In one of my more irreverent times I thought it might be interesting to take Martin Luther King's famous "I have a dream" speeches and see if I could replace key words in the text to make it baseball specific. That entry "I have a dream" was one of the more popular entries I ever had on the blog. In a fit of laziness I briefly considered plagiarizing myself and just repeating that column. After all it is Monday and for many a holiday. Wouldn't I much rather be hanging out with my family or playing with my motorcycle instead of writing another column? I then realized I could not possibly do that since I have no life outside of the Internet or baseball so while the kids are outside playing I sit at the computer penning yet another entry.
Growing up in a rural farming community in Idaho I have to admit that I was not that involved with the civil rights movement. To me civil rights just meant that Republicans spoke nicely to each other. It was not until I went to college that I realized the important contributions that people such as Martin Luther King and Jackie Robinson did for this country. Even then I don't suggest that I am an expert in this subject nor do I propose to tout myself as someone with vast knowledge of Civil Rights. But I am gaining a better appreciation of how special these leaders were to the progression of this country. I am not alone in this either. Last season when the Diamondbacks participated in the Jackie Robinson commemoration I felt a sense of pride seeing some of the Diamondbacks players wearing a jersey with the number 42 on the back. Seeing Orlando Hudson and Tony Clark take the field wearing that uniform; it gave me a sense of pride. And while that single game was to commemorate Jackie Robinson breaking the color barrier it was the work of Martin Luther King which brought equal rights to the forefront of our thought process. Doctor King's teachings were not a color thing. They were a human thing. He tried to help us understand how important a person's dignity is and how we should each respect one another. So while many may think of days such as today as just another excuse to give postal workers and school children another day off; I think we should take a moment to reflect on the life and times of Martin Luther King and give thanks in our hearts and our actions by treating everyone equally and with respect.
Leave a comment