Tradition dies with Yankee Stadium

Dear Hank,

Is it okay if I call you that? Would you prefer Mr. Steinbrenner? I don’t want to make you feel too old.

Simply put, why are you closing Yankee Stadium?

Why did you feel it was necessary to abuse the taxpayers of New York City to build a new stadium in the middle of our country’s economic misfortunes?

I’m not even sure if I can call it a stadium — maybe the sixth borough of New York would be more appropriate.

Hank, forgive me if I come across as irrational, but tell me: Why now?

Why, when Yankee Stadium sells out night after night, even when the product on the field isn’t exactly what one would call championship–caliber?

Don’t tell me that you are doing this to ensure your dad’s legacy. Your father doesn’t need a new stadium built during the twilight years of his life for his name to go down in history as an all–time Yankee great.

Hell, he has so many memories there he didn’t even need to be at the last game.

Hank, you have a lot of work to do if you ever want to be remembered like your father. Too much of your reputation stems from whining and indecision about Joba Chamberlain; try to change that to World Series rings and lavish downtown parades.

I must commend you, though. Even in the wake of a pretty miserable season for the New York Yankees, you’ve managed to make the last season at Yankee Stadium look pretty darn classy.

The commemorative ball used during every game, the All–Star Game in the Bronx and, of course, the last game at the stadium featuring all the Yankee greats topped off by a touching speech from Derek Jeter in its final moments.

Was this an honest gesture to the fans or a series of sly distractions to keep their minds off the fact that, as of last Sunday night, baseball will no longer be played at the hallowed Yankee Stadium?

Hank, do I need to give you a laundry list of examples to explain the lore of Yankee Stadium to you?

Do the names Babe Ruth, Lou Gehrig, Mickey Mantle, Roger Maris and Joe DiMaggio ring a bell?

Ever taken a walk in Monument Park or watched a game with the Bleacher Creatures in right field?

Sure, the stadium is old, but so are Wrigley Field and Fenway Park. Maybe the seats are a little small, but we can all afford to lose a few pounds. Perhaps the smell on a hot summer day is a bit musty, but that’s the Bronx for you.

Hank, I’m not some hapless Red Sox fan trying to ruffle your feathers — quite the contrary, actually. I write as a concerned Yankees fan wondering from afar what closing “The House that Ruth Built” will do to the organization.

You are giving up so much in the name of history and tradition that I’m not so sure you are going to get such good returns on your investment.

The new stadium will probably be a sight to see, but New Yorkers know beauty doesn’t last. I hope you don’t expect the magic of Yankee Stadium to pack up and move across the street just because you want it to.

I guess my parting words of advice to you, Hank, are to not rest on your laurels. Don’t get too comfortable and think that because you have this fancy new stadium you will continue to draw fans regardless of where the Yankees are in the standings.

Ask any true fan. That’s not what being a Yankee is all about.

Reaction to Simpson Piece

With my approval the Independent Florida Alligator ran this letter regarding my column:

Racism does not exist in U.S. society

By Ed Kallal, 5EG

Daniel Seco is writing about a problem that doesn’t exist.

The all–white jury hasn’t convicted O.J. Simpson. Even if they do, Seco would have to prove that Simpson is clearly not guilty to have a semi–valid case.

Seco is the racist. He’s the one writing a column about the jurors’ race and assuming, because the jurors are white, they will convict a black man regardless of the facts of the case. Get a life. Write about something that exists. Daniel Seco: the racist drama queen.

Fortunately, my readers have my back:

someone7 wrote on Sep 20, 2008 10:25 AM:

" Maybe Ed Kallal is the racist piece of crap tarantula, who posts links to Neo-Nazi/White Power material on this site, or one of the other numerous right-wing racist nutjobs who post their crap here.

Racism does exist. Any white person, especially here in the South, who says otherwise is a liar. White people are incredibly racist. You only have to be around them for a little while before they start in on what Tim Wise calls "white-bonding," the point of which is to spew hatred of other races, especially blacks.

