A couple weeks back, during the furor over the Bull Durham controversy, I sent a note to the Hall of Fame to comment on their suddent refusal to honor the movie and its actors based on their previous criticism of the President and the war.
The president of the Hall was surprised by both the uproar and the fact that some people took the time to look into his past as a Reagan appointee and close firend of Neil Bush.
The response I received is below. I expect that this is a form letter, but at least they bothered to respond.
April 23, 2003
Dear Friend:
We have received thousands of letters, e-mails, and phone calls about the cancellation of the Bull Durham events scheduled for April 26-27. Thank you for sharing your feelings with us.
The National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum is a very special place - a national treasure - and my responsibility is to protect it. Politics has no place in The Hall of Fame. There was a chance of politics being injected into The Hall during these sensitive times, and I made a decision to not take that chance. But I inadvertently did exactly what I was trying to avoid. With the advantage of hindsight, it is clear I should have handled the matter differently.
I am sorry I didn't pick up the phone to have a discussion with Tim Robbins and Susan Sarandon rather than sending them a letter.
We are so lucky to have Baseball - a game that unites us as Americans. The events of the past week show us all that The Game burns brighter than ever and continues to stir passions in many people.
Our wish is that every American will visit Cooperstown and join us in celebrating Baseball, our national pastime and the greatest game of all.
My Best Wishes,
Dale Petroskey
President