Give and Take: Letters
What were Seahawks thinking?
I need some input on the choices that Seattle made especially with Frank Clark, the player nobody wanted. And I mean nobody (except the Seahawks).
They picked him 63rd, heavens to Betsy. They chose Tyler Lockett with the 69th choice. They traded five picks to get the 69th choice.
Why didn’t they pick him with their 63rd pick? Frank Clark would have been around forever. Evidently they didn’t think that. They could have used more common sense. Even the news media did not talk about Frank Clark.
What is the big deal? Heck they could have used another corner to replace the one that Tom Brady picked apart in the last moments of the Super Bowl.
Not very good poker playing. Clark would probably have been left around when the draft was over.
Lloyd Zimmerman
Spokane
The Scam of the Century
It was more like, The Scam of the Century!
Now I admit to coming to the table with an extreme, foundational distain for boxing! It is vulgar and barbaric at its worst, and full of melodrama at its best. This alleged sport, on the heavyweight level at least, is a sham. I respect the superb level of fitness, strength and stamina of the fighters. It’s their so-called sport I despise, not the participants.
People paid enormous and preposterous sums of money to attend and paid ridiculous prices to watch on pay-per-view. Only to witness a boxing match between Floyd Mayweather and Manny Pacquiao which, I understand, barely qualified as a fight at all. Expecting the 21st century equivalent of the Roman Coliseum’s gladiatorial carnage, what viewers and attendees really got was a bland, boring and uninspired tap dance.
I was sick of hearing about this match a month ago. I am galled that today, a day after the bout, we are still hearing about it.
I hate events propped up to appear important and newsworthy that are only designed to extort money from suckers. It’s a circus!
My apologies to P.T. Barnum and The Ringling Brothers. Real circus, at least, doesn’t pretend to be anything more than it is – grand illusion and gaudy theatrical spectacle.
Terry Kolemaine
Spokane
Lady Griz need tougher schedule
The Lady Griz basketball program hasn’t won an NCAA tournament game since 1995 when it beat San Diego State before losing to Purdue. In the ’80s and ’90s, coach Robin Selvig’s teams beat the likes of UNLV, Wisconsin, Oregon State and Utah in the tournament.
Gonzaga has wins in the tournament the last few years. Relative Division I newcomer South Dakota State buried TCU by 35 points just a few years ago. Gonzaga’s men’s team wins at least one game in the NCAA nearly every year. Montana should have a goal of matching that success.
During the ’80s and ’90s, the Lady Griz were seeded well in the tourney. To improve their seeding, Selvig needs to improve the schedule. Over the years, UM has had home and home agreements with Washington State, Washington, Oregon, Nebraska, BYU, Utah and Tennessee.
Division I teams are only allowed to play two non-major college teams per season. Last season the Lady Griz played two exhibition games against NAIA teams and another two in the regular season. This is partly why UM received a terrible 16 seed in the tourney versus Notre Dame.
Coach Selvig is an excellent coach, but he needs to improve the schedule and set high goals for UM.
Dave Johnson
Missoula
Track regionals unfair to girls
The 1A, 1B, 2B track meet will take place in Cheney May 28-30. I would like your readers to be aware the top three ranked girls in the 1,600 meters and the 3,200 meters may be eliminated from qualifying for state in the 1,600 because at their state qualifiers they have to run the 3,200 before the 1,600 (sometimes with less than two hours rest).
They can be easily eliminated by fresh girls in the 1,600. The top-ranked girl is Moriah Duenich of Deer Park. Because the competition is so fierce in District 7 she may not make it to state in the 1,600. Other girls who could be eliminated are Erin Mullins of District 6 and Alexis Redfield of District 5.
Girls in Districts 1-3 (the Seattle and nearby areas) have a two-day qualifier, which allows them to compete well in both events.
The WIAA takes no responsibility for the order of events at state qualifiers. I have been trying since last year to get the order of events changed. I could see that my daughter, Erin, could be eliminated on this basis. This year my daughter’s coach and athletic director changed the order of events at our Rieke Invitational to match that of the big schools. They asked the athletic directors of the three other schools in District 6 to agree to this change for league events and the state qualifier. None of the other athletic directors were willing to agree.
I am considered crazy by some for my efforts to effect change. My hope is that somehow, some way change will occur so the girls 1,600 at state can be meaningful.
Jennifer Mullins
Leavenworth
Baseball changes needed
There is much concern about the future of baseball, and it is well deserved. Change is long overdue. Look at basketball and its changes. They eliminated the jump ball, widened the lane and added the 3-point shot. As a result, basketball is hugely popular.
Baseball needs to make changes also. How about if the batter has just two strikes and three balls. That will move the game along, and each inning has four outs. We would have a new high-powered game. Perhaps we could try it right here in our minor league. Get the fans’ and players’ reactions. Think about it.
Bill Witthuhn
Coeur d’Alene