All white juries have and do convict black men of crimes, regardless of the facts. Just a few months ago an all white jury let some white boot camps guard go that killed a young black boy, right here in Florida, and there was video tape evidence of them doing it. All white juries to this day let white murderers of blacks go and convict blacks on nothing but their racial prejudice.

So you can take your lying, racist bullcrap and shove, Ed Kallal. "

someone7 wrote on Sep 20, 2008 10:25 AM:

" *shove it "

gmc wrote on Sep 20, 2008 7:42 PM:

" someone7, I agree that racism does still exist. But I am disgusted by your implications that white people are the only ones capable of racism and that all whites are racist. If you want to get picky about things, your prejudice that all white people are like as you describe is purely racist also!

Everyone whether white, black, yellow, red, whatever has some kind of prejudice and it's mostly because of ignorance. So before you go making hasty generalizations, consider meeting some new people, because the ones you hang out with are not quality. "

someone7 wrote on Sep 20, 2008 7:59 PM:

" I never implied only white people can be racist, or even that all white people are racist. A lot of them are, and if you're white and deny it, you're a liar. It's that simple.

Regardless of how black people may or may not feel towards whites, they're not the ones in power. White America is. If a Japanese person hates Koreans, it doesn't matter to a Korean in America, cause Japanese people don't decide their fate here. Black racism (which is significantly less than white racism) doesn't matter to white people, as black people don't control the power structure. Whites do.

To suggest racism doesn't exist is America is not simply false, but a bald-faced lie. Ed Kallal, as a dumb conservative white male, is knowingly lying, and undoubtedly a racist himself, who believes he is somehow the victim of "reverse racism," like a lot of stupid white conservatives, aka future-brownshirts, believe. "

ikicklocals wrote on Sep 21, 2008 2:16 PM:

" All races are racist in their own ways.

Ed Kallal = Fail. "

djung88 wrote on Sep 21, 2008 7:44 PM:

" Gainesville is one of the most racist and unequal places I've ever been to. That's all I have to say. "

ccb wrote on Sep 21, 2008 9:02 PM:

" I think it's fair to assume anybody who could make a statement like "racism doesn't exist!" is either mentally delayed (seriously) or trolling. You can't possibly be that oblivious to the existence of a world outside your own tiny little white boy bubble without putting some effort into it......or maybe the EXTREME defensiveness and subsequent projection indicate that, just perhaps, Ed Kallal here has feelings on the topic that must remain hidden? Or maybe he just can't bring himself to admit that he's a member of a group that has done anything wrong, ever. OMG he said a white man is a racist and... *I'm* a white man... bu-no-I--no, no I'm not a racist he could be saying that I'M a racist but I'm NOT and HOW DARE YOU SUGGEST I'M A RACIST RACISM DOESN'T EVEN EXIST ANYMORE EXCEPT IT DOES AND YOU ARE THE RACIST, YOU ARE SO RACIST AND I HATE IT, I HATE YOUR RACISM SO MUCH

WHY must this cruel world be so oppressive to upper-middle class white male conservative christians?! (weeps silently) "

Racism still plays part in U.S. society

Judge Jackie Glass told prospective jurors Monday in Las Vegas, “If you are here to think that you’re going to punish Mr. Simpson for what happened in Los Angeles back in ‘95, this is not the case for you.”

Somewhere in the courtroom, the prosecutors were snickering.

Thirteen years after O.J. Simpson’s acquittal on two counts of murder, the former Heisman Trophy winner faces the prospect of life in prison before an all–white jury.

The media surmised back in 1995 that Simpson avoided life in prison because he faced a mostly black jury.

Given the same logic, I think we’ve seen the last of O.J. Simpson playing on a golf course in Miami.

I know what you are thinking. We have a black man seriously challenging for the presidency, so racism isn’t that big of an issue in 2008 America.

