Did Police Eject a Man from Yankee Stadium for Trying to Use the Bathroom During "God Bless America"?

From the inbox: Baseball fan Brad Campeau-Laurion says a uniformed police officer (perhaps off-duty but working security for overtime) forcibly ejected him from the stadium last night during the Yankees-Red Sox game.

Why? He says all he did was try to go to the bathroom while "God Bless America" was played during the 7th inning stretch. His letter reads (plus some updates after the jump):

"I attempted to get up to use the restroom, rather urgently, during the 7th inning stretch as God Bless America was beginning. As I attempted to walk down the aisle and exit my section into the tunnel, I was stopped by a police officer. He informed me that I had to wait until the song was over. I responded that I had to use the restroom and that I did not care about God Bless America.

"As soon as the latter came out of my mouth, my right arm was twisted violently behind my back and I was informed that I was being escorted out of the stadium. A second officer then joined in and twisted my left arm, also in an excessively forceful manner, behind my back. I informed them they were violating my First Amendment rights and that I had done nothing wrong, with no response from them.

"I was sitting in the Tier Level, and of course this is the highest level of the stadium and I was escorted in this painful manner down the entire length of the stadium. About halfway down, I informed them that they were hurting me, repeated that I had done nothing wrong, and that I was not resisting nor talking back to them. One of them said something to the effect that if I continued to speak, he would find a way to hurt me more.

"When we reached the exit of the stadium, they confiscated my ticket and the first officer shoved me through the turnstiles, saying 'Get the hell out of my country if you don't like it.'

"Nowhere on the Yankee Stadium ticket policy nor on any posted sign does it say that forced patriotism is a required element to attend a baseball game. Nowhere in the laws of this country would that begin to be defensible.

"Furthermore, when the two officers returned to their section, Steve who was still in the stadium overhead one of the officers say 'We got to watch ourselves. One day we're really gonna get in trouble.' They were also spreading rumors with a fan with whom they were friendly that I had said 'This country sucks.'

"I do not believe in God, nor am in support of this country to a degree of patriotic fanaticism. The fact that I wanted to use the restroom instead of standing through God Bless America should not be grounds for a forcible ejection from a baseball game."

The man tells us he's left a message with no response from the Operations Office at Yankee Stadium. He's also contacted Norman Siegel, the ACLU, and filed a complaint with the NYPD Civilian Complaint Review Board. We're still working on getting a response/denial from Yankee stadium, but a regular attendee of Yankee games tells us, "This tip doesn't surprise me at all. Everyone has to stand, just like in school, and you'll get berated and harassed if you don't."

UPDATE: We just spoke to Brad, whose story is attracting a lot of attention. He has a few comments, based on your reactions:

1) I was not drunk. I had two beers about an hour apart and this was about an hour after my last one (hence, needed to pee). I have receipts to prove this, as I was using my credit card, and my friend who was with me as a witness.

2) Yes, I am Red Sox fan. I have lived in New York for over 8 years and I do not cheer loudly or wear blatant Red Sox attire at the games. In fact, I was dressed in business attire - dress shirt/pants/shoes.

3) I may have affected a little attitude, but nothing that warranted a violent response.

Last year, the NY Times looked at this confining policy. Apparently, post September 11, fans had complained that other spectators weren't singing or observing a moment of silence; spokesman Howard Rubenstein told the Times, "Mr. Steinbrenner wanted to do all games to remind the fans about how important it is to honor our nation, our service members, those that died on Sept. 11 and those fighting for our nation."

Original here

Barack Obama: White Sox 'serious' ball

by Mark Silva

That baseball that they play on the North Side of Chicago, that's not "serious'' baseball - at least not the way Barack Obama sees it.

Obama, a Southsider, was asked by ESPN's Stuart Scott what would happen if both the Cubs and the White Sox made it to the World Series.

"I would be going,'' Obama said.

"Who would you root for?'' Scott asked.

"Oh, that's easy,'' Obama replied. "White Sox.

"I'm not one of these fair weather fans,'' the junior senator from Illinois and presumptive presidential nominee of the Democratic Party explained. "You go to Wrigley Field, you have a beer, beautiful people up there. People aren't watching the game. It's not serious. White Sox, that's baseball. Southside."

