It's The Rule

I hate to use a mixed metaphor and badmouth my favorite sport all in the same sentence, but baseball you fumbled this one BADLY.

I understand that you want to be politically correct and all that. Heck, nowadays who doesn't? It saves on the wear and tear. But moving the All-Star Game from Atlanta to Denver was NOT the move you wanted to make at this time. If you'll give me a couple of minutes, I'll tell you why.

Baseball is a game of rules. Three strikes and you're out. Sixty feet six inches from the rubber to home...for now. The infield fly rule. No betting on baseball. Dropped third strike. Rules, rules and more rules. They're everywhere. But frankly, they're one of the greatest things about this game we love. If you break the rules, you're outta here!

Recently, the State of Georgia passed a new voting law that has the whole country up in arms. They say it's discriminatory. They say it will make it "more difficult for some minorities and poorer voters to cast a ballot." So, you took your ball and went to Denver. I think that was a mistake, and here's why.

Here are some facts.

• Let's get this first one out of the way right up front. While it's true that this law will require some sort of ID, I don't see why this is such an issue. I've been showing my ID to vote in Virginia since I was 18 and it never hurt me one bit. And NOBODY gripes about it! Yes, I am white, and no, I don't fully understand the reasons why this is so hard for some people. But honestly, how hard can it be to get a driver's license or a SSN card or some other type of government-issued ID? I mean, if you want to vote, go through the motions of getting a card. It's really that simple. Are you an illegal alien? Sorry, you don't get a vote. Are you poor? OK, instead of just saying that you can vote without an ID, let's get some sort of program going where it doesn't cost anything to get a vote ID card. Forgot your card at home? Go home and get it. These are the rules, folks. Let's play by them. Just like baseball. I just don't get it. Why is this one so hard? The only reason I can think of why people would want to vote without an ID card is because they're trying to cook the books, so to speak. Don't you think a card would cut down on voter fraud? Should Uncle Robert, who's been dead for fifteen years, really get a vote? Don't we all want this to be honest? Or do we?
• This law will do something to help voters who feel a little disenfranchised. It will expand early voting by opening up more Saturdays, opening the polls for longer hours, and increasing the number of days to vote to 17. That part, at least, sounds like it will make it easier to vote for EVERYONE, not just the privileged.
• This law will also allow for getting voter results back more quickly. That's always a good thing. No one likes waiting up until 3am to find out who our next President is going to be.

Look, I'm all for helping the little guy, the underdog, the oppressed. I LOVE to hear of things being made easier. Heck, that's my job.

But did you think about the small businesses you were going to affect by this move to Denver? What about John's Chicken Shack that was counting on your business to stay afloat this year? What about the hotel business that will be lost in downtown Atlanta? What about the ticket takers and concessionaires who were looking forward to making a little more cash this year because you were coming to town? Sure, someone's going to get that money, but it won't be the people who needed it in Atlanta. Did you ever think of them? They didn't make this law, but you're treating them like they did.

This pandemic has made it hard on everyone and now you just made it that much harder. Sure, business in Denver will prosper now. But you made a promise to the good people of Atlanta and the folks who work at Truist Park. If you want to get political, get political. But make sure you think of the people you're going to affect, whose very lives you're messing with, before you decide to cut bait and go home. After all, you're a game of rules. Everybody has to abide by them or you gotta go.

You should have left this alone, baseball, and gone about your merry way while the people of Georgia figured out how they're going to play by the rules. After all, we're a nation with rules. Everyone should abide by them. Even Uncle Robert.