Not only is Simpson going to face an inherently racially biased jury, but he also goes into the trial with a slightly higher profile than the average criminal.

As much as potential jurors may pretend to act like they don’t remember or weren’t interested in the Simpson trial back in the mid–1990s, they are only kidding themselves.

The case dominated both print and broadcast media, not to mention countless watercooler conversations.

As unavoidable as media bombardment is in 2008, 1995 managed to elevate the Simpson trial to a cultural phenomenon before the Internet became a major news source.

Who can forget the white Ford Bronco? Everyone knows about the bloody glove and Johnnie Cochran’s if–the–glove–doesn’t–fit–you–must–acquit defense.

Some may call it karma; others may call it justice. The fact that O.J. Simpson faces an all–white jury stacks the chips in the prosecutors’ favor — Vegas pun certainly intended.

Whether Simpson got away with murder should not matter in his latest case. Unfortunately, creating an unbiased environment where jurors have had no thoughts regarding what may have happened in 1994 is unattainable.

Don’t let me confuse you into thinking that I attended the University of Southern California as an undergrad or that I root for the Buffalo Bills. I don’t write as a Simpson sympathizer so much as a staunch critic of the current judicial system where a man can’t have at least one true peer decide his fate.

I can only imagine the uproar of the media if someone like Terry Bradshaw faced life in prison before an all–black jury.

The case probably would have been settled out of court.

We may live in a society that touts Sen. Barack Obama as a sign that racism has been mostly curtailed, but in reality, skeletons still occupy space in our closets.

Do the Jena Six ring a bell? How about Hurricane Katrina?

For all I know, Simpson may be undeniably guilty, offsetting the relevance of the jury’s racial makeup. Unfortunately, Simpson and his case represent a microcosm of every minority forced to deal with the social inequities that continue to exist in a culture so quick to turn a blind eye. A black man deserves to have every advantage that is granted to his white counterpart.

Isn’t that what America is supposed to be about?

To soften the blow of a baseless guilty verdict, the jury’s foreman could always console Simpson with the fact that Southern Cal is No. 1 and his Bills face a Tom Brady–free AFC East.

Hardly a fair trade–off, if you ask me.

Sept. 11 should be a national holiday

Sitting quietly in biology class, my eyes were transfixed on the screen in front of me.

Less than 25 miles away, the world was changing forever.

As the 7th anniversary of the tragic day is upon us, I offer my petition to make Sept. 11 a national holiday.

Nothing should take precedence over staying cognizant of what disrupted American life as we knew it, remembering those who lost their lives and commemorating individuals who saved others.

Designating Sept. 11 a holiday is not about barbecues or shopping, parades or fireworks, but solemn reflection on what transpired that fateful day.

We remember a stoic New York City mayor who remained steadfast to the masses left awestruck by the events of the day.

We recall the bravery exhibited in the final moments of life by the passengers of United Airlines Flight 93, disrupting the intentions of terrorists and preventing even more destruction.

And we certainly celebrate the uniformed men and women who so strongly embodied the characteristics of the word “selflessness,” laying down their lives in pursuit of helping others.

You may ask why we would want to “celebrate” a day that has arguably put America in the predicament it currently faces.

To say we live in trying economic times would be an understatement. Jobs appear to be nonexistent and foreclosures on homes run rampant. We don’t believe in the war, and we don’t believe in our president. Morale is low.

If we can take one positive thing from Sept. 11, perhaps we can look to the widespread patriotism exhibited by Americans across the country. You couldn’t drive down a street without seeing a flag waving in the wind or spot a bumper sticker proudly declaring, “These colors don’t run.”

Designating Sept. 11 as a national holiday could only help to renew a sense of pride that we so desperately need. As a defining event in the lives of so many, not making it a holiday would be a huge disservice because the event remains so much a part of our lives.

We continue to fight a war waged in response to the events that took place.

We see a nation preparing to decide on someone to replace an unpopular president, albeit one who led the country through such a trying event.

