Letters To The Editor

M’s brass out to lunch

Whether you agree or disagree with the trade of Randy Johnson is a moot point. What’s done is done, case closed.

It remains to be seen the effect it will have on the team this year and in years to come.

I feel ownership failed when it turned down offers from the Yankees and Dodgers. Naturally, if what the Mariners received for Johnson proves to be helpful in the long term, then ownership won’t look like the bad kid on the block. But one really has to wonder what the future holds for Mariners baseball. What happens when contracts come due for Griffey, Rodriguez, Wilson, Segui just to name a few? What will ownership do then? Dave Carlson Spokane

Credibility questioned

Recently, the Washington Horse Racing Commission denied the Muckelshoots a license to operate Playfair. The grounds for the rejection was based on the Muckelshoots not being able to meet their liabilities and financial projections. The Commission felt it a disservice to the citizens of the state to grant the license.

The people who put the show on at Playfair are successful people who own, train and breed racehorses. Most are there for the love and enjoyment of horses, as well as the money. I have been in horse racing since 1960. Two of my family members make a living in the business. What they learned, and their start, was at Playfair. The horse racing people at Playfair have had rough times. At one point, we put our own money together and leased the track ourselves. Senator West stated that the Commission has put stumbling block after stumbling block before us. We always managed to make it until now.

I believe an important duty of the Commission is to enhance and help sustain the industry statewide. To my knowledge, we in Eastern Washington have had little or no positive suggestions or reinforcement of any kind. Their input concerning Playfair has been negative and discriminatory.

Financial responsibilities was an issue in the denial of the license. Do you think Jack Pring, one of the most successful businessmen in the northwest, would lease a $4- or $5-million facility to someone who is incapable of meeting their responsibilities? Apparently, the Commission feels that Mr. Pring just stepped off the bus.

I believe the disservice to the citizens of the state is having a racing commission that refuses to perform its duties. Let’s talk about credibility. Why can’t the racing commission tell us that they do not want racing in Eastern Washington? Give it to us straight! Give us the real reason for the denial of the Muckleshoots application.

For the record, Jim Seabeck, one of the three commission members, was the only one who showed any interest and support for Playfair. As an experienced and successful businessman, he, too, didn’t just step off the bus. Dan McCanna Deer Park