Peaceniks rip team's idea to honor military

BY ARON KAHN
Pioneer Press

In another sign that the war in Iraq has permeated virtually all aspects of
life in America, your hometown ball club will introduce the major leagues'
first patriotic giveaway of this era — a G.I. Joe action figure.

The Minnesota Twins will present Duke, "the calm and determined battlefield
commander of the G.I. Joe team," to the first 5,000 children at Monday night's
game against the Kansas City Royals as a way of honoring local military
personnel.

But while the Twins hand out more freebies than sample day at the grocery
store, this rock-jawed promotional trinket with resolute stare and Popeye
forearms will meet some resistance from fans blowing through the Metrodome
airlocks.

"I think the Twins are way off base with this idea," said John Varone, a
Vietnam veteran and president of the Twin Cities chapter of Veterans for Peace.
"For gosh sakes, the last place we need to promote war is at our national
pastime."

The Twins say Joe isn't glorifying war, but celebrating the efforts of
servicemen and women. As part of that mission, the team asked Duke's maker,
Hasbro
Inc., to remove the customary gun from his side, bringing him in accordance
with the Metrodome's no-gun policy. Hand grenades are still visible.

"I know there are people who are adamant about opposition to the war, but
this is not about politics," Twins marketing vice president Patrick Klinger
said.
"And it's not just about this war. It's about what happened 60 years ago."

Indeed, there's a link between baseball and war. The game's history is dotted
with missed seasons by sluggers such as the Detroit Tigers' Hank Greenberg,
who left baseball to fight in World War II, and the Boston Red Sox's Ted
Williams, who fought in that war and later in the Korean War.

To honor them and others, the Twins will admit current and former military
personnel and their families at half price Monday, as part of what the Twins are
calling Armed Services Appreciation Day. There also will be a flag ceremony
involving Gov. Tim Pawlenty before the game.

The Twins' first such day was held last year, when, on the eve of the assault
on Iraq, a soldier from Minnesota threw out the first ball to a fellow
soldier from the state. The throw and catch occurred in Kuwait and were
broadcast to
Minnesota at the beginning of the game.

"I looked around the ballpark that night and there were tears everywhere,"
Klinger said. "It was the highlight of my career."

Still, more than one peace group believes the combat-ready G.I. Joe,
measuring just a bit shorter than 4 inches, is a big mistake, and they would
like the
Twins to cancel the promotion.

"It's not a credible way to honor those who've suffered the inhumanity of
war," said Phil Steger, executive director of Friends for a Non-Violent World, a
St. Paul-based group with about 4,000 members in Minnesota.

"One wonders whether a desire to increase ticket sales is masquerading as
good intentions. We hope not. Minnesotans' moral sense and empathy with those
who
have lost life, limb and loved ones in war — soldier and civilian — rejects
this kind of opportunism," Steger said.

Mary Beaudoin, a leader of Women Against Military Madness, Minneapolis, said
she's "appalled" by the giveaway.

"This is hideous … a bad message to send kids," she said. "Kids need to be
raised with the values of life, not killing."

Klinger, the man behind the Twins' bobblehead invasion over the past few
years, stands by his decision to go with the military figure.

"I was looking for something unique that would pay tribute to Minnesota
soldiers," he said. "I thought G.I. Joe was perfect for that."

The Twins provide more giveaways than most sports teams, using the
promotional items to boost attendance and enhance the name identification of the
club's
corporate sponsors. Of 81 home games this year, the Twins will give away 86
items on 46 days.

The giveaways usually carry the names of corporate sponsors, which pay the
entire cost of the promotion. For example, Hormel's name appears on the
bobbleheads, and Dairy Queen's logo appears on ball caps. But G.I. Joe will go
without
a sponsor's name, mostly because Klinger came up with the idea as the season
started, long after sponsorship packages were sold for the year, he said.

Klinger would not say how much the Twins are paying for the figures, but
Hasbro's Web site shows they retail for about $10 each.

Reacting to the discontent of the peace groups, the Minnesota National Guard
threw its support squarely behind the Twins.

"We're sorry that a small number of Minnesotans are offended by the doll and
don't see it as the tribute that it really is," said Col. Denny Shields, the
guard's spokesman. "The doll itself is just small component of what the Twins
have planned for Monday night."

The debate illustrates the sensitivity of our times, said David Carter, who
teaches sports business at the University of Southern California.

"We are in an era when everything you do is politicized," said Carter,
co-author of "On the Ball," a text on sports marketing. "Whether this is a
marketing
oversight on the part of the Twins or just browbeating on behalf of the left
is immaterial, because at this point the Twins may be dealing with some bad
public relations."

Patrick Courtney, a spokesman for Major League Baseball in New York, said
he's unaware of any other team that's providing G.I. Joe to their fans. A Hasbro
spokesman could not be reached Wednesday.

Jul. 01, 2004


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