Letters To The Editor

Where are priorities?

Ryan Leaf signs to an $11.25 million bonus, while one of the best, Warren Moon, is being treated like a jerk by Seattle. Ryan did not even finish his senior year nor did he finish his undergraduate degree and makes $6.25 million a year, while actual graduates would be lucky to make ends meet without resorting to food stamps or the bank of mom and dad.

This new trend of athletes skipping college altogether, and being drafted right out of high school, could not please me more.

Perhaps we could actually turn some activity and energy to academics. Maybe we could even turn some funds toward the goal of arts, sciences and language. Then I would not have to depend on blind luck to get through one of these letters without grammatical errors and typos in every sentence.

Pullman and several other universities across the U.S. exploded into drunken riots, yet what grabs headlines today is Ryan Leaf’s paycheck or Warren Moon’s lack of one. Have the school administrators backed off the rabble-rousers because they don’t want to lose enrollment? Or have they found that it is a great way to raise enrollment even higher? Will they hand me a free football jersey and six-pack at orientation? What if we change welcome and orientation to assault and disorientation? Will WSU start a new advertising campaign? I can see the new advertising on the horizon like this, “Come to WSU, drop out before you graduate, and earn $6.25 million a year.” I got another one. “Would you like beer, lots of beer, come to WSU and have lots of it while you buy a degree, and you can burn your dorm down too.” Kenneth Knapp Spokane

Now this message …

We, the captive viewing audience of baseball games on TV have become inured to the host of commercials that intrude each half-inning, breaking the continuity and flow of the game. We’ve even accepted without a murmur Dave Niehaus’ increasing insertions of messages while broadcasting the play-by-play. He reads his commercials in such a chummy way as to intimate that this is indeed an appropriate time for a shill to sell.

But recently, a new invasion of the irrelevant. Line-ups, lead-off hitters, umpire staffs, fourth-inning recaps, etc., all are brought to us by a myriad of sponsors.

Perhaps after gleaning the highlights, human interest could be included for sponsorships, such as nose picking and groin clutching?

Certainly commercials, like taxes, have to be endured. But let there be a definite demarcation between them and the game of baseball. Else the game, as represented on TV, could become so striated as to lose its identity. Isabelle Woods Spokane

In defense of Puryear

Regarding Rich Landers article on July 16 in the Sports section.

Rich, I have usually agreed with your view in past editorials as I love to fish and hunt or just get out and enjoy nature.

Your article in the June 16 edition in which you criticized (Amway distributor) Ron Puryear for showcasing conspicuous consumption made my blood boil.

Ron is one of the few great men left in this country. He has prospered because he has lived a life of helping other people. He has helped thousands and thousands of people to better their lives by learning and applying the principles of free enterprise. Ron needs a big house so he has room to invite a few friends over occasionally.

I think it’s great that Gunnar Holmquist is restoring his 150 acres by Chewelah but I think Ron has made a much greater positive impact on the environment. Amway is the only consumer products company to receive a United Nations environmental award. How many more tons of pollution would be dumped into the environment if Ron had been like most so-called men in this country? Their wives have to work outside the home and kids are in daycare yet they sit on their butts watching TV every night and criticize anyone with guts enough to be different. Steve Wood Spokane