Letters to the Editor
J T
Published Letters: 295 Editor's Choice: 26
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defensive signaling
[Read the article: King Kaufman's Sports Daily]
[Read more letters about this article: Here]With radios in helmets and the number of teams using no-huddle offenses, defenses in the NFL are at more of a disadvantage. The defense has less time to set up, as the offense isn't running plays in, and has to be ready by the time the offense snaps the ball. I'm guessing for at least some teams, the defense doesn't even huddle, they just all look to the sidelines for the signals, removing the extra step of a player getting the signs and relaying them to the rest of the team.
In the meantime, the quarterback (almost always) is getting radio signals from the coach, and in many cases basically calling the play at the line, with the offense set. Since the offense is set, the play could start at any time, so the defense must be ready, no time for watching the sidelines for signals.
The current radio rules say that one player on the field can have a radio, signified by a green dot on the back of the helmet, and that radio communication turns off with 15 seconds (I think) on the play clock.
My solution for this would be to just install radio receivers on all the helmets. Keep the cut off so coaches aren't communicating during a play, but let the coach talk to all the players at once.
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How do they collect payment?
[Read the article: Having an affair? Now you've got an alibi]
[Read more letters about this article: Here]It sounds like this service has this all thought through pretty well, I'm just trying to figure out how they collect payment. Cash? It doesn't leave a paper trail, but it's not too convenient for an online service. Check? Leaves a paper trail, and possibly incriminating carbon copies. Invoice on Net 30 days? Better make sure they don't send it to the home address, and they still need a way to collect the funds. Credit Card/electronic check/PayPal? It would have to show up on a bank or credit card statement in some way that a snooping spouse wouldn't recognize and looks like a legitimate purchase.
Perhaps they cleverly put the charges on the credit card to match the bogus receipts they made.
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It worked so well...
[Read the article: Those were the days]
[Read more letters about this article: Here]Those clandestine regime changes worked so well in Cuba as well since 1960. Really, when did we know how to do this?
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nuclear option
[Read the article: When winning is still losing]
[Read more letters about this article: Here]Boy, 2 years is a long time. No one seems to remember what the so called "nuclear option" actually was.
It was not a proposal to end all filibustering in the Senate, only to not allow the filibuster on confirming presidential nominations, and in particular, those nominations for the judicial branch. The reasoning given was essentially that the Senate is required in the Constitution to give "advice and consent" on these appointments, and that by filibustering, the Senate is not fulfilling it's Constitutional duty.
There was not an effort to end the filibuster on legislative bills.
Don't take this to mean I was for the nuclear option. There were plenty of other ways for nominees to get held up before an up or down vote of the entire Senate, the filibuster was just the last one.
I'd rather see the Senate work out some other threshold on cloture votes. Something like, less than 50 votes for cloture, take the bill off the floor. 50 to 59 votes for cloture, then debate carries on. 60 or more votes for cloture, debate is ended. The cloture vote is meant to signify that enough debate has been done on the topic at hand and it can proceed to a vote. Right now it's strangely set up that no matter what happens with cloture, debate ends. Senators are not voting on if they want debate to continue with these cloture votes, they're voting on the bill itself, which does not seem right.
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Raiders are learning
[Read the article: King Kaufman's Sports Daily ]
[Read more letters about this article: Here]Well, at least the Raiders are learning. They were able to notice the situation (long field goal for the win, late in the game, time out remaining) and use it. This all before the rule gets quietly changed this offseason to prevent these things. Learning from past experience is not something football teams and coaches tend to do, so it's a big step forward in Oakland.
I expect to see the same thing happen a handful of times during the remainder of the season. I'm just waiting for a coach to call a fake field goal play on the second attempt.
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Cover a real sport
[Read the article: King Kaufman's Sports Daily]
[Read more letters about this article: Here]Baseball and football coverage? Bah. I can get that anywhere. I'm still waiting for a week long, in-depth look at professional South African Wildebeest racing. I can't believe you haven't written about it yet. It's the big gnu thing!
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Bradley's impulse
[Read the article: King Kaufman's Sports Daily]
[Read more letters about this article: Here]What I'm amazed about, after having seen and read about Bradley's famous lack of control, is that he had the presence of mind to ask the very umpire he was upset with for time, went back to first base to make sure he got time called, and only then did he go for the umpire.
From the Bradley I've heard so much about, I would've expected him to just turn around and go after the umpire, without asking for time or going back to the base first. Of course, then he would've been tagged out as well as injured for the rest of the season.