Major League Gaming

In this morning's NY Daily News, Juan Gonzales discusses the shameless redlining of the Bronx by Major League Baseball. It seems that the celebration of the last All Star Game at the old Yankee Stadium will exclude any participation from the neighborhoods and kids who surround the ball park: "Many saw next week's All-Star Game as a chance to change the image of the entire borough. More than a dozen Bronx non-profit directors reached out to Major League Baseball a year ago and asked Commissioner Bud Selig to help the world see the new South Bronx. The response was shocking. "We got a nasty reply that we should stop using the word 'All-Star' because it's trademarked," said Bill Aguado, director of the Bronx Council on the Arts."

As shocking as the response may be, it certainly isn't surprising since the host team itself sets the stage for the callous disregard. Yet as bad as the Yankees destruction of local parks may be, it is the borough's elected officials who deserve the scorn from the ignored Bronxites. These electeds, and their bottom feeding consultants, are living large at the expense of the people.

Beginning with the dead of night give away of neighborhood parks, and culminating with the creation of a faux fund for the community, this has been one big disgrace-and this comes from a Yankee fan who saw his first game in 1955! Why should we expect the Yankees, however, to act better than the borough's elected officials who are supposed to look after the interests of the people?