FanNation

There are more than a few interesting notes in this week's Sports Illustrated (April 18, 2008) as I have already squaked about here earlier today regarding the public smear campaign going on presently with Darren McFadden. And I want to share even more with you, though a little more on the lighter side than what I posted earlier.

Page 22 including the SI Players Media Mix feature has a great review of an amazing documentary I watched myself on Tuesday night on PBS about the late great Roberto Clemente. The Peabody Award winning series on PBS called the American Experience told us all about Clemente from growing up in Puerto Rico;  becoming a great ball player; his experiences in America dealing with the abundance of ignorance and racism he faced some 40 years ago-plus including spring training in Jim Crow South; his tragic death aboard a plane to deliver supplies to earthquake victims in Nicaragua. I highly,highly recommend this 60-minute film to all baseball fans young and old, as well as history buffs.

But the reason I even post this right now, is to tell you how SI lead off the review.

Anyone who has been to Yankee Stadium recently or has watched their broadcasts on the YES Yankee propaganda network has possibly heard or been a part of the boos raining down on relief pitcher LaTroy Hawkins. Hawkins began the season wearing No. 21, and according to Yankee fans (at least the ones doing the booing), the only baseball player in the history of baseball to wear that number is former Yankee great Paul O'Neill. As has been documented elsewhere, the booing got so bad, Hawkins, a free agent pick-up decided to change the jersey to 22. Maybe to avoid the booing? I am not sure myself.

But what is sad, pathetic, and even a tad comical is the fact that Hawkins recently said he was wearing to 21 to honor Clemente and it had nothing to do with O'Neill. So here we are once again - Yankee fans (not all of course, and technically just the a portion of he idiots at the stadium) thinking the entire world revolves around their team and their players. No offense to Paul O'Neil, but I believe it's safe to say Roberto Clemente will go down as a far more important baseball player and human being than O'Neill. You silly Yankee fans. If there was any class within this organization, Hawkins would be encouraged to put No. 21 back on and honor Roberto Clemente. But of course we know that won't be happening.

Again, it's been so so easy to hate the Yankees in 2008.