Letters To The Editor

Tibbles off the charts

In response to the article “The Queen B” (State B basketball special section, March 1), what an accomplishment for Jennifer Stinson to become the leading scorer in the State B basketball classification.

I’m not sure, though, why Mr. (Jim) Stinson felt the need to create a “chart” comparing Jennifer to Tammy Tibbles, as both have exceptional athletic abilities, but there are three points that need to be factored into the “chart”.

1. Tammy Tibbles set her records in only three years.

2. There was no 3-point line at the time Tammy played, and this is the area from which Tammy launched many of her shots.

3. Tammy played with a men’s regulation basketball.

In the real world, the queen bee is important, but it is the drone or worker bees that makes the hive a true success. To those other worker bees in Davenport, good job on all of your efforts. Rhonda Widmer Wilbur, Wash.

Radio drops ball on AA

It was very impressive that so much of the State B basketball games were broadcast.

On another point, as I looked in the newspaper at the radio and TV listings for opening games in the AAA or AA State tournaments, I saw that Mead and Shadle Park on the radio. But not the Cheney girls. The Cheney girls were 23-0, including a win against Shadle Park.

Why not cover the other local schools? There are many people in the Cheney area who were unable to make the trek across the state, but would have still liked to follow the games on the air. Tim Steiner Cheney

One hockey fan crosses line

On Saturday, February 25th, our hockey team, the Kamloops Blazers, came to your city to play a game that attracted more than 5,000 fans. However, one of your citizens came to the rink that morning and stole the blue medical/equipment bag of the Blazers Hockey Club. Yes, I take full responsibility for leaving it unattended for a few minutes, and hindsight is certainly wonderful.

In that bag, there were tools that repaired a lot of equipment parts, some instruments that helped to mend broken body parts, even some equipment that could save a player’s life. Maybe not a Chief, but a young man that competes against your Chiefs.

There were some drugs, penicillin, mild pain killers and cough syrup that would make you sleep.

Yes, it has been replaced, but I shed a tear on that Saturday for dropping my guard and paying for it dearly, as I have lost a lot of memories with those belongings and harbor bitter feelings toward that ONE Spokane resident.

On the bright side, I would like to thank that person for leaving our Ukranian-born player’s passport where it could be found. You did save me a lot of grief by that gesture.

Continue to support your Chiefs, Spokane, as they are wonderful and will give you a lot of enjoyment. Greg “Spike” Wallace Athletic Therapist, Kamloops Blazers, Kamloops, British Columbia

Landers full of incite

It is clear to me from past experiences that Rich Landers is a nice guy. Misguided and somewhat illinformed, but a nice guy.

So why would he intentionally use politically correct phraseology to stir up the troops in a newspaper with its current reputation for embracing the “extreme liberal” political base?

I refer to his March 7 diatribe about the “rightwingers” whom he says are wanting to denude nature.

Such use of statements like the “Contract Against Washington,” instead of with, only serves to exacerbate the arguments that divide people in their attempts to talk and work out these problems together.

It is increasingly clear that after 120 days, some of you still don’t get it! The people voted in November to change things. They did it in ‘92, also, and change just didn’t happen. All those broken promises. Now we have a second chance, and if it doesn’t work, we will try again in ‘96.

Property rights and balanced budgets are not just so much political palaver. We have learned that sentiment just doesn’t cut it, Rich. It takes changes in laws and some new legislation to insist that even the bureaucrats will carry out the will of the people and the legal system will have some basis upon which to base good, clear decisions that are scientifically and economically sound.

I, too, would encourage you to action. But let’s do it to benefit all citizens instead of a few “elitist environmentalists” (your words, Rich). Bob Stuhlmiller Reardan

WSU coverage collapsed

After arriving home at 1:15 a.m. from the Washington State-Arizona (men’s basketball) game, I thought nothing could top the outrage and disappointment I felt at what happened to the Cougars. I was wrong. Steve Bergum’s coverage of the game in Friday’s paper was even more deflating. To term the performance a collapse was misleading to anyone not present.

For 39 minutes, Washington State rose above adverse, but not atypical, Pac-10 officiating to dominate and wear down a good Arizona team. Arizona was having no luck staging a comeback during the final 3 minutes until Reggie Geary began containing Isaac Fontaine by applying a waist lock to him on every inbounds pass. This tactic forced the pass into a doubleteam, where the resulting turnover call ignited the fans. The ensuing technical foul call, no matter how illadvised, was probably within the officials’ prerogative under the rules.

Apparently, however, the prohibition against coaches leaving their area is on a different page of the rule book. At least Charlie Range seemed to have more trouble finding the latter, since he routinely ignored Lute Olsen’s promenades around the court anytime Lute deemed it appropriate to show his displeasure.

For some reason, the weak sister coaches of the north end of the Pac-10 never receive such courtesy from officials. Incidentally, Mr. Bergum, two paper cups fall somewhat short of a “rain” of debris. Bob Hanson Spokane

Banish baseball

Have you heard about the big STRIKE? No, not the Kaiser strike, which was dumb enough in and of itself. The really BIG and DUMBER strike, a k a: Baseball! The so-called “Great American Pastime,” where the players grab themselves often, spit tobacco more often and run around sliding in the dirt. And mouthing off at the umpires is routine and “gesturing” to the fans can be seen from time to time! Where the overestimated, overpaid and underworked prima donnas rant and rave when they do not get their way and spit and grab even more! Well, enough is enough! It has gone on too long!

Outlaw baseball. Yes, do away with the stupid game of active idleness! It was, is, and always will be the GREAT AMERICAN WASTE-TIME! Where else can one see more time, money and effort wasted in one day? Not to mention the obnoxious fans who cannot behave themselves after just a couple of beers! There are better things to do with one’s time. Let the owners turn their “shrines” into centers of learning and special training for the disadvantaged in their communities. Oh, Heaven forbid! Then the owners could not continue to be the multi-millionaires they are now. Golly, gee, look at all that TV revenue they would miss out on if they really became community oriented with their expensive real estate. Oh, well, it seems that greed and avarice still have their place and it seems to be in the arena of baseball. I say outlaw it and get on with life. Rehabilitate the players to become stock brokers and bankers! Or maybe tennis players or golfers. Take your pick. C. Dean Mathers Spokane

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