Hall Of Fame Game Supporter Connolly Levels Blast

COOPERSTOWN   

In response to lawmakers’ concerns about the Hall of Fame Game cancellation, Major League Baseball Commissioner Bud Selig has sent a "form-letter response" that savethefamegame.com creator Kristian Connolly has labelled "appalling."

Connolly, a Cooperstown native now working in Washington, D.C.,  obtained copies of the letters sent to U.S. Reps. Michael Arcuri and Maurice Hinchey and U.S. Sen. Hillary Clinton.  Conceivably, similar letters may have been sent to U.S. Sen. Charles Schumer, state Sen. Jim Seward, R-Milford, and other politicians who expressed concern at the MLB move. 

"Commissioner Selig’s identical, form-letter response to members of Congress is stunning in its refusal to directly address the lawmakers’ concerns, and in the way it sweeps the central issue under the rug in favor of self-congratulating or hollow statements,” Connolly declared.
“It’s insulting to the senators and representatives that have expressed their desire to see the tradition continue, and insulting to baseball fans across the globe. 

“The commissioner’s obvious disregard for his responsibility as the steward of America’s national pastime – not national industry – is appalling, as is his clear lack of caring about the sport’s fans – unless it involves how they can increase the bottom line. For all intents and purposes, Commissioner Selig should have used the word ‘customers’ rather than ‘fans’ or ‘visitors’ in his response, since it is unmistakable from his words that he views those of us who care about baseball – its past, present and future – only as sources of revenue. 

“Furthermore, I am in complete and utter disbelief that the commissioner of baseball believes that people need to be made ‘more aware of the Hall of Fame and its importance.’ As someone who grew up in Cooperstown and has traveled all over the country and met many different people – baseball fans and otherwise – I feel confident that there is not a single village in America that is more well known than Cooperstown, and baseball and the Hall of Fame are the main reasons why. For some, Cooperstown and the Hall of Fame are symbols. For others, they’re a goal. For others still, they’re the centerpiece of debate. And for many, Cooperstown and the Hall of Fame are destinations held in such high esteem that people spend months, years, or even a lifetime dreaming about and planning for a trip to visit them.”