Dale Petroskey issued a letter in which he admitted making a public relations blunder when he summarily cancelled a screening of the stars' baseball film "Bull Durham" at the prestigious Hall of Fame later this month.

"There was a chance of politics being injected into The Hall during these sensitive times, and I made a decision to not take that chance," he said in the letter posted on the Hall's website.

"But I inadvertently did exactly what I was trying to avoid. With the advantage of hindsight, it is clear I should have handled the matter differently," he said.

Petroskey however did not directly apologize to Hollywood pair Robbins and Sarandon, who reacted furiously to the Hall of Fame's very public slap in the face, delivered in a letter which was sent to the media.

Instead, he appeared to express regret that he had not contacted them directly to discuss the matter with them before making it public.

"I am sorry I didn't pick up the phone to have a discussion with Tim Robbins and Susan Sarandon rather than sending them a letter," the president of the Hall of Fame said.

Petroskey's half-hearted apology came after he received "thousands of letters, e-mails, and phone calls" about the cancellation of the 15th anniversary screening and related events scheduled for April 26 and 27.

"I was dismayed that the Baseball Hall of Fame decided to use this event to make a political statement," Robbins said in a statement last week which was supported by his pal and "Bull Durham" co-star Kevin Costner.

"It is using what power it has to infringe upon my rights of free speech with the hope to intimidate millions of others who disagree with our president," Robbins said in a stinging riposte.

The Hall of Fame's move "dishonors the words 'patriotism' and 'freedom' and disrespects the men and women who have fought wars to keep this nation a place where one can freely express their opinion without fear of reprisal or punishment," he said.

Robbins and Sarandon, real-life husband and wife, are among the most visible Hollywood stars to vocally oppose US President George W. Bush's attack on Iraq at a time when media speculation is rife over whether high-profile anti-war activists will be punished by Hollywood for views that some Americans feel are unpatriotic.

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