to the Cardinals shirt that says “Cardinals take it in their Pujols”. I don’t know, like the article said, it’s a silly t-shirt. No reason to create an uproar.

This is the Sun-Times reporting on the story… not saying the shirt isn’t bad, and that it needs to go… it does. However, it’s a small souvenir stand outside Wrigley made by a few people looking for a quick buck… which they won’t get if noone buys it. The S-T has now given the stand exactly what they want – free publicity and fame.

Sadly, this is my sentiment when I see many of the “Fukudome” items at Wrigley. I’ve often wondered if people appreciate the irony of cheering for someone as you’re effectively insulting them.

is Fukudome’s response about the whole thing. He handled it very similar to how Tiger Woods handled the lynching thing. I think it was Jim Brown who tried to make a huge race deal about it, but Tiger chose not too and keep his name out of the media for stuff stuff. Kudos Fukudome.

This shirt proves that there is always someone around willing to do anything to make a buck. I would hope cub fans would show a little class by not buying this crap, but to expect a little intelligence from some of the rubes that come to Wrigley to display this kind of junk would be asking way too much.

but at the game yesterday I saw a young Asian-American woman wearing this shirt.

I didn’t think to take a picture.

And I literally turned to a friend and said, I wonder how long it will take for someone to see this shirt and make a huge deal out of it….thank you sun-times. While I personally don’t find it offensive because I am not asian, if the asian community finds it offensive then they probably shouldn’t sell it

...and I completely agree, lemon20pie. This racist BS is a slap in the face to a talented, dignified athlete who has done nothing but good for the Chicago Cubs.

And I strongly disagree with those of you saying it will just “go away.” Have you watched Dome play baseball recently? He’s given us every reason to believe he will be a highly productive and well-known member of this team for at least several years to come.

It’s probably too early to call him the Cubs’ Ichiro, but that’s not out of the question. If this sort of thing isn’t stopped right now, it will only get worse.

This is why I’ve been so adamantly opposed to people making bad puns on the “fuk” in his name. No matter how well intentioned you might be, doing so twists his name into an obscenity and that’s disrespectful.

The t-shirt in question should offend everyone—no matter what you’re ethnic background might be. The t-shirt’s creator, and the vendor(s) selling it, should be ashamed of themselves. I’d love to see an organized protest come into play here.

that’s a terrible shirt.

of course most of those shirts that they sell outside of Wrigley are.

There are a lot of people here who are simply too stupid to realize the ignorance and offensiveness of their actions, and they are the type of people who would wear a shirt like this. They just don’t have a perspective that is sympathetic to a wider world view. Unfortunately, it also means that they immunize themselves from any possible political correction, in more than likely uncouth ways; i.e., “I’ll beat the hell out of anyone who tries to tell me how to act.” The fact that Fukodome’s response to all of this reflects his overall sense of class and dignity is yet another reason to move him right up amongst the top tier of our favorite Cubs players.

all the guy needs to do is put ” holy cow” in japanese. It would make a good shirt.

the slant-eyed bear could do for a bit of a change too.

My Fukudome Kimono to the game on Saturday. I’m going to throw sushi, sake and fortune cookies at the opposing players.

In all seriousness, this shit shirt is exactly what I was fearing from Cubs fans when we signed Fukudome. In all likelihood, this has already appeared in Japanese media, and will serve as a warning sign to other players not to play for a team who has some ignorant fans. I hope this guy gets approached to stop this at the game tonight.

so that it gets more attention.

It’s lazy. I’m wearing a “Harry Bear” t-shirt right now and I’m struck by the similarities to the shirt in question. It looks almost the same with the squinty eyes and big glasses. It’s a shame that Harry’s likeness is being used to stereotype Japanese people.

If you’re going to be a racist douchbag, put some effort into it, will ya?

it might as well say “gook” on the sleeve.

Kosuke has probably won the love and acclaim of Cub fans more quickly and universally than any player I can remember. His at-bats are hands down my favorite part of the game…there’s not another player I’d rather have over for dinner than #1.

I’ve spent time in Japan and their culture is wonderful. BUT…although this shirt is in VERY poor taste and completely ignorant, I just don’t think slander toward the the Japanese is the intent; even if it may be injurious.

Pouring bleach in someone’s eyes for buying it sounds like a punishment reserved for places like Iran or Afghanistan and is just as ignorant.

The putz’s wearing karate kid headbands in the stands are no better in my view.

And I thought it was absolutely despicable. Not to mention all 3 vendors were wearing the shirt. It goes to show how low and ignorant some people can be. I’d like to participate in shutting this down completely if possible.

...is to stop by that souvenir stand and tell the proprietor that his shirts are racist and dehumanizing. I’ll do so before the game on Sunday.

I doubt that my action will affect his decision to sell the shirts but it seems more worthwhile than pontificating about it on the web.

.... but if someone did a drive by paintball attack and splattered all that moron’s stock where it couldn’t be used, my tear ducts won’t dry out crying for him ..

it’s a bitch, ain’t it? If you don’t like it, don’t buy it, and feel free to tell the seller and any buyers how you feel about them. but i don’t really understand the point of writing an article or posting on a blog about it, there’s nothing you can do about it and instead you’re just calling more attention to it.

the Cubs and the owners of Harry Caray’s to stop production?

