Players Take a Stand for Elian,
Because They Can

Because they can.

The radio airwaves on Wednesday were glutted with conversation/analysis on what these players did. Commentary flew around like feathers in the wind. Without delving into an essay on this whole Elian mess, I’m gonna respond to some of the comments and questions that were offered.

The most common question was: Should the players have skipped the games? My feeling is, if their employer allowed them to, why not? In their native Cuba, you know what the answer to that would be. Granted, the players were still paid for those games, which might place their true beliefs into question. But given what these guys make, I doubt that relinquishing one day’s pay would have mattered.

Dan Patrick on ESPN radio kept saying that, if the players really, truly believed in this cause, then he agreed with their actions. He also said that he would have admired them more if the players "had" been docked one-day’s salary because, as he said, a true protest is one where something is sacrificed. You might be right Dan, but not all protests take the same form.

Some commentators and fans criticized the players because they hurt their teams and fans. In the case of Jose Canseco and his Tampa Bay Devil Rays, they lost that day’s game by one run. Would the fans have cried wolf if they lost by 12 runs? Despite our obsession with sports, a tenuous custody battle between family members is far more important than one baseball game.

Rafael Palmiero, Texas Ranger player and Havana native, chose not to sit out a game and was criticized by some. I would point out that, in this country, just because you don’t protest or take a public stance towards an issue, doesn’t make you bad. We have the right to either protest or not protest. Palmiero chose the latter.

I heard a caller on a talk show yesterday chastise some of the players because they didn’t come to this country under the same dangerous circumstances as Elian or his extended family. That might be true, but does that mean they don’t have a right to take a stance? Regardless of how they got here, at some point in their Cuban residency, they probably experienced some of the same oppression and "lack" of human rights.

I don’t have a problem with what these players did because they’re merely exercising the rights and liberties afforded to them. Those of us who were born here and have always experienced such rights tend to take them for granted. (I believe that that is at the root of a majority of the criticism and flack towards Elian’s family in Miami.) So when somebody asks me if I think these players should have done what they did, all I have to say is:

At least they can.

… Toronto Raptors coach Butch Carter finally realized that suing a player for something they might have said is A) Petty B) Foolish, and C) Detrimental to his team.

… Turns out that St. Louis Cardinals pitching phenom, Rick Ankiel, can swing the stick too. Ankiel held the Milwaukee Brewers scoreless for seven innings, but also jacked a three-run homer.

… Speaking of the Cardinals, they have smashed 50 homers in April, an all-time record for the month. Given the power explosion, will additional records be set from May through September?

… Cleveland Browns player Orlando Brown (of "getting poked in the eye by a referee" fame) has reportedly hired Johnnie Cochran for a potential lawsuit against the NFL. Does this mean that, if the penalty flag doesn’t fit, they must acquit?

Any comments, criticisms, or condemnations on this sports column or previous ones? Feel free to email me at andydan@milwpc.com