Great column by John Romano (Bowden is angry for all the wrong reasons, Monday). I think the public is tired of hearing about how athletes (college and pros) are so mistreated. The ones in trouble for battery, theft, gambling, rape, etc. say it is not their fault. Someone else is always to blame. The coach refers to them as kids. They are grown men who should appreciate their talent and privileges. The coaches should show some integrity and be angry and frustrated with the athletes causing the problems.
-- Mary Polaz, Dunnellon
FSU not the only lax program
Will John Romano (Bowden is angry for all the wrong reasons, Monday) be writing any time soon that scathing article about Coach Zook and his allowing the team to vote back onto the squad two players he dismissed?
If one program is wrong with its discipline policy, then both are wrong. As the media are fond of saying about Coach Bowden, you can't have it both ways.
Does Romano have any other concrete suggestions as to how to stop student-athletes from committing crimes? If he has the solution to stop crimes before they happen, then elect him president of the world.
-- Bill Swartzbaugh, Tampa
Guillen not expendable after all
Wait a minute. The A's get Jose Guillen from the Reds to help with their pennant run? Wasn't he the one who became expendable when the Rays got the $5.5-million man (Ben Grieve) from the A's? What's wrong with this picture? Way to go, Chuck (as usual).
-- L.A. McCloud, via e-mail
Take it easy on LaMar
I am writing to respond to a letter by David Egbert (LaMar must go, July 27). His lack of knowledge of the Tampa Bay Devil Rays organization disgusts me. And his lack of respect for the difficult job Chuck LaMar has needs an attitude change. He does not understand what limited opportunities LaMar has. The Yankees pay more for their starting outfield than the Rays have for their total payroll.
Egbert commented that LaMar "is about to drop $5-million on a 17-year-old who never has swung a wooden bat or seen a backdoor slider." If he were a fan, he would know Delmon Young told USA Today that he likes wood baseball bats better. As for the backdoor slider, that's what the minors are for. Egbert should be notified of the depth we have in our farm teams. Almost every position in our minor leagues has at least one young player who can make an impact in years to come, from Pete LaForest, B.J. Upton, Wes Bankston, to the Gomes brothers.
If David Egbert is so upset over LaMar's performance, let's see him do the job.
-- Christopher Whiteside, Largo
[Last modified August 3, 2003, 01:47:46]
