Cuba acceded to Pope Benedict XVI’s request, declaring Good Friday a holiday. In the U.S., nine major league baseball games were played. Baseball Commissioner Bud Selig should took a page from the Communists and exercised some prudence: there should be no games on Good Friday.
In 2009, Congressman Anthony Weiner asked Selig to move the start of the Yankees’ home game against the Red Sox from 8:00 p.m. to 1:00 p.m. so that observant Jews could attend Yom Kippur services after sundown. Selig agreed, rightly. But, it should not take a congressman to get Selig to be more respectful of holy days.
While it was too late to cancel the games, Selig might consider the “O’Connor Rule” in the future: in 1998, John Cardinal O’Connor was critical of the decision to play major league baseball on Good Friday, and was particularly disturbed by playing during the 12 to 3 hours (the period of the crucifixion). O’Connor said it well when he remarked that “playing on Good Friday, at the very least from 12 to 3, is cheap and cheapens our culture, no matter how big the box-office receipts.”
We asked that Selig respect the “O’Connor Rule” in the future.
