Fleetwood Walker Movement petition

[Honus Wagner Rules]

So what do you guys think? Hopefully, we can keep this discussion civil.

To: National Baseball Hall Of Fame

We, the undersigned, respectfully ask that the National Baseball Hall Of Fame in Cooperstown, NY take down all plaques, memorabilia, and artifacts depicting the likeness of baseball players who participated in baseball's "segregated" era of 1888-1946.

The continued romanticization of bigots, supremacists, and racists is in direct opposition of the game's celebration of Jackie Robinson and what he stood for as a man of color. We ask that the Hall no longer celebrate players who cheated the game by discriminating against negro & latin talent of that era simply because of their skin tone. By taking advantage of a watered down league we view these men's statistical achievements as being greatly skewed and overvalued. We feel that the Hall owes it to future generations of white, black, latin, & asian baseball players to set a moral precedent & no longer recognize these men's tainted accomplishments and accolades.

Sincerely,

[SamtheBravesFan]

So, in effect, this is punishing for the sins of the past for no good reason.

I'm going to be blunt: This thing would punish all white players, whether they were racist or not, as a whole so that a black person (or people) can feel good. This doesn't honor Jackie Robinson at all.

[Chickazoola]

Does "participated" mean anyone who played in major league baseball during that time?

[SamtheBravesFan]

Does "participated" mean anyone who played in major league baseball during that time?

I would have to guess so. Ironically, this would also remove plaques of guys like Pee Wee Reese, who, as far as I know, became friends with Robinson, plus quite a few other players who probably weren't racist, including Babe Ruth. That last name alone shows how this movement will never, ever succeed.

[cbenson5]

Yea, we should kick everybody out of the hall of fame who played before the color barrier was broken. That will make things right. I'm sure nobody goes there to see the plaques of Cobb, Ruth, Gehrig, Dimaggio, Young, Johnson, etc anyway.

[Los Bravos]

Ironically, this would also remove plaques of guys like Pee Wee Reese, who, as far as I know, became friends with Robinson, plus quite a few other players who probably weren't racist, including Babe Ruth.

Hank Greenberg comes immediately to mind.

That era is tainted, at least a little, but none of this will do any good. The best remedy for that historic injustice is to try to recognize and celebrate the greatness of all the players, whether they got the opportunity to play or not.

[Erik Bedard]

Y'know, I was going to say something, but Los Bravos just said it a lot better than I ever could have.

[dgarza]

"The continued romanticization of bigots, supremacists, and racists is in direct opposition of the game's celebration of Jackie Robinson and what he stood for as a man of color."

The continued romanticization of bigots, supremacists, and racists is in direct opposition of the game's celebration of Jackie Robinson
There will always be bigots, supremacists, and racists. They exists in all types and groups of people, not just one group.

and what he stood for as a man of color.
Using this kind of language goes against the spirit of the petition, I feel. I would feel embarrassed and/or silly to use the phrase "man of color". You can cut the last 5 words off that sentance and say so much more.

[Freakshow]

I think y'all are missing the joke here.

If not a spoof, the onus is on HWR to convince me otherwise.

[dgarza]

I think y'all are missing the joke here.

If not a spoof, the onus is on HWR to convince me otherwise.

The made me suspicious, but I bit anyway.

[EdTarbusz]

The line about romanticization made me laugh, because in this forum, at least, there is nothing more romanticized than the Negro Leagues (excpet possibly the Brooklyn Dodgers).

Getting rid of an entire era because you don't like the politics of the day? It's an incredibly stupid idea.

[RuthMayBond]

Where to begin?

<We, the undersigned, respectfully ask that the National Baseball Hall Of Fame in Cooperstown, NY take down all plaques, memorabilia, and artifacts depicting the likeness of baseball players who participated in baseball's "segregated" era of 1888>

Apparently there was no segregation before 1888 . . .

<-1946.>

. . . and it ended in 1946. I guess you'd have to take down pre-1947 pictures of Chandler, Branch Rickey, Pee Wee Reese, Boudreau ...
But you could keep pre-1888 of Cap Anson You could take all that stuff down without explanation so then people could think baseball was never segregated

<The continued romanticization of bigots, supremacists, and racists is in direct opposition of the game's celebration of Jackie Robinson and what he stood for as a man of color.>

Even if you weren't one, you're lumped in the category

<By taking advantage of a watered down league we view these men's statistical achievements as being greatly skewed.>

How greatly?

<We feel that the Hall owes it to future generations of white, black, latin, & asian baseball players>

There has been about as much discrimination in Japan against gaijin as in the US against Japanese. We at least let them break our records.
Who wrote this maybe well-intentioned yet still piece of crap?
Unfortunately, it's NOT a spoof

http://fleet-walker.blogspot.com/

started by one of our own

http://www.baseball-fever.com/blog.php?b=116

[KCGHOST]

Hopefully this thread was started as some form of satirization of how far some people will go in their pursuit of punishing others for acting according to the mores of the times.

I think to further this pursuit of moral perfection we should specifically punish all members of MLB who took part in WWII because they clearly were fighting to maintain the racial status quo in America by not only removing there plaques but removing any mention of their names from the official MLB records.

[KCGHOST]

Hopefully this thread was started as some form of satirization of how far some people will go in their pursuit of punishing others for acting according to the mores of the times.

I think to further this pursuit of moral perfection we should specifically punish all members of MLB who took part in WWII because they clearly were fighting to maintain the racial status quo in America by not only removing there plaques but removing any mention of their names from the official MLB records.

[RuthMayBond]

Hopefully this thread was started as some form of satirization of how far some people will go in their pursuit of punishing others for acting according to the mores of the times.

I think to further this pursuit of moral perfection we should specifically punish all members of MLB who took part in WWII because they clearly were fighting to maintain the racial status quo in America by not only removing there plaques but removing any mention of their names from the official MLB records.

Because MLB discriminates in the area of baseball skill, of which many don't have due to no lack of trying, I think MLB needs to remove any and all persons remotely tied with major league baseball