Eraseball

Who was that masked man?

Eraseball

by Jamie Jobb

Now that Cleveland has opened the floodgates, isn’t it time for more MLB clubs to follow suit? If the “Indians” can become “Guardians” … anything is possible!

In the same state of “Ohio” – which is an Iroquois word for “Large Creek” – there is Cincinnati, a fine town for certain. But its ball club has been waving two middle fingers at America the Bountiful for decades. Certainly the “Redlegs”, cross two lines … as the name disparages both “Indians” and “commies”. Not to mention the sexist reference of “legs”. How about the Cincinnati Paddlewheel?

Upriver from Cincinnati, Pittsburgh faces a similar problem. That town’s “Pirates” seem to advocate high crimes at sea. It’s time to root for The Pittsburgh Sailors! Also, in the same state the Philadelphia “Phillies” disparage both horse racing and dentistry; now let's cheer the Philadelphia Roots.

Of course, no team can claim to be more racist than the Chicago “White” Sox.  Or more embarrassed than Boston’s “Red” Sox. Maybe they should think about gloves?

Atlanta, like Cleveland, has a problem with its “Braves” — not to mention the fact that the Atlanta club stole the Florida State University “Seminoles”war chant. Unlike the MLB teams, FSU has a binding contract with their state’s tenacious tribe for use of their name and branding elements at games on campus. Atlanta has no such contract, as it is generically racist, like Cleveland.

Other nicknames in baseball also now stand for scrutiny. The New York “Yankees” disparage the South, Dixie and the Confederacy – a hat trick no other team can verify, although Toronto’s “Blue Jays” offer a crude reference to the nasty trifecta of drugs, smoky nightclubs and criminal backroom activity.

Milwaukee’s “Brewers” disparage wine-makers and members of Alcoholics Anonymous, while our own San Francisco “Giants” look down their snouts onto the heads of short people who, as Randy Newman has pointed out, have “no reason”.  Of course, the Kansas City “Royals” seem to believe they are subjects of the United Kingdom and not the country that kicked their ass.

The St. Louis “Cardinals” and San Diego “Padres” are — simply on the face of it — religiously incorrect in that they favor Catholics over Hindus, Muslims, Baptists, Evangelicals, Doubting Thomases and Wandering Jews. 

ERACEBALL

TIME-LINE:

1947-1970

(with video links)

1922 – Yankee Stadium opens. (3:53)
1936 – Rookie Joe DiMaggio goes three-for-six in his first Yankee game.
1937 – Jesse Owens wins 100 meters at Berlin Olympics. (0:44)
1941 – DiMaggio hits safely in 56-straight games, still a record. (2:51)
1947 – Jackie Robinson plays first base for Dodgers. (0:37)
1951 – DiMaggio retires from baseball at 37. (0:55)
1955 – Joseph Paul DiMaggio enters Baseball Hall of Fame.  “Enjoy the game.” (3:01)
1956 – Jackie Robinson quits baseball.  “Jackie transcends baseball.”  (4:10)
1957 – Ebbets Field demolished. (2:48)
1964 – Clay becomes Ali.  “I’m no longer a slave.”  (1:01)
1965 – Branch Rickey dies. “Baseball ignored it, now we can’t”  (2:42)
1968 – Olympic protest: Tommie Smith, John Carlos.  “I can’t eat gold medals”  (4:33)
1970 – Curt Flood’s “I am a man” letter --