(Photo of Obama throwing the ceremonial first pitch before Game 2 of the American League Championship Series between the Chicago White Sox and the Los Angeles Angels in Chicago, Oct. 12, 2005, by Ann Heisenfelt / AP)

Original here

Kevin Duckworth autopsy scheduled for tomorrow

An autopsy will be conducted tomorrow morning on the body of Kevin Duckworth, the state medical examiner said today. The former NBA All-Star and Portland Trail Blazer standout died yesterday of undetermined causes in Lincoln City.

Dr. Karen Gunson said Dr. Larry Lewman will conduct the autopsy around 10 a.m. at the state medical examiner's office in Clackamas.

"We're still gathering details on his medical history,'' Gunson said.

Duckworth, 44, died Monday night, Lincoln County officials said earlier today.

A spokesman for the Depoe Bay Fire Department said the agency responded to a report about 10 p.m. of an unconscious man at Salishan Lodge. Paramedics worked on Duckworth for 30 minutes but he never regained consciousness. He appeared to have gone into cardiac arrest, fire officials said. He was pronounced dead at 10:23 p.m., said Lt. Dennis Knudson.

According to The News Guard, Duckworth visited Lincoln City to host a free basketball clinic for kids. He also was there to visit fans as part of the Trail Blazers "Make It Better" tour of the state.

The Blazers this morning released a statement calling Duckworth's death "an extremely sad day."

"Kevin will be remembered by fans as one of the most popular and recognizable players to ever wear the Blazers uniform, but to people who knew him, he'll be remembered as one of the warmest and biggest- hearted," Blazers President Larry Miller said.

Duckworth was a two-time All-Star who starred on Western Conference Championship teams in Portland in 1990 and 1992.

The 7-foot center was known as "Duck." He also played for San Antonio, Washington, Milwaukee and the Los Angeles Clippers during his 11-year NBA career. A second- round draft pick of the San Antonio Spurs out of Eastern Illinois University in 1986, Duckworth was only 14 games into his NBA career when he was acquired by the Trail Blazers from San Antonio in exchange for Walter Berry.

Kevin Duckworth grew up outside of Chicago, one of four kids. His dad was a long-haul truck driver, and according to a 1991 profile in The Oregonian, Duckworth and his father grew close during fishing trips. His love of the outdoors continued throughout his lifetime, and at one time he even considered becoming an elk rancher.

They would head up to Wisconsin or Iowa, maybe even stay in Illinois, and catch catfish and bluegill. When they were waiting for the bites, they would talk.

Anyone who has stood casting or sat on a rock, and then started the fire, can attest that hours of sentence fragments and smiles can be more significant in that environment than a year's worth of "how-was-your-day?'' conversations amid the tumult.

That's how Kevin Duckworth got to know his dad.

If someone challenged you to find the father of Portland's starting center and you didn't know where the "house'' seats were located, the stocky man probably wouldn't be your first choice because Edward Duckworth is not a particularly tall man. He's 6 feet. Max.

Yet up close, there are telling resemblances in the voices and faces.

"I was such a shy kid growing up that when I was in grade school and all that, I never said much to my father at all,'' Kevin Duckworth said after the Blazers' practice on Saturday, the eve of Game 2 of the first-round playoff series against Seattle.

"When he was driving the truck all the time, he'd come home and I'd only see him for short stretches. The fishing trips really helped a lot, because we'd go for a day or two at a time. When we started going fishing more and more, I got the opportunity to know him, to understand the kind of man he is.

"I believe that's where my hard work comes from. You think back to how your parents struggled for you, to what they did just so you could have certain things.''

After Kevin Duckworth signed an eight-year, $16 million contract with the Blazers in the summer of 1988 -- he had been making $175,000 a year before that -- he had messages for both his mother, Maxine, and his father, who have been separated for about seven years.

Kevin -- who played basketball at the park down the block from the old family house, then at Thornridge High School in Dolton, Ill., then downstate at Eastern Illinois -- told his parents to pick out houses. He would buy them.

"I told my mom before I even got in the league, 'If I ever get some money, I'm buying you a house.' That was one of my goals,'' said Kevin. "I didn't do it the first two years, but once I got established and I was fortunate enough to have some things happen to me, I could do it.''

Maxine chose a house in South Holland, just east of Harvey.

Edward looked around for three months, finally picking out a three-bedroom home with a full basement and a 2 1/2 -car garage -- right back in the old neighborhood. He's not sure, but he thinks the house cost well under $100,000.