Letters to the Editor
dangnewt
Published Letters: 27 Editor's Choice: 5
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Yes, it was uncivil behavior
[Read the article: King Kaufman's Sports Daily]
[Read more letters about this article: Here]This doesn't strike me as a particularly difficult ethical question - even with Bonds at the plate.
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Another saving grace of interleague play
[Read the article: King Kaufman's Sports Daily]
[Read more letters about this article: Here]It is also fun to watch National League hitters trying to hit curves or changeups, in particular when they are thrown on an 0-0 or 3-1 count. A close second is the look on National League pitchers' faces when an AL hitter nails a 0-0 or 3-1 fastball (wow, it was like he knew it was coming!). As a Red Sox fan, I was sad to see Bronson Arroyo go and am thrilled at his success in Cincinnati; but he wasn't close to being the best pitcher in the AL last year and who is to say he is not in the top 2-3% of all NL pitchers?
I can live without interleague play. And, I can live without stories (sports or news) that throw out statistics with no context.
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Sample Size Question + Pitchers Hitting
[Read the article: King Kaufman's Sports Daily]
[Read more letters about this article: Here]Although NL pitchers bat many fewer times than other positions - I thought that a sample of 30 or 40 provided a reasonably accurate picture. I may be wrong on that and would welcome some guidance. Therefore, once you get to June, most decent starters should have enough at bats to judge how they are doing. Moreover, looking at a full year strikes me as pretty legit.
I like the stat and put me down for not including fielding as it is reflected in ERA.
Regarding pitchers batting in lower leagues. My playing days are way in the past; but I would venture to guess that most major league pitchers are such good atheletes that they were probably the best hitter on their little league team and one of the better hitters on their Legion and high school teams so they would have gotten plenty of at bats and probably played a field position when not hitting.
Moreover, even though Pedro Martinez may look like Aunt Salley against Glavine, he is probably a better hitter than anyone reading this that didn't play minor league or college ball.
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What the enforcement effort could accomplish
[Read the article: King Kaufman's Sports Daily]
[Read more letters about this article: Here]I agree that the bad guys will still cheat and will go to great lengths to avoid detection. However, if fewer players are using steroids, and those who are using are using less for fear of being caught, that is a good thing. Don't try to make it an all-or-nothing situation and give up because it is highly unlikely that we'll catch them all. Furthermore, I would guess that many players taking illegal performance-enhancing drugs started using not so much because they wanted to gain an advantage over others but because they didn't want to be at a disadvantage to everyone else who is using. The owners and the Players Association have to do what they can to break this cycle. If the Players Association doesn't get on board for as comprehensive a testing policy as soon as possible, then it is responsible for creating an unsafe workplace for its members - some union, eh?.
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Give this situation a little more time
[Read the article: My wife wants to join the Peace Corps]
[Read more letters about this article: Here]It sounds like the wife has just started this overseas assignment. In a very real sense, she is in the honeymoon phase with the idea of working in third world development. As difficult as it may be for LW, he should be patient and not force the issue at this point. She may not be so sure that this is her life's calling later this summer. Even if she still wants to join the Peace Corps at the end of the summer, I would wait until she returns and has a chance to reacclimate to the USA before diving back into the topic. If it is clear after all that time that this work is more important to her than her marriage, then there is nothing much left to be said.
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Instead of PKs
[Read the article: King Kaufman's Sports Daily]
[Read more letters about this article: Here]Short extra periods - 10 or 15 minutes. Rather than sudden death, I like that a team may have one or two chances to score espeically when the goalkeeper gets involved. If both teams score - go to the next extra period. Hitting the crossbar or goalposts counts as a goal and keepers must take off their gloves - this is to encourage shots on goal.
Allow 1 new sub every period including the initial period which starts as 11 v 11.
Deduct a player after each additional extra period - 10 v 10; 9 v 9; the soccer purists can tell me where this should stop.
Play until there is a winner.
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It is still the best All Star game
[Read the article: King Kaufman's Sports Daily]
[Read more letters about this article: Here]Baseball, by its nature, is the all star game that most closely resembles league play. There is nothing wrong with the game itself. I agree that it shouldn't be used to determine home field advantage for the World Series but I can live with the one player from every team rule. I think that interleague play has taken away some of the appeal of the All Star game; my solution is to get rid of interleague play.
Time and again, baseball has proven to be a resilient sport that can survive the basest impulses of its commissioners, owners, players, umps, fans, writers, TV execs, etc. I have faith it will see its way through any problems with the All Star game.
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King, are you telling me...
[Read the article: King Kaufman's Sports Daily]
[Read more letters about this article: Here]that the Kingdome in Seattle was NOT named for you?
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The Sooner the Better
[Read the article: King Kaufman's Sports Daily]
[Read more letters about this article: Here]A true championship in Div 1-A football became one step closer to reality with Boise State's win.
What is most annoying to me is that the NCAA has a great model for a football championship in Div 1-AA where 8 conference champions (out of 14 conferences) are given automatic bids and 8 at-large are selected for a 16-team field. In Div 1-A, with fewer conferences (11), an 8 team tournament works fine: 6 automatic bids to the Big East, ACC, Big Ten, Big 12, SEC and Pac Ten and two at large - this year Boise State and Michigan. There may be much wailing from other strong runner-ups, but, if you don't win your conference, how are you the best team in the country?
Even the economics work - 7 meaningful games instead of 1. It is a maximum of 3 extra games that could be held over the span of 3 weeks (well within the Holiday break), the Div 1-AA champion (and runner-up) play 4 games - from Thanksgiving to mid-December - that has to be tougher academically.