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March 2, 1996
O'Donnell couldn't have stayed
I am writing to disagree with the premise presented in Bill Bane's
letter. I support his claim that too many of the athletes
in sports today are playing for the wrong reasons. It is sad to see
the game deteriorating to a scramble for cash after a contract is up.
But in Neil O'Donnell's case, I don't blame him.
Rather than seeing O'Donnell as a selfish football player only for himself, let's see him
as someone turned against by many of his own "teammates." Regardless
of the result of the Super Bowl, these players should be in it
together from the start until the finish. That is the price they pay
to be parts of a whole.
Whether he deserved it or not, O'Donnell
received perhaps too much criticism from his city, and more importantly,
his own teammates, to be able to return. I don't know if he could
reassume the leadership he spent his entire career trying to gain.
And judging by the words of some of his wide receivers, I don't know
if he'd want to.
Ben Lovitt
Austin, Texas
Belle dinged a little too much
This latest fine imposed on Albert Belle is one of the most ridiculous
things I have ever heard. Does his yelling and screaming at reporters
deserve the stiffest fine in baseball history?
I guess it isn't so bad to charge the mound or create a bench clearing brawl, just don't mess with the reporters. I think Albert has every reason not to pay it. I'm not saying he
has an exemplary character or that he doesn't deserve some sort of
discipline, I just think he should be given the same treatment as a
any other player. I doubt if any other player would have even gotten fined
for doing the same thing.
It's not like he whizzed a baseball at some fan's
chest. Not this year, at least. And it's not like he can't afford it. If
they are going to fine him that much for what he did, they should be fining
players a whole lot more for fighting, that's all.
Maybe he can forgive them for robbing him of the MVP, and they can call it
even.
Mike Goodell
Oxford, Ohio
Where's the justice?
I would like to comment on the NCAA ruling in 
the cases of Sunday
Adebayo and Jesse Pate of the Arkansas Razorbacks.
I feel that it
is unfair for the NCAA to punish the players for something that was
obviously the University's mistake. If the NCAA would like to punish
someone, they should punish the university for its mistake and not
the players who had no control over the paperwork on their
correspondence courses. The NCAA says the case wasn't even worth a
hearing, and I think they are right, but they punished in the wrong
direction. They have told Sunday and Jesse that they can never wear
an Arkansas uniform again, although it was something out of their
control.
This case could have been investigated at the beginning of
the year, but instead they waited till there had been 23 games played
and then decided, after the Razorbacks began to play as a team, to
investigate the case. It is unfair to the university and the other
members of the team, but especially to Sunday and Jesse. And to top
it all off, another player, I believe Kerry Kittles, used a university
calling card to run up a $3,000 phone bill. In the real
world, this would be a felony, but to the NCAA it is only worth a
three-game suspension. Not only that, but he can also play in the Big
Dance.
I feel that the NCAA rulings in these cases are not only a
travesty, but a joke that is not even funny.
Ron Feeser
Monticello, Ark.
March 1, 1996
A thousand bucks? They call that a fine?
I agree with Bob Hilgemann's letter about the fine on Ron Francis for hitting
Vladimir Malakov from behind. At least Francis was fined, but come on! Only two games and $1,000?! I say give him a fine of two games and at least $10,000.
I'm sure Francis will not do it again, considering he is not that type of player. But the NHL should give a warning to other players who attempt to hit from behind.
First some player from the NHL only gets a $1,000 fine and two games for almost seriously injuring a player for a season -- or even life -- then I hear Michael Jordan and Charles Barkley get fined $20,000 each for not showing up at some stupid media day at the All-Star game. What an insult!
Chris Murphy
LaSalle, Manitoba
Fans will learn some Great lessons
Suddenly all the sports writers in L.A. are hockey experts. People who, until the 1988 Gretzky trade, didn't know a stick from a puck suddenly are all-knowing.
