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"With the advantage of hindsight, it is clear I should have handled the matter differently Author Roger Kahn, whose "Boys of Summer" is considered among the best baseball books ever, called off his August appearance to speak at the Hall in protest "
Petroskey was traveling Friday and unavailable for comment "
The Hall's stance resulted in another cancellation org
"I inadvertently did exactly what I was trying to avoid," the former Reagan administration official wrote
Dale Petroskey admitted Friday he made a mistake, saying he should've called the actors last week before canceling a "Bull Durham" celebration because of their anti-war stance
In a release promoting the visit, Petroskey wrote: "We are thrilled to welcome him to Cooperstown and hear his perspective on life in the White House and the current political scene which, of course, includes the war on terrorism "
Robbins and Sarandon, his longtime partner, have been active in peace rallies to protest the war in Iraq
"I am sorry I didn't pick up the phone to have a discussion with Tim Robbins and Susan Sarandon rather than sending them a letter , to commemorate the 15th anniversary of the popular baseball movie Kevin Costner also stars Hall Laments 'Bull' Snub
COOPERSTOWN, NEW YORK (AP) -- Tim Robbins and Susan Sarandon got their apology from the baseball Hall of Fame president, sort of "
A day after Petroskey's decision became public April 9, the Hall received 5,000 e-mails, both pro and con Overall, the Hall of Fame said sentiment was running slightly against the stance
The "Bull Durham" celebration, planned months in advance, also was to feature actor Robert Wuhl and writer-director Ron Shelton
In an open letter to the 28,000 people who called or sent a letter or e-mail to the Hall, Petroskey blamed himself for bringing politics into the shrine
"Because Petroskey's actions resulted in a bipartisan, nationwide affirmation of free speech and the First Amendment, he has inadvertently done us all a favor," Robbins responded in a statement Robbins said he "dismayed" by the decision and responded with a letter to Petroskey, telling him: "You belong with the cowards and ideologues in a hall of infamy and shame "There was a chance of politics being injected into the Hall during these sensitive times, and I made a decision to not take that chance
"Politics has no place in the Hall of Fame," Petroskey wrote Friday baseballhalloffame
Robbins and Sarandon were scheduled to appear April 26-27 in Cooperstown, N Instead, Petroskey surprised the co-stars last week with a letter sent via Federal Express, telling them he'd called off the festivities because they'd criticized the war in Iraq
Hall of Fame pitcher Don Sutton supported the decision and said, "I think Petroskey articulated it perfectly
"I appreciate Petroskey's non-apology apology and his realization of the perils of paper trails "
Petroskey made no mention of whether he still believed the decision to scrap the event was the right one
Petroskey, a former White House assistant press secretary under President Reagan, said in his original letter to Robbins and Sarandon that their recent comments "ultimately could put our troops in even more danger
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On the Net: http://www In the 1988 film, Robbins plays an up-and-coming minor league pitcher and Sarandon plays a fan who helps him focus his erratic talent This latest letter was faxed to Robbins and Sarandon before it was posted on the Hall's Web site "
Robbins explained his final remark by pointing out that Petroskey invited White House spokesman Ari Fleischer to speak at a Hall event last year "
"The events of the past week show us all that the game burns brighter than ever and continues to stir passions in many people," Petroskey wrote Y |