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© St. Petersburg Times, published May 20, 2001
Bud Selig is typical of his sport: overpaid and underachieved (Let's nip this in the Bud (May 15, 2001)). The owners should fire him and hire me. I can do his job as badly, and I'll do it for a lot less money. I promise to become invisible during a crisis, never to take a stand that might anger team ownership no matter how important the issue is to baseball, and surface only when everything appears quiet.
Oops, have I just plagiarized his job description?
-- Way Bandy Sr., St. Petersburg
I would like to thank Vince Naimoli and the Tampa Bay Devil Rays organization for their prayers and the thoughtfulness they have shown my husband and me this past year during our illness. The flowers, cards and visits were a real morale booster for both of us. Everyone from Vince to public relations, office personnel, radio and TV announcers, players and even Raymond always have been there when we needed them.
Despite all the bad publicity and losses, this is an admirable organization. There is never any mention in the media regarding the charitable things they have done. Not only Pinellas County but all the surrounding counties have benefited from their efforts and generosity. If we, as a community, do not back them by attending games, we will lose much more than a major-league franchise.
Tampa Bay, start doing your homework. Find out how much this community (schools, hospitals, Little Leagues, the homeless, children and seniors) has received in donations from the Rays. If the team leaves, many people will lose.
-- Ron and Sue Keller, St. Petersburg
Roger Mills' story about Dexter Jackson (Jackson's best gift is promise he kept, May 13) is an example of one of the great traditions in sports writing. Mills showed us the real person wearing the Bucs uniform, and painted a picture of the love and commitment that make Jackson a star, regardless of his performance on the field. In a period when athlete profiles have become synonymous with arrest records, Mills found and presented a positive role model, and a parent who brought out the best in her children. Thanks for this graphic reminder of what makes the Times a great paper.
-- WR Watts, Lecanto
Recently, I attended my first Rays game of the season. The crowd was the smallest I've ever seen at the Trop.
Blame it on a weak team? Vince Naimoli? The Trop? Maybe. Then I went to get two drinks. One beer, one large Coke, $11.75. Where's the fun in that?
-- Tim Sutton, Seminole
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