bud_is_wiser: Hey Theo, just checking in to let you know that you have the thirtieth and final pick in the draft.

TheoElDio: Yeah, I already knew that.

bud_is_wiser: No, I mean the Negro Leagues draft.

TheoElDio: oh my god, you brought back the negro leagues didn't you

bud_is_wiser: No no no, the ceremonial Negro Leagues draft.

bud_is_wiser: Next month, we're going to hold a mock draft in which we pretend to choose Negro League players.

TheoElDio: ...

What message do you intend to put forth with this?

bud_is_wiser: "Sorry about all the racism, dead guys!"

TheoElDio: good lord

bud_is_wiser: Well my vice president is going to announce this, and he's a black guy, so I think we're in the clear.

bud_is_wiser: Besides, I think it's a good idea to try to acknowledge the wrongs of baseball's past, and celebrate the black players who never got a shot at the major leagues.

TheoElDio: Yes! Of course! That's why Jackie Robinson Day is a good thing. That's why the special Negro Leagues wing of the Hall of Fame is a good thing.

TheoElDio: But a fantasy draft? You know what that's really going to say?

TheoElDio: "I'm picking Cool Papa Bell. His VORP was off the charts! Only now do I understand the anguish of racial segregation. Really could have used that bat in the leadoff spot."

bud_is_wiser: Aw come on! No need to be a jerk, I'm just trying to do the right thing here.

TheoElDio: No, I have no doubt that you're trying, it's just that this a well-meaning but transparently clueless and trivial means of paying respect.

TheoElDio: You should honor those men, but you should also realize that no matter how bad you feel, you can't make it better.

bud_is_wiser: aw gee

bud_is_wiser: How could my plan to stand on a stage and delegate the services of African-Americans go so awry?

TheoElDio: i think it would be best if you never said anything or came up with any ideas ever again