Against My Beliefs

Every year there is a ‘Rainbow’ pride night at a number of major league ballparks.

Every year there are a couple of players on a couple of teams who sound off against going to the park that day.

This season, three Giants pitchers wrote Bible verses on their hats to ward off the gays, I guess.

Now, since MLB disciplined the pitchers for writing messages on their uniform, they’re complaining that their right to free speech has been compromised.

Okay, let’s break it all down.

1). MLB wants all the fans they can get. Their sales pitch seems to be, ‘No matter what color you are; no matter what sex you are; no matter if you’re a man who loves a man, a man who loves a woman, or a woman who loves a woman, or a woman who loves a man…we’ll sell you a ticket!’

MLB does a ‘Mother’s Day’ event, honors black history month, raises money for prostate cancer research, and has a gay pride night.

Being all-inclusive is good business.

2). MLB has rules regarding the uniform. A player is not allowed to write messages. It doesn’t matter what the message is…you can’t wear it.

This is also a good rule because if messages were allowed there would be all kinds of crazy causes, and MLB would be in the business of interpreting what message means what.

Wear the uniform. 

You don’t get to decorate it.

3). “I’m morally against the gay pride message.” A player noted. “I felt like I had to do something.”

I think we may have discovered where this all falls apart.

What were the players who wrote the Bible verses hoping to do?

They violated the uniform rule.

They are not all-inclusive.

The Bible verses, on full display didn’t make me think: ‘This guy isn’t a super Christian’ rather it told me, ‘This guy is intolerant.’

When I mentioned something about it to Kathy she said, “You hate seeing men kiss men in movies.”

“That’s true,” I said, “But people should live the life they want to live. I don’t get to referee their life.”

“People are comfortable using their religious beliefs to enforce rules on other people,” Kathy said.

“Yep, and what if there was a movement against pasta-eating, golf-loving Rolling Stones fans?”

That would piss me off, but more importantly I would be asking:

“Why do these guys despise me for the life that I want to live?”

You really have to have one hell of an ego to believe that you’re the one who gets to decide for everyone.

“This train carries saints and sinners. This train carries winners and losers. This train carries whores and gamblers. This train carriers lost souls. I say this train dreams will not be thwarted. This train. Faith will be rewarded.”

All aboard.