Taking the fun out of hate mail

Many people would like to think we've come a long way in the fight for civil rights. It's been many years since Dr. Martin Luther King told America of his dream that everyone of all races and ethnicities could live in peace. \nWell, just when you thought tolerance was starting to become a part of our society, some nut has helped us take a collective step backward.\nYou see, Jeter has recently become the target of hate mail from a fan. Not hate mail about failing to turn the double play or striking out but hate mail chastising him for carrying on interracial relationships. The www.foxsports.com story that cites the letter claims it read Jeter would be "shot or set on fire" if he didn't discontinue these relationships.\nIs this for real?\nEvidently, as other public figures like Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas, Miami Dolphins defensive lineman Jason Taylor and the parents of tennis player James Blake have received similar threats, according to New York's The Daily News.\nThe FBI has narrowed down the mailing address of the letters to somewhere in Ohio or Pennsylvania (surprise, surprise), but no one has been charged with writing them.\nNow, being a former volleyball and softball writer, I can relate with Jeter. I know what's it's like having droves of women waiting behind every corner, but it hasn't been until this whole column writing thing started that I've discovered the hate mail part. And as I know well from receiving loads of it, some hate mail is alright, even fun to read. But this? What happened to the good old days where fans of questionable levels of sanity sat in their basements all night, composing notes about dropped fly balls or a missed free throw that cost their team the game? At least that was the kind of psychotic behavior we could all laugh at.\nThis could mark the end of fun hate mail as the Jeter-hater brings out some deeper societal issues, ones that should have been buried long ago.\nDo we still live in a country where people cross the street when they see a black woman and a white man, or vice versa, walking down the street holding hands? Are we really that uncomfortable with ourselves that we have to berate, and in the case of this crazy from the Midwest, threaten to kill those who have a partner of a different ethnicity or race? Maybe it's just me, but I thought Jackie Robinson broke the color barrier decades ago. But I guess some people are stuck in the past.\nAnyway, you better take note, because this is the only time in the history of "Down to the Dwire" that the Yankees will get any sympathy from me. At best, I guess we could all hope this is some kind of sick joke, but I doubt it. If you are the one sitting in your backwoods cabin in Pennsylvania harassing Mr. November, find something better to do.