Will the National Baseball Hall of Fame Museum Be Trump's Next Target?

In late July, Ichiro, CC Sabathia, and Billy Wagner will be officially inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame. That's because these three ex-MLB players paid their dues and deserve to be recognized as legends. Two months ago, our loudmouth-in-chief was considering pardoning the late Pete Rose and blamed Major League Baseball for banning him for life from baseball, making him ineligible for the Baseball Hall of Fame. I'm not sure how Rose would be pardoned, if it were to happen, but there's a good chance that it would never happen. I've stated in my story about Pete Rose that he should remain banned for life from baseball and Hall of Fame consideration to be null and void. When Pete Rose passed away in September 2024, I didn't share any condolences on any of my social media pages, because I felt it was inappropriate to praise someone who bet on baseball and had no care in the world about how it affected his team, players, and fans. I know it sound callous of me saying this, but betting on baseball is a form of cheating. Cheating in baseball is an unforgiveable act and I'll never acknowledge Pete Rose as a legend. It shows that integrity for the game didn't matter to him.

So why is the Trump administration going after the Smithsonian? They claim that the institution displays "divisive race-centered ideology". Also, they claim that the Smithsonian "degrade shared American values" and "divide Americans based on race", whatever that means. I 100% disagree with their arguments. Vice President JD Vance is seeking to eliminate these "divisive" elements from all of the Smithsonian's 21 museums. Why are they (the Trump administration) telling museums what they can or cannot display to the public? Also, give me some examples on how these museums are dividing Americans based on race. Their arguments make absolutely zero sense. If we want our current and future generations to learn about the events that occurred in American History, then it has to be presented and told in the most sincere and honest way. Yes, there were awful parts that occurred in American History, but still, it should be told. Erasing or purging parts of American History that you dislike doesn't help your case. Instead, it comes off as petty and childish.

Will the National Baseball Hall of Fame Museum be on the Trump administration's sights? We may never know, so we'll just have to wait and see. Three former MLB players will be inducted into the Hall this summer, yet Trump had been touting for Pete Rose to be inducted in Cooperstown, which will never happen.

I fail to see what the problem is regarding museums such as the Smithsonian. This administration claims they're attempting to dictate what museums can or can't display in order to "stop the ideological indoctrination or divisive narratives that distort our shared history." The definition of indoctrination is the process of teaching a person or group to accept a set of beliefs uncritically. Basically, in other words, this administration is accusing museums of brainwashing everyone with parts of American history, such as the Civil Rights movement and Stonewall Riots, that they don't like. This definition doesn't apply to their ongoing arguments. Museums are a place to learn about different people and events. You can't shield everything from everyone, because in the Trump administration's mind, they want to completely erase any mentions of people and events that they deem "divisive", even if they made a positive impact on the lives of others. What's so divisive about this? They never offered any examples to support their arguments. They want to make American history as white as possible. It's one thing to dislike something, but purging important events and those who came before us such as Malcolm X and Rosa Parks, doesn't allow their stories to be told accurately. The Trump administration is erasing history, meaning that future generations will never learn anything about important events, such as the Civil Rights Movement, Black Lives Matter marches, Stop Asian Hate, and the Women's March. No matter how many executive orders a President signs, honesty about all the events that occurred in American history needs to be told. Executive orders are not law. What I'm trying to say is this: you can't control everyone and everything. It's not a good idea to constantly look for problems that aren't there. Going after museums because the things that they display "divides the American people", is both ridiculous and baseless. Stop looking for things to be mad and complain about and focus on actual issues that affect us daily. This is not one of them, so leave museums alone and also, stop policing them.

Going back to my points about the Baseball Hall of Fame. As I've stated earlier, three players will be inducted. One of them, Ichiro, will become the first Asian-born player to be inducted into the Hall this summer. Not only that, his #51 will be officially retired by the Seattle Mariners. Here are some interesting facts about the National Baseball Hall of Fame Museum:

•It's located in Cooperstown, NY, also known as the birthplace of baseball

•As of this writing, out of the 351 inducted into the Hall, 278 of them are players

•The influence of baseball is explored on American culture, which include items related to pop culture and baseball movies such as The Sandlot and A League of Their Own

One more important fact to pass along to everyone: 37 Negro League players, including managers and executives, are enshrined in the Hall. This is all thanks to the late, great Ted Williams. He pushed hard for players like Satchel Paige and Josh Gibson to be part of Cooperstown history. July 25, 1966, was the day that Willams was inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame. In his speech, he advocated for Negro League players to be in the Hall, because he felt like they were overlooked. Satchel Paige and Josh Gibson were inducted in 1971 and 1972 respectively. Had it not been for Ted Williams being vocal about these two great players being in the Hall, their contributions to the game would've been forgotten.

Who Was Ted Williams?

Theodore Samuel Williams was born in 1918 in San Diego. He played all 19 seasons with the Boston Red Sox from 1939-1960. His career was interrupted, due to him serving during World War II and the Korean War. Williams' honors and accomplishments include being a 19-time All-Star, two-time AL MVP, and a two-time Triple Crown Winner, which he achieved in both 1942 and 1947. In case you don't know how a player achieves this feat, they have to lead the league in batting average, home runs, and runs in a single season. As of 2025, former MLB player Miguel Cabrera is the most recent Triple Crown Winner, which he achieved back in 2012. Ted Williams is inducted in both the Red Sox and Padres Hall of Fame. His #9 was retired by the Red Sox in May 1984. Last but not least, he was a manager for the then Washington Senators (now known today as the Texas Rangers) from 1969-1972. Williams passed away in 2002 at the age of 83, but his storied career is something that Red Sox fans and baseball fans will forever appreciate.

To Trump and his cohorts: take notes, because Ted Williams was a true example of what empathy and compassion is. Negro League players and Jackie Robinson will always be part of MLB history, black history, and American history. Trump has no room to talk, because this was the same deranged man who called Americans who fought and died in World War I "suckers and losers." Also, he disparaged the late Senator John McCain, because he didn't believe he was a war hero. I may not have agreed with Senator McCain's politics, but to me, he will always be a war hero. Now, this multiple draft dodger and his administration degraded and disrespected Jackie Robinson's legacy by erasing an article about his time in the Army, before reviving it two days later following a wave of backlash. So, Mr. President. First, you've targeted the Smithsonian and now what's next? The National Baseball Hall of Fame Museum? Are you going to tell them to purge anything that you deem "offensive?" Museums are not responsible for your feelings. You have no authority to tell them what they can or cannot display for everyone to see. At the National Baseball Hall of Fame Museum, there are over 40,000 artifacts and more than 250,000 photographs that will be forever part of baseball history. They also have a library, where they have millions of documents. These include photographs and film and video recordings. My point is that you and your administration are focused on the wrong things. Let museums do what they want and leave them alone. They shouldn't have to tiptoe through your feelings in order to please you. Stop trying to control everyone and everything. This whole issue of trying to erase history and pressuring museums to get rid of things you personally dislike is manufactured outrage. It's all background noise and you're arguing with yourselves. There's nothing wrong with being inclusive of all people and it's such a ridiculous thing to get so worked up over. It's not that deep and you're continuously searching for problems when they are none. This administration, including Trump, needs to grow up and get over themselves.