Letters to the Editor
Joe Balitewicz
Published Letters: 6 Editor's Choice: 1
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10 Things in Sports
[Read the article: King Kaufman's Sports Daily]
[Read more letters about this article: Here]Ten Things in Sports
1. A 1-0 baseball game in which both SPs throw complete games
2. A kick-off return to start a football game
3. College football atmosphere during the pre-game in the parking lot
4. Baseball games announced by Vin Scully
5. Running any race in your home town
6. Landing that big fish
7. Watching failure by your favorite player and recognizing how difficult success at the highest level really is
8. Then seeing Scott Podsednik's game winning HR in the WS
9. Watching Reggie Jackson strike out
10. Calling your own fouls during a pick-up game
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Indiana Voter ID
[Read the article: How much voter fraud is there, really?]
[Read more letters about this article: Here]Who rationally believes that they can walk into a polling place without any identification and reasonably expect to vote? I am a huge democrat, but this seems to be a big deal about potentially disenfranchising someone, except no one has come forward and said "I was refused the privilege of voting" because I could not produce a valid picture ID, a utility bill, or something other valid piece of identification?
I think it is very reasonable to expect that you should be able to prove who you claim you are.
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Buzz, Buzz, Buzz
[Read the article: King Kaufman's Sports Daily]
[Read more letters about this article: Here]King,
Thank you for taking on Buzz Bissinger and his refusal to accept the internet as a legitimate news source. I find it interesting that as a person who has spent "40 years...perfecting... the craft of sportswriting" that he actually never spent any time reading what people wrote about each other 200 years ago. The language, the accusations, the virtol was so much worse than it is today. I view the internet in a similar vein. It is in its infancy, and we as its readers need to let it mature and find its voice. Leitch is right, it is hard work creating a blog, finding an audience, etc. Who would people rather read or listen to: Bill Simmons of ESPN.com or Jay Marrioti. Simmons is far more interesting and enjoyable then the blow hard of the Sun-Times. Afterall, would we not have enjoyed Mickey Mantle more if we knew about his drinking and womanizing (or Kennedy), which was basically hidden by the press and thus elevated these people to levels that should have been reserved for real heroes (if they exist at all).
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East Side Clarification
[Read the article: The rise and fall of an American beer]
[Read more letters about this article: Here]For the record, the Falstaff Brewery grain silos were to the immediate east of the Chicago Skyway for many years slowly dying from the elements. They were eventually torn down, but for years they reminded we Chicago White Sox fans from NW Indiana of a beer alternative. Plus, Harry Caray hocked Falstaff for years in St. Louis and Chicago.
The fact that Bud was enjoyed by so many Americans always surprised me. I try to avoid it and Miller products and would rather drink Sam Adams or another craft brew as beer should have a taste and neither Bud nor Miller qualify.
If you want better beer, then as the consumer you must demand better beer by asking for it at your local liqour stores, taverns, etc. We have so many choices and opportunities to drink great quality beer that the Europeans have finally noticed. So ask for Bell's, or Anchor Steam, or Sierra Nevada, or Three Floyd's, Brooklyn Brewery, etc, and let your taste buds enjoy what the Brits, Belgiums and Germans have been experiencing for 500 years.
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Honoring the White Sox
[Read the article: Baseball's gone statue crazy]
[Read more letters about this article: Here]King,
Perhaps you should make a visit to US Cellular and see for yourself. Fox, Aparicio, Fisk, and Comiskey are all in the hall of fame, so honoring them with a statue makes perfect sense.
Minoso should be in the Hall and it was a shock when he was denied this last and final time. Many pundits and columnists wrote extensively about this slight.
As for Billy Pierce; he was the face of the Whitesox pitching staff for 13 seasons during the 50's and early 60's, when the White Sox finished between 1st and 3rd nearly every year, always challenging the Yankees for the AL flag. He started 3 AS games, and was selected 7 times, for 9 straight years he was in the top ten in strikeouts, he threw the most complete games in the AL for three straight years, he won 186 games for the White Sox, and 211 overall. Billy Pierce was a great pitcher for the Sox, not good enough for the Hall, but not every team has 26 WS pennants, or countless hall of famers to parade about on TV or in the booth.
As for Harold Baines, he was my favorite player growing up and he was always adored buy the Sox fans, even when he played for Texas, Oakland, and Baltimore etc. I wish they had never traded him to Texas, but it happened and I think this statue honors Baines and his place in White Sox history, not baseball history, but sometimes being a little provincial is a good thing. And as a previous letter pointed out, Baines finished his career with 2,866 hits, which places him at #40 on the all-time list. 40th all time. Not too shabby, and well deserving of a statue honoring his lifetime accomplishments. By the way, Frank Thomas will have a statue erected the minute he retires, and when he is elected to the Hall, that will be ok, right?
Come and see the statues, they are really astounding pieces of art.