We demonstrate our resiliency by erecting the first steel column of the Sept. 11 memorial in the footprint of the World Trade Center.

Even with these constant reminders, I wonder if we have begun to forget Sept. 11.

Our generation cannot allow Sept. 11 to become the next Pearl Harbor, a defining event of our grandparents’ generation that now fails to raise consciousness every Dec. 7. We must not let our awareness of 9/11 in American history disappear, becoming but a blip on the calendar.

Republican or Democrat, black or white, holiday or not, today we honor the lives of those lost on Sept. 11, 2001.

Storm relief gives students perspective

Countless Gulf Coast communities lie in the wake of Hurricane Gustav’s path and are now in desperate need of rebuilding to help salvage the lives of thousands.

I must raise this question: Who will help these individuals who have been hit by a devastating hurricane once again?

Although we’re not even close to spring break, students are already faced with an important decision to make: Cancun or Acapulco?

I remember from my undergraduate days as a member of the Greek community that there was always an unspoken pressure from my fraternity brothers to go to some tropical spot for spring break. While I know they had a hell of a time in Mexico, it never made sense to me to spend unnecessary amounts of money to get drunk.

When Hurricanes Katrina and Rita struck the Gulf Coast in 2005, I was distraught by the constant barrage of images and sounds displayed on television. My thoughts sometimes weighed so heavily that I even considered dropping out of school to head to the New Orleans area in hopes of helping those in need.

I quickly came to my senses and realized that my role in helping hurricane victims was not immediately feasible.

I needed to see the situation for myself before I could understand how I could help.

The summer following Katrina and Rita, I visited New Orleans hoping to gain a local perspective. While there, I took pictures of the destruction firsthand.

Taking a tour into some of the harder–hit parishes, I realized the visuals in newspapers and magazines did no justice to what was in front of me.

Simply put, I was overwhelmed.

I vowed to come back to the Gulf Coast and assist with the recovery.

I scoured the Internet for spring break ideas and stumbled upon an alternative sponsored by MTV and United Way.

Could I really spend my entire spring break with a bunch of strangers from around the country?

I wasn’t immediately sure, but I applied anyway.

After receiving word that I had been accepted to participate, I reluctantly informed the trip’s organizers that I would be attending.

I was utterly unaware of just how deeply the trip would affect me.

After a long day of rebuilding a Rita–ravaged house in the poor neighborhood of Lake Charles, I labored through a game of backyard basketball with the young boy who lived there. He just stared up at me with a simple, appreciative smile.

I will never forget that.

Growing up in a privileged neighborhood sheltered me from exposure to scenes such as these. My friends, who share backgrounds similar to mine, thought me an anomaly for spending spring break in a place free of beaches or bikinis.

They quickly changed their tune when I returned to tell them about the work I had done.

I went to Louisiana to give back to those who desperately needed the help of the nation to regain some sense of their normal lives. The work was painstaking, but the reward was invaluable. Our efforts put those hurt most by the hurricanes on the path to regaining what they once had.

I implore the UF student body to explore the possibilities of something other than the typical wasted–on–a–beach spring break next year. You might end up surprising yourself.

I know I did.

Nine–year–old pitcher unfairly ousted

A musician may win an award, an academic receives a grant and an athlete finds him or herself glorified by fans and the media. Jericho Scott, undoubtedly the best pitcher in his New Haven, Conn., league, received his accolades in the form of banishment from the sport of baseball for being “too good.”

Scott is 9–years–old.

Accused of throwing the ball “too hard” and “frightening” opponents with his 40–mph fastball, league officials requested Scott move to another position other than pitcher. Giving second base a try for one game, Scott found himself longing to return to the place on the field where he had led his team to an 8–0 record, on pace for the playoffs.

Who can blame the child for wanting back the success he had found through pitching?

Failing to heed the warning of league officials, Scott took the mound in the subsequent game, leading to the opposing team’s vacating the field and forfeiting the game.