Pretty sure the Cubs own the Cubby Bear logo, and Harry Caray’s, i’ve heard owns the “Holy Cow phrase.

C’mon guys, let’s put an end to this.

My brother saw this Wednesday and told me about it and I actually started a fanpost but I got so angry I could not put it in printable form for BCB.

I was thinking of emailing Al about this but was waiting to let myself cool down.

There is nothing the Cubs can do about this. They are powerless. I spoke to a lawyer in the family who’s a corporate lawyer (and a name most people in the field would recognize) and she said there is nothing the Cubs can do.

The best thing to do frankly is email Len and Bob and Pat and Ron and if they speak out on the air against this and discourage people from buying it maybe people won’t.

Get the Score to start a campaign “Don’t Buy This Shirt” get WGN on it, get MVP.

Although anyone who would buy this shirt probably is too stupid to figure out how to turn on a tv or radio.

Have to look them up.

Also start a boycott of this vendor period.

The biggest villain in this is the vendor.

The tshirt was probably offered to all of them. Give business to those who don’t sell it and make a point of it.

Just heard from Peter Chase. The Cubs got involved and, long story short, these T-shirts will no longer be sold.

Thanks to Peter and the Cubs for being so proactive about this.

now if only we could get rid of those “Win or lose we still booze” shirts that make Cubs fans look like they dont care about the game and only drinking at the game.

It’s pathetic.

but I bought the Cardinals take it in the Pujols shirt.. I thought it was in good fun adn it wasnt offensive. Howver the Kosuke shirt was blatantly offensive.. And I dont think much is offensive.

In the lst two days our fans have acted like idiots.

1. Throwing 20 balls on the field after Dunns HR
2. The clown fan who spilled beer on McClouth today…

Both should be summarily rounded up, doused in gasoline, and set ablaze.

About a week ago I ran into an old man in a Cub’s Hat, so of course I started talking Cub baseball with him. We talked about Lee, Ramirez, Wood, etc. When I got all excited about Fukudome, the old man sorta bit his lip. Then he told me how upsetting it was to see young people in the stands with those Kamakazee head bands on. He asked me, “Don’t they know how many of our guys were killed by those Kamakazee pilots?” It really tore him up that the Cub baseball culture which he loved would so blatantly dismiss the sacrifice so many men paid.

So if we are going to be outraged over the t-shirt because it degrades a culture, let’s also extend that outrage to the head bands since they also degrade a culture – our own.

Walking up to the park today, Sunday, a vendor was hawking the shirt. He wasn’t in one of the souvenir stands/trailers. Instead, he was standing along the curb, yelling “Horry Kow! Five Dollah!” in a fake accent.

As I said I would earlier in this thread, I stopped and told him that the shirt was racist and dehumanizing. And he responded by calling me a “f—-ing jackass.” Classy guy. Anyway…

Hopefully, this was the same vendor that was mentioned above, trying to quickly and clandestinely sell off the surplus. Anybody else notice the shirt being sold today or yesterday?

assuming they buy the guy off, won’t someone else just make them?

someone should just pass a law prohibiting people from making fun of other people.

Am I the only one that is disappointed by how offended everyone is by the shirts (or “outraged by the outrage” as Senator Inhoffe famously said re Abu Ghraib)? Sure, it’s lowbrow, offensive, etc. Maybe even racist (the horror!!!1).

But what is the BFD? If you don’t like it, don’t buy it.

i guess i don’t even need to ask, but how did the offense brigade on here feel about the muhammed cartoons?

someone is trying to link racism (something I don’t support) with the Cubs (something I support).

The Friedman crowd is partially right, there’s nothing we really can do rather than speak with our wallets and tell the vendors what we think. But, that logic only works when it’s someone selling a product with a “new idea” that is independent of “old ideas”.

The Cubs, my friends, are an “old idea”. By trying to piggy-back a racist message onto an established ballclub, these vendors are in the wrong, and should be stopped.

One of my closest friends moved to San Francisco last year but before she did she was very active in the Japanese community in Chicago.

I spoke to her last night about this and she said these type of things are just about the most offensive things to Japanese people.

And also they are offended by the vendor saying some Asian guy was involved.

Lumping all Asian people together would be like one of us making a tshirt poking fun at Italians and saying it was okay because “A European guy” made the tshirt despite the guy being French.

Of course remember Mike North calling Choi a “chinaman”. He probably calls Fukudome the same. People like North, the vendor and others who think this tshirt are okay think all Asian people are the same.

What bothers me is there have been a few radio shows that have criticized the Cubs for trampling on freedom of speech.

A. It’s making use of their logo.

B. Inside Wrigley they have the right and SHOULD have the right to restrict clothing. If they wanted to make us all wear dresses or 3 piece suits they could.

C. The Cubs do and SHOULD have the right to have say over how images clearly associated with the team are used.

D. Wouldn’t it be nice if people were actually funny and creative?

I thought a nice idea would maybe have Holy Cow Cubs Win over the logo in Japanese lettering. That is creative.

E. It is laughable people actually think the guy made the shirt to honor Fukudome. Right and I’m the Queen of England and Al my King.

What’s next on the vendors list of tshirts?

One making fun of Lee’s heritage?

Zambrano?

Ramirez?

(Although the vendor is the type that thinks all people of hispanic descent are the same and would have no clue Zambrano and Ramirez’’s (Venezuelan and Dominican) are different.)