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Fan sues Yankees and city of New York over ejection from stadium during God Bless America
A man named Bradford Campeau-Laurion was ejected from an August 26, 2008 Yankees vs Red Sox game when he attempted to leave his seat during the playing of God Bless America to use the bathroom, and he's suing. His lawsuit says that when he tried to pass a police officer, the officer grabbed his right arm, twisted it behind his back and two officers marched him out of the stadium and apparently suggested that he leave the country if he wasn't a fan of God Bless America.
We all are aware that Yankees Red Sox tickets are a hot commodity in this town; we don't know where he was sitting, but if he didn't buy his tickets via a season ticket package, they were probably pretty pricey. We also understand he bought two beers and a bag of peanuts, so lets just round it off and say he spent a minimum of $50 dollars on the day, but didn't get his full value because he was ejected from the game. We understand that the lawsuit seeks unspecified damages and that the city and Yankees violated the plaintiff's constitutional rights, so we assume the 'unspecified damages' is a cash settlement.
The Yankees, as all teams do, start off their games with the playing of The Star Spangled Banner, which is customary at nearly all events of the stature of a professional or amateur sporting competition. After the terrorist attacks on September 11, 2001, Major League Baseball began playing God Bless America during the seventh inning stretch. Most teams have reduced this to only Sunday games and we're pretty sure other teams have done away with it entirely.
We think honoring America once with the playing of The Star Spangled Banner is enough. The playing of God Bless America brings the game to a grinding halt and we understand the Yankees staff blocks off some exits during the playing of God Bless America, which is usually the Kate Smith version, unless they bring someone in to do it live. At home, we have the luxury of changing the channel, but at the ballpark, all you can really do is leave your seat when there are two outs in the top of the seventh and hope you don't miss much. Frankly, it's time for this 'tradition' to go. Forcing fans to participate in a patriotic ceremony that is borderline religious is ridiculous, and it brings the game to a grinding halt - we can't stress this point enough. The seventh inning stretch turns the game into a concert as you listen to God Bless America, Take Me Out To The Ballgame, and the extremely painful Cotton Eyed Joe, which has to do with what, we have no idea. Anyway, New York City and the Yankees owe this guy an apology and some cash, but if anything gets accomplished by this lawsuit, we hope its that the Yankees realize that God Bless America's time has pass - it's time to retire it along with Bernie Williams' number.