As a result of Scott returning to his natural position, officials informed Scott’s team that they could no longer participate in the league and would be disbanded.

Let me make this clear: Scott has never hit another batter while pitching this season. He may be fast, but he was throwing the ball accurately.

Furthermore, Scott is not another Danny Almonte, a kid with a forged birth certificate who tried to beat the Little League system in 2001. Scott is simply a 9–year–old boy in an 8– to 10–year–old league.

Why must adults deny this young boy the opportunity to play baseball because he was blessed with natural ability?

While at first glance Scott’s targeting by league officials stemmed out of concern for the safety of his peers, there have been grumbles that there may be ulterior motives to his expulsion.

Prior to the start of the season, Scott was reportedly offered a spot on the roster of the defending league champions.

He rejected the invitation to instead play on a team sponsored by a local gym, which leads me to assume that he probably just wanted to have fun playing with his friends

The sponsor of the championship team is, in fact, the employer of one of the league officials who had a hand in disbanding Scott’s team.

How sad! Adults perpetuating the age–old adage that baseball was made for kids, and grown–ups only screw it up. Overaggressive mothers and fathers consumed with winning as they live vicariously through their children and ruin the experience for all.

Why can’t these individuals get over themselves and fulfill their duties as positive role models for their children rather than setting poor examples that their kids will surely adopt?

We often hear stories about those who are undeserving being rewarded for whom they know rather than what they’ve accomplished.

Scott is the antithesis of the child who makes the all–star team simply because his or her father is the coach. We should be celebrating the success of a young, budding star rather than obsessing over the winning and losing that so often robs the fun of Little League Baseball.

History Repeats Itself

The nation's loss of Sean Taylor, who was often vilified by the media and those outside the Beltway, is but another tragedy in the world of sports.

Over the course of Monday morning, many television outlets offered commentary from Taylor's friends and relatives, who spoke about his willingness to change his previously questionable behavior. Taylor too often displayed questionable character ranging from his unwillingness to participate in a mandatory rookie orientation program to spitting in the face of opponent Michael Pittman.

I raise the question: When is it too late to change? Was it too late for Sean Taylor to truly become the new man who many of his friends and relatives claimed he had become? Had he done too much in his past that, regardless of what he did in the future, Taylor would have to pay for his actions?

A private man who often had little or nothing to say to the media, Taylor and his personal life will remain an enigma to those who were not in his innermost circle.

One could only begin to offer speculation as to how Taylor's actions in his past led to his untimely demise early Tuesday morning in a Miami hospital.

Though perhaps this is an unfair inference in the eyes of Redskins' fans or those who will deify the life of Sean Taylor, his death hardly represents anything new.

The recurring notion of trying to break free from a troubled past to start a new life on a more righteous path can be seen in the early 1990s film entitled Menace II Society. The protagonist, Caine (Tyrin Turner, How High), is a young black teenager growing up in South Central Los Angeles in the 1990s. Although Taylor was from the South Florida area, he too grew up in a place full of distractions that could very easily lead an impressionable young man astray.

In the film, Caine has a rough past but is truly a good kid at heart who has been raised by his grandparents. Such terminology has been used by friends and relatives over the few days to speak about the life of Sean Taylor.

After graduating from high school, Caine struggles over the summer with drugs and violence, ultimately being thrown out of his grandparents' home. While the personal life of Taylor remains largely unknown at this point, it would not be a stretch to say that he perhaps dealt with some of these same issues.

Forced to fend for himself, Caine realizes that his love for his girlfriend and her son means more to him than having a fancy car or the respect of his peers on the street. For Taylor, the birth of his daughter was said to have given him a new perspective on life and perhaps motivated him to shed any remains of a past that no longer had anything positive to offer.

Sadly, it is too late for Caine to leave South Central as his past catches up to him and he is gunned down in a drive-by shooting meant to avenge the beating Caine gave to another man. By most accounts, Taylor's transformation was still a work in progress, one that was cut short by what may have been one final reminder of his troubled past.

