OPINIONS, FACTS & TRUTH

I'm a baseball writer, I cover baseball. I follow politics and social justice issues in our country but I don't comment or write about them. It just so happens, this week these worlds collided. I didn't create that I simply reported a story. I referenced a story by Newsday HERE. The focal point of the story was Derek Jeter yet some focused on Curt Schilling.

Look, it's old news. We all know Curt Schilling was fired from ESPN back in 2016 for "controversial" and "inappropriate" conduct he put out into the universe through social media. Some called it inappropriate, I called it racist. Call it what you want, it was still inappropriate and that's why Schilling was fired.

So was what he said racist? Let's take a close look at it. What is racism?

According to dictionary.com racism is defined as:

1. "A belief or doctrine that inherent differences among the various human racial groups determine cultural or individual achievement, usually  involving the idea that one's own race is superior and has the right to dominate others or that a particular racial group is inferior to the others."
2. "A policy, system of government, etc., based upon or fostering such a doctrine; discrimination."
3. "Hatred or intolerance of another race or other races."

Now let's look at his tweets and Facebook posts that have been published in numerous media outlets, and some even deleted after the fact.

So what do we have here? Intolerant posts comparing Muslims to Nazis, gender intolerance, and controversial tweets about the LGBTQ community HERE. I won't post that one, it may be a little too controversial but you can click the link and see for yourself if you want. Oh and why don't we hang journalists while we are at it? Do those include the baseball writers you WANT to vote you into the Hall of Fame? It fits the racism definition above.

And if Schilling hadn't already been accused of posting racist content why would he and his family be defending it in the New York Times? Find that HERE. It's out there. I didn't just make it up.

Life is about choices. Sometimes choices have big consequences like being fired from a job. 

Think before you tweet or post on other social media sites, because even when you delete it....it's not forgotten. You can't take it back. It lives on in cyberspace. Schilling was a good pitcher but he has

a character flaw is why he hasn't been voted into Cooperstown yet. The tweets and Facebook posts don't lie....

These are the facts, and nothing but the facts. Do with them as you wish.

This is the last time we mix politics and baseball on these pages.  But it was necessary for us here at BYB to explain it when some went after us for attacking their beloved Schilling. Facts don't lie. We reported the facts...again.

--Jeana Bellezza-Ochoa
BYB Managing Editor
Twitter: @nyprincessj