It is true that Gretzky represented all that was hockey in Southern California. Since that fateful August day in 1988, two more NHL teams have since joined the state, minor-league hockey is booming and fans actually know a little about the game.
However, trading Wayne Gretzky was the best thing the Kings could have done. This team needs to learn that rebuilding is part of winning Stanley Cups. Look at the Montreal Canadiens. They have long been able to build winning teams by building solid rosters of stars and future stars. Stars can only become great by being allowed to mature and grow.
By trading Gretzky to St. Louis, the Kings received three promising future prospects and a chance to acquire two more. They now have some extra cash to possible pick up a seasoned veteran or two.
And the best thing is, L.A. has a chance to really learn what hockey is about (and all sports for that matter).
No more of this "I only go to see Gretzky" attitude. Maybe they'll be able to sit back and actually see this game for what it really is -- the greatest sport in the world!
Douglas Carrigan
Los Angeles
Benedict O'Donnell
Neil O'Donnell's decision to sign with the New York Jets is just another example of the lack of loyalty that has
been created in sports today, whatever the cause might be.
It is sad that players care more about money than they do about winning and loyalty to their team, their fans, and their employers. I am a huge Pittsburgh fan but was never really a Neil O'Donnell fan ... that is, until he lead them to the Super Bowl and I started to see that there really was some talent under that beard.
Now I know this success means nothing to him -- and a lot of players for that matter -- and I know the sight of dollar signs clouded his mind. So, on behalf of all Steeler fans, I would like to thank Neil for rewarding our loyalty with a nice little surprise.
But I'm not nervous about the Steelers' future, because I know O'Donnell was just one part of the team's tremendous success. So, Neil, I hope you enjoy the commercials while watching your ex-teammates in the Super Bowl next year. And maybe this time the quarterback won't mistake the opposing team's defensive backs for his wide receivers.
Bill Bane
Bloomington, Ind.
It isn't a one-man Magic act
As a longtime Lakers fan stranded in the
The fact is,t Magic has been injured and out of the lineup for some of those games the writers' list as being "since his return" and the Lakers have only lost one of them -- to the defending champs -- by the narrowest of circumstances!
Don't get me wrong: I love Magic Johnson and still have problems getting to sleep at night because I'm so giddy about his return. But this is a damn good basketball in its own right -- witness the stats of Cedric the Great and Elden the Grand -- which deserves a little recognition independent of Magic's storied shadow.
Of course, while the Lakeshow is busy beating the rest of West in the playoffs, Magic will likely play a key role and still get all of the credit. Oh well. As long as the writers throw the rest of the Lakers a bone every now and then I'll be happy celebrating our Finals victory over the Bulls.
Chad O. Luthro
Ames, Iowa
Feb. 29, 1996
All right L.A., how do you like hockey now?
Now that Wayne (Gretzky) has left Los Angeles for greener pastures, the
remaining hockey fans now have a choice to make: Continue to watch their
second class team or abandon their team just like they did to both of their
football teams.
It is no secret that L.A. is a city full of fair-weather fans who only go to
games if their team is doing well at that period of time. The Kings will not
be a playoff team until their young talent matures, and that won't
be for a while. We have been waiting a long time to see where Wayne was
going to be traded; now we'll see how much the city loves hockey now that
its meal ticket is gone.
I certainly won't be surprised if the Kings skip
town just like the Rams and Raiders. There are other markets with better and
more knowledgeable fans out there. Let's see what happens.
Steve Arch
Milwaukee
The final piece
The Blues made a major improvement in the acquisition of "The Great
One," Wayne Gretzky. The St. Louis Blues have had outstanding
goaltending in Grant Fuhr all year. The major problem for the Blues
has been their sputtering offense. Gretzky gives the Blues all-stars at all six positions. In addition, The Blues finally have a true center for the first time since Adam Oates to feed the Golden Brett (Hull). With Gretzky and Hull together, Hull could easily attain another 80-goal season. The Blues are now a true force in the chase for Lord Stanley's Cup!
