Letters To The Editor

Broncos fans poor sports

Monday night, when the Denver Broncos played and defeated the Oakland Raiders, I believe the fans of the Broncos behaved in a very immature way.

How is it people expect high school sporting events to show fair play and good sportsmanship when adults are shown throwing snowballs at the opposing team after defeating them?

Since I am in high school, I know how much emphasis is put on being a good sport and showing pride when you win or lose. I want to know what the fans of the Denver Broncos were thinking when they decided to pelt the opposing team’s players with snowballs after they had beaten them. All this does is put a bad example of how to act when you beat another team into the mind of everyone who saw this incident.

If I were from Denver, or if I were a fan of the Broncos, I would feel deeply ashamed of the way my fellow fans acted. I truly hope no other cities have fans who would act this way toward the opposing team. Patrick Heaton Tekoa

NFL badly needs realignment

I just read the article “Homestretch looks inviting” (Nov. 24) by Percy Allen of the Seattle Times. Allen missed the most obvious roadblock for the Seahawks … the AFC Central Division is playing in its own league.

Jacksonville and Tennessee (the haves) have a combined record of 17-3, with a 10-1 record against their division (the have-nots). They will play a combined 20 games in their division. What’s wrong with this picture?

The NFL needs desperately to realign itself. The NFL can’t even give the appearance of fairness with the results we see in the AFC Central. For years, the NFL has let teams change cities and added new teams, but there doesn’t seem to be any logic to the division or conference they are assigned to. We see a Western team (Arizona) in the NFC East, and an Eastern team (Atlanta) in the NFC West. We see a Central team (Indianapolis) in the AFC East, and a Eastern team (Baltimore) in the AFC Central.

(The reader offers a plan for aligning into four divisions in each conference that) would only move three teams and would create regional rivalries, while maintaining much of the previous ones.

The playoffs would go to eight teams per conference, with the No. 1 division winner playing the No. 4 wild card. I would eliminate the bye week for the better teams, and play for the No. 1 seeding and home-field advantage.

I wish the Seahawks the best of luck getting into the playoffs, but they are fighting much more than winning games. They’re fighting the system as well. Dave Keister Medical Lake

Parks deserves applause

Spokane area volleyball is among the best played in the Pacific Northwest. Greater Spokane and Bi-County league teams consistently have dominated state high school tournaments. Washington State, Eastern Washington, Idaho and Gonzaga all have earned spots in the NCAA Tournament in the last 10 years. Lewis-Clark State has been an NAIA powerhouse in national rankings. Spokane Falls has been the rock of Northwest CC teams.

A big part of this development of volleyball, and of volleyball players, has been Pam Parks. She served as a high school coach at Sandpoint before becoming Eastern Washington’s head coach 18 years ago. And for just as long, she has been developing junior players in the area through her work in USA Volleyball.

Parks is stepping aside at EWU to devote full time to her administrative duties in the athletic department. As she leaves the court, she deserves a huge round of applause and a big thank you from the hundreds of young players who have benefitted from her positive influence. Dale Goodwin Spokane

All road trips not created equal

John Blanchette writes (Nov. 21, “Trip to Hawaii doesn’t seem right”) that the Washington State Cougars’ final football game of the regular season in Honolulu makes for a “sexier road trip” than the Washington Huskies’ Holiday Bowl berth in San Diego.

This must only be in the context of where you happen to deplane and without regard to bowl revenues, TV exposure, and alleged recruiting advantages. If all this is true as Blanchette supposes, then it certainly follows by common logic that a “road trip” to San Diego, Tempe, or even Pasadena, simply cannot equal the pleasure found by playing in Hawaii. Even if the season is lost and the opponent from a historically inferior conference. Forget about winning the Pac-10 title; heck, forget about winning altogether, because it apparently isn’t about why we play, but really all about where we play.

I can appreciate the stance of the loyal opposition as much as anyone as that is what keeps a great rivalry going through the years, but statements like Blanchette’s serve only to lessen the rivalry as they are without foundation, logic, or reason. Kevin Johnson Sandpoint

Run more on Richards, Monaco

I would like to thank you and your staff for publishing auto racing results this year. However, I think you could have done better on Kevin Richards’ big win at Motegi, Japan.

Kevin is a local kid who has paid his dues by doing everything on a race crew from sweeping the shop floor to fabricating parts to being crew chief for other drivers and finally to driving. Kevin won four races this year in NASCAR West.

The other unsung hero in this great win for Spokane is Gene Monaco of Monaco Enterprises Inc. Gene is a local businessman, who through the years sponsored many cars and drivers around here. He spends big dollars on his race team, but can’t even showcase them locally because we don’t have a NASCAR sanctioned track.

It would be great to see a picture and a feature story about this winning race team. Norm Ellefson Cheney

Bad eats at WSU

I’ve been a WSU season ticket holder for basketball and football for more than 40 years, and I’ve had it with those hot dogs in Pullman.

I’m not talking about the athletic programs; I’ve thoroughly enjoyed every game. My problem is with the weenies that are served during the ball games. They are not fit for human consumption.

How tough is it to serve a good-tasting weenie? If you want a first-class athletic program at WSU, I think you should address the weenies first. And the popcorn. It’s not much better! Al Schauble Spokane