If Bernie Brewer was racist, maybe. Their announcement was basically, "Yes, we acknowledge that this thing we do is offensive and racist, so we'll stop... but only when Helsley is on the field. The remaining 95% of the game, we will continue doing the offensive and racist thing." The Braves have done that for years. They adopted FSU's tomaahawk chop and song in the wake of signing former FSU star Deion Sanders (better known for his Hall of Fame NFL career). FSU's tomahawk chop, it should be noted, is officially approved by the Seminole tribe. It's something just about every visiting player knows - or should have known - is part of playing the Atlanta Braves IN ATLANTA. Part of what every professional player should have learned by the time they get out of the Rookie League. I'm sure the Cardinals have ways to get their fans excited and to try to make the visiting team feel a little off. So do the Brewers. So do the Mets. Heck, even the Cubs have that. Some of that stuff has to be dealt with by players. I saw the Crew play in Baltimore in 1988, after the Crew acquired Jeffrey Leonard for Ernie Riles. The visiting crowd was constantly shouting "Jeffrey!" to try to throw him off. So that sort of stuff has been part of the game. I'll give Helsley credit - he managed to remove that factor to some degree for his team in the decisive game of a playoff series, and he may have even fired up his teammates. Back in the 1980s the Wisconsin Badger men's hockey team played someone with a goaltender named Volari and the student section would sing the song from the car commercial.