroskey think he is, politicizing the game like this? Really.

What if they learned that Willie Mays was against the war? Would they take his plaque down?