(Ley) But we begin with an issue in Phoenix bringing
together two topics rarely if ever heard in
the same sentence.
Baseball
and abortion.
The pastoral charm of baseball could not be
farther from the
fiery emotion and politics of abortion. In
this case the
issue involves a
club owner and the use of it publicly funded
ballpark for a pro-life group to launch a
campaign.
And the right, some would argue, the necessity
of professional athletes becoming socially
and politically involved.
And not just on the popular or majority side
of an issue but on the side that invites criticism.
Sal Pal Antonio examines what happens
when these ballpark politics become part of
the ballpark experience.
(Music: Take Me Out the Ball Game)
Opening day at Bank One Ballpark.
Fans relax in the pool in
right-center field. Enjoy the Diamondback band 
on a pefect spring day.
(Let's play some ball!)
And past some pro-choice demonstrators just steps
from the front gate.
(Shen) I don't think it's a good idea to mix
such hot-button and controversial issues 
such as abortion rights
with baseball.
(Reporter) This controversy began in February 
when the American Life League,
a group fighting to have all abortions banned
even in cases of rape,
incest, and when the mother's life is in danger,
held a press conference at BankOne Ballpark.
There they announced a fundraising initiative,
"Battin' 1000," designed to raise money
for an educational center in Virginia called
the Campus for Life.
It is endorsed by Diamondbacks owner Jerry
Colangelo
as well as numerous other baseball managers,
executives, and players.
(Sanderson) We do have a common bond
and that common bond is other than our love
of the game of baseball.
We believe strongly in the sanctity of human
life.
We're happy to give our time and effort
to affirm the message
that life is indeed precious.
(Mead)I don't know how many of these 
testosterone-charged ball-players
have
experienced a a pregnancy, particularly an
unintended pregnancy, but I doubt
that any of them have.
And they are trying to impose their will
of women's reproductive choice
on women all over the country.
(Man)Oh my God!
(Reporter)The abortion debate has been a heated
one for decades, but the issue here
is that a major league baseball owner allowed
a publicly-financed facility to be used by
a group with a clear political agenda.
(Shen) My tax dollars
earned the bricks of that building. If he were
to, you know, rent out a room in a hotel,
or even do it in his own home, that would be one thing 
'cause, you know, he can do whatever he wants
with his money, frankly. He's a private citizen.
But by using a publicly-funded space
with paid by, you know, billed with tax dollars.
That's not okay.
And it wouldn't be okay if you use it for Planned
Parenthood
because then he would be isolating his pro-life fans.
(Colangelo) Our buildings are available to people with
all types of agendas. All they have to do is
pay a fee, pay a rental fee, and that's exactly
what that particular group headed 
by Sal Bando did.
(Reporter) Sal Bando spent sixteen years in the
Major Leagues winning three straight
world series titles with the
Oakland A's.
Bando has been active in the pro-life
movement for years and is chairman of
"Battin' 1000."
(Bando) We're no different than any other organization.
We paid for the use of the room.
We thought
because it's a baseball fundraising theme
that having it at the ball park would only be
apropos
to have it there.
And Jerry lent his name
because, being a pro-life person. 
(Scalzo) I think it may be the relationship of the
the major league baseball owners taking a
stand that
lifts it to a higher level.
(Reporter) According to Bill Scalzo, the director of
the Maricopa County Stadium District,
the county approves all concerts and other
large events. The Diamondbacks manage the
day-use events, such as "Battin' 1000"
press conference.
(Scalzo) Our contractual relationship allows a team,
if they have an event that is related
to Major League Baseball, with its players or owners
or other things,
they have the use of the suites
without our permission.
(O'Connell) The voters supported
the construction of this public facility
not to support Mr. Colangelo's
private views.
But to have a winning baseball team here which we did.
(Colangelo) I happen to have a personal belief,
which I am entitled to.
But people
sometimes confuse me
in what I believe
with the teams that I
I'm involved with in terms of ownership.
(Bando) All it is is a theme,
a fundraising theme called "Battin 1000"
and if we're going to use of baseball theme
than we thought
let's find some players
that would be pro-life
and that were willing to lend their name
to it.
(Reporter) That list includes former
Major Leaguer Robin Yount,
Gary Carter,
and Dwight Evans, as well as
Tommy Lasorda,
Sparky Anderson, and Tampa Bay manager,
Lou Piniella.
Did you grapple at all, Sal, 
with the idea of
marrying professional baseball players with
an issue that,
you know, has some history of being very divisive?
(Bando) Well I, I think %uh
to me the only thing divisive is to take the
life of an innocent child.
I, I think just because we're pro athletes
as a mean we don't have a brain we don't
take a standard and have
the morals to stand behind what we believe
in.
(Reporter) ESPN requested interviews with all ten current
players who endorsed "Battin' 1000."
Only one,
Abraham Nunez of the Pirates, agreed
to speak on camera about his involvement
with the group.
(Nunez) I'm with him, you know, on this theme,
because I know these people,
they don't believe in saying stuff that I believe.
You know what I mean?
But everybody has the
right to choose in life,
but, hey, I mean, I'm not worried about
what people is going to think.
(Mead)I'm all for people speaking out on it. And sometimes
it takes courage. As long as they don't
imply that they are bringing with them
all of the ballplayers, the whole profession.
