Letters To The Editor

Baseball still a great game

It is sad to see the pessimistic view people like James Nelson (Letters, Nov. 5) hold for our national pastime, especially in the midst of one of the greatest clutch baseball teams of all time.

I do understand the hatred many people feel toward the Yankees baseball organization, but by no means should one let their personal feelings overshadow the greatness “The Game” has to offer.

Roger Clemens’ actions of throwing a splintered bat in the path of Mike Piazza was not at all virtuous.

However, anyone with some insight on baseball knows it was an act of intimidation, part of Clemens’ game. An effective part, as Clemens is not the prima donna Nelson claims, having won more Cy Young Awards than any pitcher in history.

Let us, as thoughtful people, notice the good rather than focus on all the bad. Sacred baseball records continue to fall, and it was easy to criticize “The Game” when andro-induced Mark McGwire broke Roger Maris’ home run record. Nevertheless, take notice that straight-laced Sammy Sosa also broke it.

As for the World Series, the Mets provided game, not only by breaking the Yankees’ streak, but also by pushing the world champions to the ninth inning of each game and only being outscored by two runs in five games.

Yes, the Yankees and Mets proved that baseball still is, and always will be, a great game. Alberico Ciccone Coeur d’Alene

Hunters, let’s clean up our act

In a day and age when there is so much opposition to hunting, you would think hunters would stand up and be counted in the fight to preserve this privilege. Instead, some seem to be stuck in a downward, self-destructive spiral, behaving in such a fashion it seems as if they were making one of those phony ads that portray hunters as blood-thirsty, kill-at-all-costs, beer-drinking slobs.

The anti-hunter, tree-hugging humanists can relax in their relentless effort to make it so you will never hunt again because there are so many of our own who seem unable or unwilling to conform to any standards of ethics in their hunting activities. You slobs are doing their job for them! Case in point: The other morning as my wife was taking our children the half-mile to the school bus at 6:45 a.m. (it is still very dark) I heard a gun shot outside the window of our home. A hunter (slob) had shot a deer in the neighbor’s driveway before legal shooting hours, by the light of his headlights, within 75 yards of three homes. His explanation to my irate wife was that he thought it was Boise Cascade land and he thought he was way out in the woods. He didn’t see the lights of the three homes in the dark and the fog, of course. (By the way, he was a handicapped hunter, full of all sorts of excuses why he had to break every rule in the book to bag this big, fat trophy doe!)

It will be a shame to see our way of life (hobby, enjoyment, religion, sport or whatever definition you give to this great outdoor activity) that is so much a part of America, be taken away from us. If and when that happens, it won’t be because of the anti-hunter tree-huggers. It will be because YOU failed to develop any ethics or were unwilling to police and eliminate the slobs from among us!

Let’s clean up our act, guys, or the AlGorians will take this privilege away from us.

Pick up your garbage, get valid permission to hunt, know where you are before you shoot. Hunting is a privilege, not a right! Let’s police ourselves and keep this privilege for years to come. Jim Palmer Clayton, Wash.