Tuesday, March 18, 2008

Evil Empire? Not Really

The New York Yankees have come to be known around baseball as the evil empire. But really, the Yankees stepped up when it meant most to Virginia Tech, and helped in the healing effort after the tragedies that happened on April 16th. Today at 3, the Yankees beat the Hokies 11-0, but the game really didn't matter.

Before the game, the entire Yankee team that made the trip (including Jeter, A-Rod, Damon and Posada) toured the monument and spent time with the student body, doing their best to help Virginia Tech move on from what had happened. Immediately after the shooting event had happened, the game was scheduled, and Steinbrenner donated 1 million dollars to the Hokie Spirit Memorial fund. For the players who played in the game, it must have been a thrill, getting to play the New York Yankees, the most famous baseball team in the world.

With all of the problems that have gone on in professional sports (cheating, dogfighting, steroids, referee scandals, etc.) the Yankees are showing what is rights. The team took their only off day during spring training to go and help a university that needed it the most. I believe that I speak on behalf of all of Hokie nation in thanking Steinbrenner and the Yankees for making the trip and lending such a large helping hand to Virginia Tech.



In other baseball news, the Red Sox also did the right thing by refusing to play a spring training game and refusing to board a plane to Japan until Major League Baseball came threw and paid what they promised to the coaches and trainers who also had to make the trip. This was another case of baseball players doing what was right, as the team took a unanimous vote to stand up for the coaches and trainers who don't get noticed nearly as much as the players.

No comments: