Free Republic

Whitest team in the majors Jays have the fewest visible minorities Economics blamed for lack of diversity GEOFF BAKER SPORTS REPORTER Venturing into the Blue Jays clubhouse less than two years ago meant having your ears filled with the buzz of Spanish dialects from Puerto Rico, the Dominican Republic, Mexico and South America. A glance around the room would take in not only the Latin American players chatting among themselves, but also a good number of blacks from the United States dressing alongside their white counterparts. Such a scene was nothing new. A Jays team once led by Joe Carter,...

Angel pitcher Kevin Appier suggested Wednesday that Major League Baseball consider moving next week's Angel-Blue Jay series from Toronto to Anaheim in the wake of the severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS) outbreak in the Canadian city. Concerns about the disease linked to the deaths of 16 people in Toronto have spread through the Angel clubhouse after the World Health Organization advised travelers to avoid the city. Several players said they are worried about contracting the mysterious illness even if precautions suggested by major league officials are taken.

<p>Granted, there is upheaval in the world and there are battles where a great deal is at stake -- life itself. All the more precious, then, the minor skirmishes on the home front that mean a great deal in a small way and remind us of how lucky we are to feel innocent hatreds, from summer to summer, at the ballpark.</p>