Updated: Mar 24, 2005, 10:31 PM

Vote: Should MLB players shake hands?


 Handshake
Now, was that so hard?
Can't we all just get along?

That seems to be the question at the heart of a grassroots effort by fifth and sixth-graders at the Merriam School in Acton, Mass. The children, with the help of their teachers, have put together "The Merriam School Handshake Project", which asks the New York Yankees and Boston Red Sox to participate in a pregame handshake on Opening Day. Yankees owner George Steinbrenner fully endorses the idea while Red Sox skipper Terry Francona says he won't go forward with the idea without full buy-in from his players.

Is it time for baseball to take a page from the NHL and look at some kind of pre- or postgame handshake, if for no other reason that to shed a positive light on a game that has been under the black cloud of steroids all offseason? Cast your vote now and see how your opinion stacks up to the rest of SportsNation.

  • 1) Would you support the effort to have Red Sox and Yankees players shake hands before their game on Opening Day?
  • 2) Would you support a postgame handshake after a postseason series?
  • 3) What is your take on NHL players shaking hands after the conclusion of a playoff series?
  • 4) What do you think of Rule 3.08 of the MLB official playing rules, which states: ''Players of opposing teams shall not fraternize at any time while in uniform.''
  • 5) Which two players would you most like to see shake hands?
  • 6) During last year's AL Championship Series, when asked about a postgame handshake, Kevin Millar said players need to ''keep that tough-guy image.'' What are your thoughts?
  • 7) New York Yankees shortstop Derek Jeter was quoted as saying a pregame handshake ''may not be practical.'' What are your thoughts?
  • 8) How does the level of sportsmanship in baseball compare with other major sports?

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