I've always hated the Yankees.
I could never give a concrete reason as to why. It could be because of the Yankee fans I encountered at Toronto Blue Jays games who screamed profanities that would make George Carlin blush. Perhaps it was because of George Steinbrenner, the team's outspoken owner who has a penchant for always grabbing headlines whenever he sneezes. Or it could be because they constantly have a team salary that outdoes the gross domestic product of most small countries. Whatever the reason, it seems my happiness on this earth has always been inversely proportional to their success (suffice it to say, childhood was rough).
On Tuesday though, the organization referred to by some as "The Evil Empire," did something very good.
In tribute to the tragic shootings that occurred almost a year ago on the Virginia Tech campus, the Yankees ventured to Blacksburg, Virginia and played an exhibition game against the Hokies baseball team.
Tom Hanks, while playing Jimmy Duggan in the movie "A League of their Own," uttered the immortal words, "There's no crying in baseball!"
I beg to differ.
In addition to the exhibition game, last May the team also made a $1 million contribution to the Hokie Spirit Memorial Fund, which was put in place to assist the families of the shooting victims.
The players began the day by visiting the memorial honoring the victims. They signed autographs and posed for pictures with onlookers while paying homage to the 32 dead.
Before the game started, a moment of silence was observed, and four large nameplates engraved in limestone were presented to the Yankees. Thirty-two oversized orange balloons were then released in honor of each of the 32 victims.
"People always ask, 'Well, what can you do? How does this help?' I really don't know. If it just makes people smile or enjoy themselves for the three hours that we're here, it's all worthwhile," Yankees team captain Derek Jeter said.
Superstar third baseman Alex Rodriguez referred to the event as "probably the proudest day I've ever (had) to wear a Yankee uniform."
Considering that's coming from the best baseball player of our generation, that's a pretty significant statement.
The Hokies ended up losing the game 11-0 (they were playing the Yankees, after all) but the game's final score was the last thing on anyone's mind.
"We've been through some hard times, and people are starting to feel better, but I think this was a great thing." Virginia Tech pitcher Rob Waskiewicz said.
It is in times of the greatest sadness that the human spirit is tested. While fans of opposing teams may hold frivolous grudges against one another or feel a disenchantment with the professional athletes who seem to be living in a world apart from us, when it comes down to it, we're all human beings and all have some sense of compassion. When tragedy strikes, the best seems to come out of people, regardless of their social, political, religious or, perhaps most importantly to some, athletic affiliations.
Athletics are our greatest form of synthetic drama - the great escape from reality, if you will. By taking time out of their schedule to make a trip to Blacksburg, the Yankees put a good perspective on the role of sports in our society. While a baseball game is just that, a game, in this case it meant much more. It served as a tactic for healing and bringing a little joy to a community that will soon be faced with the one-year anniversary of its greatest tragedy. I think even the most die hard Red Sox fan can applaud this very heartfelt move by the supposed "Evil Empire."
The fans who attended the game on Tuesday will surely always remember the spectacle they witnessed on the field that day.
And I'm sure the game was pretty good too. Treadway is a radio-television-film sophomore.
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