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Yesterday, we wrote about how Philly.com's Annette John-Hall called the Ryan Howard garden gnome racist.  We observed the potential for this weeks ago.  Our writer Christian Rivera thinks her claims are ludicrous.  Literally.

We all love lawn gnomes and we all love Ryan Howard.  Carlos, Crossing broad's very own mascot,
is a lawn gnome and we love him dearly.  He's single-handedly won
Phillies games merely by showing his handsome mug at the park. 
Who could possibly hate on a lawn gnome? 

In a recent
Philly.com/Philadelpha Inquirer column, writer Annette John-Hall wrote
an article
bashing the Reading Phillies' Ryan Howard Lawn Gnome giveaway. 

Why?
Because it's supposedly racist.

In the article laced with utter
nonsense, she writes about how a ticket for a Phillies game is among
the priciest in baseball (the Inquirer must not pay very well) and how
the Ryan Howard gnome looks too reminiscent of a lawn jockey.


Really?
A lawn jockey? You're gonna bring race into this? With Ryan Howard of
all people? 

"But as time went on, lawn jockeys were often
caricatured as a stooped-over black man with dark skin and painted-in
white eyes and big red lips. They were usually displayed on lawns of
homes in the South and served no real purpose other than to diminish
African Americans."

So you're saying a Ryan Howard gnome looks like a
slave and the reading Phillies are out to promote racism?  Ludicrous!  
Ryan Howard is the number one alumnus of the reading Phillies and they
simply want to put a fun spin on him.  It just so happens that he's black.  Sure, it looks a little dopey,
but that's kind of the point, isn't it?  It's a fucking lawn gnome!

It
kills me to see someone take something that is meant to be fun and
brings something serious like racism to the table.  It's not like he has
a sandwich in his hand and a speaker that says "I made you a sammich
massa" when you press his nose.  That MIGHT be a little racist.

Howard-gnome
Not Racist.

Sammich

Racist.

In
all seriousness — It's 2010, we don't harbor slaves anymore, our
president is black and Tyler Perry is allowed to make movies.  What else
could you possibly ask for?  Clearly you've come a long way. 

And
what about the Phillies ticket prices? They're some of the cheapest in
baseball!  Have you ever been to a Yankee game? I haven't …because
they're so god damn expensive. 

Just look
and compare.
 

In 2009, the Phillies had the second cheapest ticket prices of any
other team in major league baseball.  Not much has changed and that's
been proven through 50+ consecutive sellouts. 

"Tickets for the
major-league Phillies are among the priciest in baseball. Add food and
parking, and a game at Citizens Bank Park can easily set a family of
four back $500."

$500?!  Clearly the family's son is 300 pounds
and drinks too much.  Learn to budget your money.  No one spends that
much.

Even Ludacris thinks it's ludicrous.


Oh,
it is.

More can be said about this woman and her pathetic attempt to make something out of nothing, but I wouldn't want to extend her 15 minutes.

Do you
think the Ryan Howard lawn gnome is racist?

Take our poll here.