Stephen Hull
Quincy, Ill.
Junior Hockey is a model system
After reading Dan Ryazansky's letter on the absurdity of
paying college athletes, I couldn't agree more. I propose that the professional leagues get together and create a "feeder system" similar
to the Canadian Major Junior Hockey Leagues (CHL). In the CHL, top prospects
enter the league when they are 16 or 17 years old with the intention of
playing pro hockey and receive a paycheck from their team each week. Most
players do not have to go to school and can make hockey their full-time
concentration.
If the NFL and NBA followed this example, the serious
prospects wouldn't have to waste their time (and their scholarship)
going through the motions in college simply to play basketball or football
full time, which is essentially what most are doing. College sports should
be a place for true "student-athletes" and not prospects who are simply
exploiting the university to attain a pro contract and not a diploma.
Josh Goldin
Toronto, Ontario
Come on, Bud, get a clue
The Albert Belle situation shows how much we need a real commissioner.
Bud Selig had no right to wait five months to rule on this issue. He should
also look into the conduct of the press. If I had a bunch of scavengers
hanging around my desk in the morning while I was trying to do my job
I'm not so sure my reaction would have been a whole lot different (maybe
a little calmer.) Come on, Bud, get a clue. Maybe Albert should play in the
NBA. Then he could have knocked out two of her teeth, been fined $10,000
and miss only two games.
Jim Wagner
Cleveland
Puny fines aren't fine
Ron Francis' $1,000 fine and two-game suspension for his ridiculous check
is just another example of your typical pro sports "slap on the wrist".
What's $1,000 bucks and two nights off going to do? Nothing! I would
equate this to slapping me with a $10 fine for assaulting someone (who
wasn't looking at the time).
Blind checks in hockey, flagrant elbows in basketball, charging the mound
in baseball -- they're not part of the real game. It has to stop sometime.
If the commissioners want to give the games back to the skilled players
and the fans, then start dishing out some real punishment. A $10,000 or
$20,000 fine and 5 to 10 game suspension would make a player think twice
before charging the mound, starting a fight, or whacking another player
with his stick.
Bob Hilgemann
Tucson, Ariz.
Bitter? Oh, a tad
Neil O'Donnell to the Steelers or the Jets?
How can O'Donnell leave the
Steelers? A team he took to the Super Bowl and that has an
excellent chance of returning shunned in favor of the last place team in the
whole league. So long and farewell if you go Neil. I'm sure you'll
bring the Jets at least 2-3 wins yourself. Wallow in the misery of
New York instead of rejoicing in Pittsburgh.
O'Donnell said he was
playing for this (free agency). I didn't think you were playing to
win, then again how many players do these days? Not many. Have a
good time Neil. You and Mr. Searcy will suffer like others before you
in the mind of the fans. You two will be golfing early as the Steelers
advance to the playoffs. Then again, with all that money that's
clogging your eyesight, you'll probably never notice.
Jeff Stagno
Pittsburgh
Rebuild the machine
First of all, I'd just like to say that this is the best source of
sports information in the world. Anyway, I am commenting on Cincinnati's
attempt to try to resign all of their heroes from the 1990 championship team.
Being a huge Reds fan, it's great to see my favorite players back on my
favorite team. However, I'm wondering why they aren't concentrating on
finding a player to take Ron Gant's left field position and a legitimate replacement for
Benito Santiago behind the plate. Plus, they have made no real attempt
at signing any real pitchers like Andy Benes over the off season.
But Eric Davis is my favorite all-time player, and I hope he can make a tremendous
comeback. He deserves it. After all, if it wasn't for him the Reds might not
have had that jump start in Game 1 against the A's with that big homer.
Anyway, good luck to the Reds and down with the Braves!
Jason C. Friedrich
Baton Rouge, La.
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