Rozner: Cries of retired MLB players go unanswered

Morality is all the rage in sports today.

Of course, it takes its place among the sports, and from the minds of sports figures and sports writers, depending on their allegiances and leanings, reason tossed and rationalization the path of least resistance.

Many fans don't want it in their sports, hoping to get a break from the day's events for a few hours, a respite from the hateful and partisan politics, and as a result have been turned off by the political sports barrage.

You are entitled. You have the right to choose what to consume, what to think and - believe it or not - what to say.

Maybe you want this in your sports. You are also entitled.

The same holds true for MLB players association boss Tony Clark, who was quick to issue a statement after the jury came back in Minnesota last week.

"In the wake of today's verdict in Minnesota, the players association will continue its work as a resource and advocate for all of our members who have been affected by recent tragic events, including those who wish to express themselves publicly or privately on social justice issues," Clark wrote in his statement. "We will also continue to work with Major League Baseball and local authorities to ensure the safety of players, their families, and the communities we call home.

"We all remain committed to the difficult work of healing and advancing the cause of civil rights and equal justice under the law."

Good for Clark. He has a right to speak and with a powerful platform he should say what he believes and do all he can to ensure the best for his players.

That's why he's paid more than $2 million a year.

The commissioner - who makes probably five times that of Clark - does the same, involving his game in politics and never more so than when he pulled the All-Star Game out of Georgia.

Maybe you love this call. Maybe you hate it.

But Manfred and his owners have the right to take a stance whenever and wherever they want, as you also have a right to respond with your thoughts or decisions as to how you allocate your entertainment dollars.

It's just odd that as woke as baseball has become, it seems to care not even a little for the retired players without a pension or health benefits, a subject that has filled this spot now five times in the last couple of years.

Our latest conversation was with Aaron Pointer, a 79-year-old Black man who is continuing to fight for the rights of his fellow retirees, wondering why he and his group have been left behind by MLB and the players association, two groups that do not hesitate to voice their support for the disenfranchised.

Upon the posting of my latest column on this subject, Pointer emailed with a simple message.

"My wish," he wrote, "is that MLB will listen and it will bear fruit for those players that are still alive."

It is a strange time we are living in, where free speech comes with a price tag, where your right to think out loud depends on what you think - not just that you think.

And yet, with all of sports falling directly in line, it is rather stunning that the plight of these aging players seems to garner no support from the very people who are quick with their words and statements.

The canceling of anyone who doesn't fall into line is immediate, and you would think that so many people with so much passion would care a little for the elderly, retired players who are fighting for the same benefits afforded every player who arrived after 1979 - but not those who were here before.

Pointer hit .401 in 1961 while playing in the South, when he encountered ferocious racism and the Jim Crow laws that you hear about so frequently in the news today.

It is his belief that baseball doesn't care about him at all, doesn't care about what he encountered as a pioneer who fought through very tough times as he attempted to create a life for himself in baseball.

As his cries go unanswered, it is difficult to understand how so many that claim to care so much about those in need don't seem to have any sympathy for the men who suffered for the betterment of the game.

It reeks of hypocrisy. And as moral arguments go, that of these retired players is falling on deaf ears.