Joanie Johns of Brooksville e-mails, "How could you be so hard on Ron Zook, a man with excellent human values and such a hard worker - obviously a tremendous recruiter - just because he's fallen a few wins shy of Steve Spurrier as coach of my Florida Gators?"
Buster Kern of Tampa suggests, "You're on the money, writing that Zook is a fourth-quarter have-not. Whatever his qualities, they won't make up for (a) winning too few football games and (b) not convincing UF followers that their guy is likely to excel in head-knockings with the country's best coaches."
S.J. Bergman of St. Pete Beach adds, "Zook has to go. Never should've gotten the job. Football has become too big in Gator Country to settle for 8-5 records and anything less than domination in the Swamp. Against quality opponents, this guy is barely over .500 on what should be one of the country's toughest homefields. He's never going to get better."
Dave Langley of Sarasota concludes with this e-mail: "Florida fans should get over Spurrier. He's the past. Bringing the Redskins' big flop back would be bad. Zook, given time, will be strong in chasing championships and national rankings. Don't be calling for a good man's scalp, okay?"
MY TAKE: My column aim was to present Zook's situation as I saw it and heard it. Nothing deeper. Taking no stance. But, as can happen, more was read into the words, including by Sonny Bond of Orlando who termed my work, "Another piece of trash from a suspicious source," and there was Bettye Roland of Lakeland who concluded, "You're right, that Zook should be gone by January."
Never said that, but maybe now ...
Rossie Smith of New Port Richey, a native Bostonian, communicated minutes after the Game 7 battering of New York: "No matter what happens in the World Series, my Red Sox heart has never pounded with such pride. Bosox jubilation in the Bronx, imagine that.
"They've been my team 66 years, since I was a fourth-grader and Dad first took me to Fenway. Being down 0-3 against the hated Yanks, then winning four straight has this old Massachusetts girl believing '04 is the dreamed-of year when we finally win it all."
MY TAKE: My peepers have experienced a TV triple dip to compare with two Games 5s Monday (Sox-Yanks and Astros-Cards) spliced with enticing glances at Bucs-Rams. My remote control was afire. Houston became a colossal sight, with Jeff Kent's bottom of ninth homer beating St. Louis for a 3-2 NLCS edge.
Boston was even better, with 14-inning survival after nearly six hours, keeping the Sox alive. Fox deserves an Emmy for spicing our overloaded night with dozens of crowd shots that delivered none of the usual boring, camera-mugging nonsense but instead a symphony of incredible Fenway emotions from despair to praying to confusion to hope to begging to desperation to dynamic glee.
Go for it, Rossie!
Dickie Greene of Atlanta communicated: "I've read you and heard you on TV saying that Michael Vick doesn't deserve being ranked among the best NFL quarterbacks. How can you be so blind?"
MY TAKE: I'm fascinated by Vick but I also believe recognition should be earned and not manufactured due to pizazz or potential or media infatuation. He could become the best. Vick is the quickest QB ever. His arm is powerful. His approach admirable. But, for now, based on production and not hype, I'm nowhere near ready to crown Michael king of NFL quarterbacks.
To me, he is a giant step shy of Peyton Manning, Tom Brady, Daunte Culpepper, Donovan McNabb, Steve McNair or Brett Favre. And, Dickie, he's no better than even in comparison with Chad Pennington, Jake Plummer, Aaron Brooks, David Carr, Marc Bulger and maybe even Drew Brees and Jake Delhomme.
Still, the Birds are 5-1.
Andy Musgrove of Sand Key says he's pained because, "Just when my NHL interest was reaching old-time highs, like when I was a kid Rangers fan in New York, all of it due to our Lightning turning on the Tampa Bay area to a great sport by winning the Stanley Cup, this ridiculous labor stuff robs us. When will they come to their senses?"
MY TAKE: No hint, Andy. Multitudes from Quebec City to Ybor City share your loss and ire. Hockey players have never seemed to have the greed and arrogance of MLB, NBA and MLB brothers, so I'm not sure which side is the bigger devil, athletes or NHL management.
What I do know is that a league with lousy TV revenues and ticket prices pushing the limit is fiddling with disaster. Frankly, I don't want to see the Cup around our neighborhood forever, if you know what I mean.