Yes, Taylor's death is very sad and unfortunate, but as ESPN First Take's commentator Skip Bayless offered Tuesday morning, it was not much of a surprise that such a tragic incident had happened to an individual such as Taylor.

Some may comment that Taylor's death will act as an example for future young black stars to change their ways and separate themselves from their past. I argue that history will continue to repeat itself as fame and fortune cloud judgment, giving athletes and celebrities an air of invincibility that makes them anything but that.

Major League Scapegoat

To the media, the U.S. attorney, Bud Selig and George Mitchell, I would just like to say congratulations! You have just made Barry Bonds the scapegoat for the entire steroids scandal that has rocked Major League Baseball.

I am sure by putting an aging superstar in pinstripes (nope, not those pinstripes, Hank Steinbrenner), Major League Baseball will be able to remedy a situation that has seriously spiraled out of control. I mean, of course it has to be because Bonds has sold drugs to other players (à la Jason Grimsley) or because he has actually tested positive for performance-enhancing drugs (way too many to count).

Oh wait ... he didn't.

I'm sorry, I guess the world has forgotten about Jason Giambi, the true poster boy for performance-enhancing drugs. My guess is that the Brothers Steinbrenner would be foaming at the mouth if it had been Giambi who was in Bonds' shoes right now. They probably could offer Mariano Rivera a fourth year with all the money they would recoup from Giambi's contract, but that's a different story.

There are three major issues that I have with federal prosecutors indicting Barry Bonds on four counts of perjury and one count of obstructing justice stemming from his alleged use of performance-enhancing drugs. Bonds is now the fall guy because he is disliked by the media and general public, an aging veteran who is on his way out of the game and arguably one of the greatest players to play the game regardless of his alleged steroid usage.

By making an example out of Bonds, the Mitchell Commission will look like a success and MLB Commissioner Bud Selig will be able to rest easy at night while countless players continue to cheat the system through alternative forms of performance-enhancing drugs. Not to mention the fact that Bonds will undoubtedly receive a one- or two-year prison sentence, which will effectively end his career and end the media nightmare that has afflicted Major League Baseball.

Nothing like sweeping the dust under the rug.

Is it fair that former "stars" such as Mark McGwire and Rafael Palmeiro, who lied during a Senate Committee hearing, are able to keep to themselves and live a normal life while Bonds is accosted by the media and general public on a daily basis? Why is it that it took three years for the federal prosecutors to be able to indict Bonds on such charges? Is this simply a conspiracy to kick Bonds out of the league once and for all and take all of the negative spotlight off of Major League Baseball?

I have been a baseball fan since before the strike of 1994, but Barry Bonds has never been one of my favorite players. Yet, it does not take a fan of the ball player to understand or recognize that he is being treated unfairly and is not the person who needs to take the blame for a situation Major League Baseball failed to acknowledge for countless years.

Yes, most likely Barry Bonds did take steroids and cheat while playing Major League Baseball. Yet, any player will tell you that taking steroids is not going to turn a bench warmer into Barry Lamar Bonds.

Major League Baseball just announced revenue earnings of more than $6 billion, which can be attributed to the amazing seasons of players such as Alex Rodriguez and Matt Holliday. What if it becomes known that it isn't A-Rod's steadfast dedication to fitness or the thin air in Colorado that has helped them achieve greatness? How good of a spin doctor would Selig have to be to deflect attention if such a disaster were to arise with current rather than former superstars?

Major League Baseball, do not pick and chose who gets blackballed as a result of steroid usage in your sport. Do not try to fix the situation piecemeal, but rather take a hard stance on the issue and crackdown on everyone, in turn ridding the game of drugs once and for all. If Barry Bonds lied while testifying under oath before a grand jury, be my guest and fairly prosecute him for such actions.

Do not, however, proudly proclaim victory and announce to the world that a dark era in baseball has now come to a definitive end.