(Ley) Sal Pal Antonio reporting. Major League
baseball declined to comment on the use of
its parks by special interest groups.
A spokesman said MLB has no control
over use of the stadiums and quote, "We don't
get involved with these kinds of issues and
we can't stop people from taking political
stands on their own."
We say good morning, now, to Sal Bando. He joins
us this morning from High Point University
in North Carolina. And Mark Pollack. He is the
founder of the Giving Back fund which advises
athletes on thier
charitable foundations. He is in Boston.
Sal, let me begin with you. In retrospect how
much though did you give to any possible negative
wash back on baseball because of
putting this in-the-bob, naming it "Battin'
1000," having a strong baseball identity?
(Sal) Well we really never get much of the
thought that we just thought like I said I
was apropos that you have a baseball theme
and we use a baseball park. We also had a couple
hotels lined up
but it just seemed that it was more appropriate
to do it there.
And I think a lot of people have made a lot
of %uh
noise when it really, you know, we're no different
than any other organization
who rented a room
and held a press conference.
(Ley) Is this noise or substance Mark Pollack?
(Mark) Well from a philanthropic point of view it's
extremely unusual. We've started about forty
or fifty foundations with athletes over the
last couple years
and I don't know any that have adopted a mission
or a cause that this controversial.
So it's it's very unusual, not that athletes
I agree with, Sal, certainly have the
opportunity to speak their mind and endorse
whatever they choose to endorse.
But with high-profile athletes you very often
find a hesitance to get involved in
something this divisive and controversial
because it certainly could have impact on
their endorsement careers and corporate sponsorships.
(Ley) Any of your people thinking that way, Sal?
(Sal) I don't think so I, I think if they felt that
their endorsements was in danger
then the priority would be
to take a stand on what they believe in and
I think
if you really believe in something
then take a stand on it.
If you're lukewarm about it or you're
worried about the political correctness,
then don't get involved.
(Ley) Well I know you can't speak for the the current
major leaguers who signed and agreed to %uh
endorse your group but only
one, Abraham Nunez, would speak on camera.
Why do you suspect possibly the others might
be reluctant?
(Sal) I think
because of the controversy it involves or the
questions they may be asked.
They just don't want to make more of it than
%uh need be.
I think that
%uh that by lending their name to it
says enough that they believe in the,
in pro-life and that they believe in the
life of a child
and I don't think you need to say any more
than that.
(Ley) You know, Mark, for years we we hear people
say, you know, athletes have to get involved.
We have this guazey remembrance of the way
people got involved in the nineteen-sixties.
Here, guys are getting involved in an
unpopular issue and standing up.
(Mark) Well it's true I don't know of anybody who's
really since Muhammad Ali who's been a very
high-profile athlete is taking a stand that
could be potentially this %uh
explosive.
But I would ask Sal a question.
I would say if baseball's going to be used as a
battle place for the marketplace of ideas
or battleground, rather, for the marketplace
of ideas,
would he be surprised if a Planned Parenthood
engaged terrible baseball players and and did
a similar thing, and
he talks in his "Battin' 1000"
perspectus about
having a friendly competition and teams would
vie for those who could contributed the most.
I, I would say that in a true issue like
this where there's such strong feelings
on both sides, I would imagine that the other
side will
galvanize their support with baseball players
as well, and
and have a joint-fundraising
competition.
(Ley) Sal, I don't... where's this lead?
(Sal) Mark, I really don't see this as a problem.
We did not choose baseball as an avenue. We
just use it as a theme.
And no more than that.
And because it was a theme we got
some baseball players involved.
But by no means are we saying that %uh
baseball is going to be the
platform for, for us to take us to
take our stand.
We could have
chosen any other subject
or any other theme. It just so happens baseball
was the one we chose. (Mark) But you would agree
that baseball is the American pastime and
athletes are role models and so choosing baseball
players who are role models has a powerful
effect.
(Sal) Most definitely. I would think that
if you have a player out there who stands for
%uh life and the gift of life,
all the more we would want that player to
be focused
because that to me is a type a role model
that the young people should look at.
(Mark) Do you have a problem with the American Life
League claiming in their literature absolute
truth and being grounded as strongly as 
they are in Catholicism?
Everybody in the United States is not catholic.
(Sal) Well I think that to me what's most important
is that they're pro-life.
Now do I agree with everything %uh that they
say?
I probably differ in some areas.
But, again, the total focus
is on life, and the gift of life,
and that's the stand we take.
We're really trying to build a campus
that will help educate generation after generation
of the ethics that they're going to be a confronted
with.  (Ley) I'll give you
both you gentlemen a shot at this final question.
What does all this media scrutiny to this
story? What will this do to future
players speaking out on ideas and political
issues? Sal?
(Sal) Well for me I think of a player
totally believes in what he %uh stands for,
he's not going to be afraid to step forward
and really tell people what he believes and
why he believes it. At the same time I think
for those that are lukewarm
they will probably
stay in the closet and we won't hear from them.
(Ley) Mark? (Mark) Well it might in fact embolden players to speak
their consciences and if that's the case then
I think that would be a good thing.
(Ley) All right. Sal Bando. Mark Pollack. Thank you
very much for a great exchange of thoughts
this morning. We appreciate you joining us.
