Here from the Daily News is yet another example of why people should not worship anybody in the public eye. Anybody at all, actually. Relinquish the notion that gods walk among us.
Bill Cosby is one non-god, while Frank Robinson may be a baseball hero, but an empathetic, unprejudiced executive he aparently is not. Not according to a lawsuit filed against Major League Baseball by Sylvia Lind:
An executive at the commissioner of Major League Baseball’s office took a big swing at Frank Robinson Thursday, calling the slugger a Hall of Fame sexist.
The legendary player, Bud Selig and other higher-ups at MLB’s headquarters run a boys club that passes over qualified women in favor of underqualified men, charges a hard-hitting lawsuit filed in Manhattan Federal Court by Sylvia Lind, the league’s director of baseball initiatives.
The 48-year-old, who was first hired by the league in 1995, says Robinson — who as executive vice president of baseball development is Lind’s boss — has subjected her to unfair performance reviews and ignored her for promotions despite her success and qualifications.
“Sometimes you have to hire a man because there are places women can’t go,” Robinson told Lind during a performance review, according to documents.
Hardly in the alleged drug-em-and-rape-em category but still. Admire how Mr. Robinson swung a bat, remember how funny and brilliant Cosby was − but drop the idea that their particular gifts elevated them to some sort of pantheon.
I know, it’s difficult to be awed by a person’s talents while not liking the person himself. Any of us who loves opera confronts these contradictions whenever we listen to Wagner.
As if to prove my point, the hard copy of this piece ends:
Robinson’s storied career includes 14 All-Star appearances and two World Series victories. He was the first player to win the MVP in both the National and American Leagues.
In 2005, he received the Presidential Medal of Freedom.
Two small notes: I doubt Mr. Robinson won two World Series all by himself. If I remember from my days loving baseball, a team consisted of a few more people than one. And Mr. Robinson received the Presidential Medal of Freedom from George Bush.