DEAR WASHINGTON NATS. . .
Is it true? Have you really accepted the Groper-in-Chief’s invitation to visit the White House?
Your winning the World Series was one of the most thrilling and inspiring moments in baseball history, and even though I’m a Yankee fan I was happy for your victory and so proud of you.
Now I’m ashamed. You’ve accepted an invitation to visit the White House — with one exception, however. As of this writing, Sean Doolittle is the only player declining to go. “I don’t feel like hanging with a guy who’s said the things he said,” Doolittle explained. He went on to say that it didn’t feel right, that after all of the cruel and disgusting things Donald Trump has said and done, taking part in such an event would make him feel uncomfortable. Good for you, Sean.
But what about the rest of you? Are you really looking forward to cozying up to a racist, a serial liar, a misogynist? To having your picture taken with a guy who’s a traitor to everything America stands for? I can hear the excuses:
It’s about sports, not politics. Tell that to Trump who sees it as a photo op, a way of boosting his popularity as the 2020 election approaches and distracting Americans from his abuses of power and the likelihood of impeachment.
We may not agree with Trump but the office of the president should be respected. President Trump said the same thing a while back. He described the White House as a “sacred place that should be honored,” to which basketball star LeBron James replied, “That’s how it was until you got there, you bum.”
As far as I’m concerned, Trump defiles the office of the president every day he shows up for work. “After he’s gone,” chimed one critic, “it will take a year’s supply of bleach and disinfectant to make the White House feel clean again.”
Do you guys really want to set foot on the premises as long as Trump is there? What was your reaction when the president showed up at one of your games and the crowd chanted “Lock him up!” Just curious.
My guess is that it didn’t matter much. So go to the White House and have a good time. Maybe Trump will also invite you for lunch and send out for fast food as he did for some college team that won a championship. That’s, of course, after you present him with an honorary team jersey like the Boston Red Sox did when they won the World Series. At least a number of their players including the manager stayed away and refused to have anything to do with the spectacle.
But keep in mind as you stand there in the Rose Garden that Trump is a narcissist. He doesn’t really give a damn about baseball or what you’ve accomplished. The only thing he cares about is himself.
He’s also a bully, and standing up to a bully takes guts.
That’s why I was so gratified when the U.S. Women’s National Soccer Team — even before they became World Champions — made it clear they wanted nothing to do with Trump and his not so white White House.
Which proves, dear Nats, that they have more balls than you.
