Skip to content

Letter: I love baseball but…

I can’t bring myself to contribute one minute of support to either team
26988843_web1_Letters-logo-2-660x440

I love baseball but…

I love baseball. Each year I can’t wait for the World Series. This year, I won’t be watching.

I grew up in the Bronx, and went to school across the street from Yankee Stadium. We were able to convince our Dads to buy a TV with the promise of watching baseball with them. Every family I knew of watched every game of their favourite team throughout the year.

During the series, every school that I knew of halted classes, and rolled a TV into every classroom as the only way to assure attendance (students and staff) that week.

Sure, we had our rivalries. My clan hated the Brooklyn Dodgers, and the Giants, long before the Mets became a challenge to our beloved Yankees and our heroes Yogi Berra, Mickey Mantle, Roger Maris, Whitey Ford, and Reggie Jackson. Throughout my life I have remained (although it’s been challenging at times) a NY Yankee fan. But no matter who showed up for the World Series, I always found one team to cheer for. But, not this year.

Forget that neither Atlanta nor Houston were predicted to be here as they were far from the top most of the year. Forget that the Atlanta Braves continue to use an offensive name, and offensive logos on all their uniforms and “merch”, and that the fans remain steadfast in mimicking hatchet strokes, and “war chants”, oblivious or uncaring about how hurtful this is to some. But Houston recently cheated their way to the top by a devious practice of “sign stealing” — and got away with it. And, they also call Texas home. A state with the most aggressive and insidious attack on abortion rights in recent times. I can’t bring myself to contribute one minute of support to either team and their franchise this year. But, there’s always next year. That’s baseball; the game I still love.

Joe Solanto

Cowichan Bay