This Is Not About Basebal It Is About Layla

 

  

 

Layla Salazar was a budding athlete.  

There is video of her running in the Robb Elementaryfield day,. winning races.

On Tuesday, her life was stolen.  Yes a crazed killer pulled a triger that ended her life. But  init is never that simple.  We all pulled that trigger by either or actions or inactions.

Tuesday, I did my largely insignificant work, helping the Associated Press cover the Reds game against the Chicago Cubs.  When it was time for the National Anthemn for which I stand hundredds of times a year, Reds PA announcer Joe Zerhusen asked the crowd for a moment of silence.

I was not up on the news that day.  I had not heard about the 14 victims at the time.

By the time I found out what happened, there were 21 victims.  This came 10 days after another whack job who obtained an uneccesary weapon of mass destruciton killed 10 elderly peop.e in Buffalo, just because

he didn't like the color of their skin.

Wednesday, Zerhusen asked again for a moment of silence for Uvalde. 

My first thought was, "This is not the time to be silent.  This is the time to speak out."

"BAN ASSAULT WEAPONS" 

Flooded my thoughts at the moment.  I could have yelled it and coming during a moment of silence it would have been heard all around the ball park.

I did not.  I didn not for selfish reaasons.  I could have drawn the rath of some fans, who overwhelmingly, conservative and think that every discussion has its place and this wasn't it.  Maybe Rob Butcher the Reds' PR director would pull my press pass, etc.

My entire drive home, I felt like a coward.  Why should I feel bad?  I didn't pull the trigger.  I have fought and fought and fought, backward consevative thinking on Facebook for years.  But with a chance to maybe dissuade one would be purchaser of an assault weapon,  which no ont needs for self protection and no one needs for hunting, I backed down.

On Friday, during my assigned work gathering pregame notes, I met Gabe Kapler, the San Francisco Giants manager.  He wrote a blog expressing his thoughts on standing for the National Anthemn and how he objected to the hyporisy of the moment of silence.  (I have posted his blog on Full of Schatz).

He gave me the courage to do the very, very least I could do to protest the inaction we have all settled into.

I reject the argument that sports figures and entertainers have no business projecting their opini.  ons on larger topics.  BULL SHIT  They have every right to express their opinions on any topic.  I am glad that Gebe Kapler did what he did.  I encourage any athlete or entertainer to speak out.  Solving our nations problems is the responsibilty of ALL OF US, not just the annoited few.

I will sit arms folded looking to the first base stands at Great American Ball Park until I can do something more significant and impactfull.  I don't know what that is yet.

But I am going to do it for Layla Salazar and I'm going to do it for Layla Coots, who happens to be my four-year olf grand daughter.   This is not a time for silence.  This is not a time for inaction.  This is a time to fight for the safety of all the Layla's in the world.