This is the 1st time I have spoken to you, the fans of baseball, since I have resigned my post as president of the Baseball Hall of Fame. Unlike President Richard Nixon, who was afforded the comfort of addressing the nation from the Oval Office one final time before his untimely departure, I am penning this open letter in the comfort of my austere sitting room, with a bottle of Captain Morgan to my right, and a picture of me with our current Commander in Chief, President George W. Bush, to my left. Also, unlike President Nixon, I have not discussed with you the matters that may or may not have affected the documentation of our national pasttime. However, there is one area where President Nixon and I agree — In all the decisions I have made in my public life I have always tried to do what was best.

Critics, in the past, have taken me to task for what is perceived to be a Republican bias, supposedly most evident in my decision to cancel an event honoring the 15th anniversary of the baseball film Bull Durham. Let it be known that I stand by that decision today as I did when it was originally made. I have no regrets in cancelling the celebration. My only regret about this whole tempest in a teapot is that the board didn’t see fit to heed my recommendation to, in place of the original film of honor, pay tribute to another cinematic baseball classic, Albert Brooks’ The Scout. Surely there is more to be gained from celebrating the feel-good story of young Steve Nebraska as he rises to the height of his profession than there is from glorifying the baudy exploits of a washed-up minor league catcher like Crash Davis and his dalliance with an over-educated trollop. But I digress.

During my administration, I am proud of the steps I have taken to highlight the American military’s role in baseball’s storied past. I am proud to honor Hall of Famers that have served during times of war. I am proud that all military personnel receive discounts when visiting the Hall of Fame. And I am doubly proud of the service our proud men and women provide overseas in our never-ending fight against the two-headed scourge of terror and fear. To allow all this to be potentially poisoned by the blatant left-wing bias exhibited by two of the movie’s stars, and their inflammatory anti-war propaganda, would be a slap in the face of all the good the American military has done both for our country and world peace. And that, in turn, would be a slap in the face of baseball. A slap of terror.

Of course, no baseball face-slap could be worse than what the sport has experience throughout this interminable and trying Steroid Era. This is why I was proud to accept the asterisk-branded all-time home-run record-breaking ball provided by philanthropist Mark Ecko. As I said in my official statement regarding the ball, the sport belongs to the fans. Since the fans voted (via Ecko’s website) to stain the ball the same way performance-enhancing substances have stained the game, it is only fair to display this stained artifact in the museum dedicated to preserving baseball’s history. After all, an artifact presented outside of its proper context renders the object meaningless. The asterisk provides the context necessary to represent these shameful days of the sports, and hopefully serves as a marker that better times are ahead.

Naysayers may claim that context could be established by simply showing examples of media coverage surrounding the ball and the record chase, instead of defacing this supposed symbol of athletic achievement. The irony, of course, being that this achievement could not have been reached without the record-breaker enhancing his performance through the use of illegal substances. Therefore, it only seems fair that the ball he hit to break the long-standing career home-run record be “enhanced” as well. This shameful blemish serves not only to educate those fans who, in the future, will learn about what happened during these trying times, but also serves to shame the players into remembering what happens when the need to succeed — to win at all costs, regardless of the consequences or casualties — is left unchecked and unquestioned. If my aborted tenure as Hall President has taught at least one person this invaluable lesson, then I can leave these august halls a proud man.

Again, if I may quote a great man’s final words as President: “I have never been a quitter. To leave office before my term is completed is abhorrent to every instinct in my body.” Unfortunately, this decision to leave the Hall of Fame was taken out of my hands, due to some questionable allegations I won’t deign to answer. Fear not, though — this setback will not diminsh my fervor for the sport in the slightest. I will still attend as many baseball games as I am able this coming season, rooting for the spirit of fair play and sportsmanship that exemplifies this great game of ours alongside owners and executive and other diehard fans. I will still visit the White House baseball exhibit installed by the Hall during my tenure that was in no way an attempt to curry favor with the current administration. I will continue my search for another 1909 Ty Cobb baseball card. I will cheer every hustled-out grounder, boo every 15-pitch walk, rise for every 7th inning stretch, salute during our National Anthem, embrace clubhouse chemistry, shun meaningless statistics, and give thanks that Our Lord blessed America with this, its greatest gift to the world. May God’s grace be with you in all the days ahead.

Dale Petroskey served as Assistant Press Secretary to President Ronald Reagan from April 1985 to March 1987.