Letters To The Editor

`Talent’ shares blame

Regarding William J. Hiatt’s letter (“His wish granted,” Jan. 3): I’m certainly not an expert on coaching football, such as Mr. Hiatt obviously is. However, I am an expert on people.

In my business as a golf professional, I deal with thousands of people every week. In all the people I have met and known, I feel fortunate to have known Dennis Erickson and his staff of “college coaches,” i.e. Keith Gilbertson, Tim Lappano, Greg Smith and Bob Bratkowski, for more than 15 years.

I have never known any of them to give less than 110 percent in anything they do. (And where do professional coaches come from anyway?)

I attended three Seattle Seahawks games this year and watched the rest on TV. Anyone who witnessed the games this season would have seen the “talent” dropping passes, the “talent” fumbling and the most expensive “talent” throwing interceptions.

Who do you blame when Tiger Woods plays poorly for 18 holes or a season? His coach, Butch Harmon? Or do you think Tiger may have had something to do with it?

I don’t think the responsibility of this season’s outcome rests only on the coaches. I believe the “talent” had a hand in it. How do you coach seasoned players to hold on to a football? Or throw it only to players with the same shirt as you’re wearing? And who coached that ref who ended the Seahawks’ season on the final play of the Jets game? Let’s blame him. Kim D. Walker Chewelah

Why involve God?

If God was so concerned about how the Green Bay Packers football team was doing the last few years, I would like to ask Reggie White and others with his mindset what the team did this year to make God so mad as to let the referees make a wrong call enabling the 49ers to beat the Packers in their playoff game?

And for that matter, when a tornado blows through a town killing a family of four in one house and sparing the family next door, and that family declares it’s a miracle from God, what does that mean? Or when a tornado wipes out a Baptist church and not the Catholic church down the street, do we say “Oops! those people picked the wrong religion?” John P. Baran Chattaroy

More 49ers, less Seahawks

I go to Odessa High and I’m an avid San Francisco 49ers fan. I was wondering something: What the heck are you guys doing? Not everybody loves the Seahawks, you know! After watching the very exciting NFC wild-card game between the 49ers and the Packers, I couldn’t wait until the next morning so that I could read the sports page and see a picture of my team.

But instead, I open up the Spokesman-Review to see a huge picture of a WSU Cougar and some guy after a basketball game (WSU’s win over Washington) and then a small picture of Terrell Owens. I don’t understand this. The 49ers just won the biggest game of the year so far in the NFL, and you guys can’t even put on a decent picture? This has happened many times this year.

I have noticed that you people choose to put a full-sized color picture of some Seahawks player and then a small picture inside the section of a 49er. Just because the Seahawks play in this state, it doesn’t mean that everyone is a Seahawks fan! I, myself, hate them. I hate everything about them.

Your newspaper can put a huge paper of two guys during the Fiesta Bowl on the front page, but Terrell Owens gets a small picture. May I remind you that the Fiesta Bowl is college football? I realize that game was for the national title, but I think the NFL playoffs are little more important.

Your newspaper can put a large picture of a decomposed kokanee on the front page, but you can’t put a picture of Steve Young in the entire sports section?

It is pathetic when you have to drive all the way to Spokane (a trip of four hours, round-trip) just to get a copy of USA Today or the San Francisco Chronicle just to see a decent picture and read a good article. James Lee Odessa

We welcome letters of up to 300 words on all sports and outdoors topics. All letters are subject to editing. Writers are limited to one letter a month. Please include your signature, street address and telephone number where you can be reached for verification. Send to Letters to the Sports Editor, The Spokesman-Review, 999 W. Riverside, Spokane 99201, or fax to (509) 459-5098, or e-mail to sports@spokesman.com. S-R sports staff Sports editor: Jeff Jordan Assistant sports editors: Joe Palmquist, Gil Hulse Outdoors editor: Rich Landers Columnist: John Blanchette Reporters: Steve Bergum, Chris Derrick, Hilary Kraus, Greg Lee, Janie McCauley, Jim Meehan, Carter Strickland, Dave Trimmer, Mike Vlahovich, Dan Weaver Copy desk: David Oriard, Geoff Pinnock, Jim Price Stats desk: Kory Boatman, Brandon Loucks Contributors: Fenton Roskelley, Chuck Stewart, Jeff Finke, Paul Delaney.