WHERE'S TED WIILLAMS?: As a result of the revealing Padres article on “Fuson's pipeline making progress” written by Tim Sullivan, I submit the following observations:
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TAKE FIVE
Union-Tribune columnist Nick Canepa looks into the future and gives us his take on the five stories we'll be talking about this coming week:
1. Meeting the NFL commissioner for the first time, Al Davis tells Roger Goodell: “Pete, take a hike.”
2. Sarah Palin accuses Barack Obama of hanging out with Pacman Jones.
3. In retesting Beijing Olympic athletes for drugs, investigators find extraordinarily high levels of Kung Pao.
4. John Moores sells his majority share in the Padres to Fred Mertz.
5. Hoping to improve their team batting average, the Padres hire Mario Mendoza as hitting instructor.
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1. Those that can, do. Wally Joyner.
2. Those that can't, manage. Grady Fuson.
3. Those that can't manage, administrate. Kevin Towers.
4. Those that can't administrate, set expectations. Sandy Alderson.
Where's Ted Williams when you need him? He'd probably have a few choice words for this micro-managed approach. . . . Heck, Willie Mays probably wouldn't have survived this organization. Going 1-for-26 in his first MLB at-bats? Makes you wonder.
CHRIS BALTEFF, San Marcos
NOT THIS YEAR: Good article by Brent Schrotenboer about SDSU (U-T, Oct. 9). I spent quite a few years up in the view section with the old guys and gals, but not this year. About a year ago I e-mailed AD Jeff Schemmel and made a few suggestions and thought I'd pass them on. Maybe we can light a fire.
Stop playing on Saturday nights. Nights are for high school. BYU. USC. UCLA. Utah. They all play on Saturday afternoons. Afternoons are more festive, more fun. Nights are dismal, particularly in the view.
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Sports letters
Address: Sports Letters, The San Diego Union-Tribune, P.O. Box 120191, San Diego, CA 92112-0191
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The all-black uniforms suck. (Again, from the view.) They diminish the team. The contrast in the away outfits looks great. Reverse it at home – go with light pants.
Re-outfit the band in Aztecs uniforms, bring them into the 21st Century. Query the student body and alumni as to why they don't come out (and about changes like these).
I'll bet they'd come if they were having a good time. They probably could not care less about won-loss records.
GEORGE HEMSLEY, San Diego
PULL THAT PLUG: I have a difficult time agreeing with much of what Nick Canepa writes. However, in his editorial about the Aztecs, he hit a home run. He expressed my thoughts and feelings almost exactly, and I'm sure did the same for a lot of other Aztecs followers and alumni. I didn't agree with getting rid of Tom Craft in the first place. I thought he deserved one more year. He seemed close when they pulled the plug.
Long deserved a shot. Now however, whether it's due to injuries, lack of talent, or coaching, the Aztecs are practically unwatchable. And now without their quarterback, all hope for this year is gone. I think that in order to give us all hope, Long has to go. We need to feel like we'll have a chance next year and beyond, and that just doesn't exist right now.
Please give us a modicum of hope and fire Long now.
G.D. MORRILL, Escondido
NOWHERE TO PLAY? In response to the article by Nick Canepa regarding Aztecs football, I dare say SDSU has never been able to play with the big boys for any length of time. Even the “glory years” of Aztecs football under Don Coryell was built upon beating smaller schools with lesser programs.
Sure, they have had their share of great players. In order for the Aztecs to be competitive they need to get out of the Mountain West Conference, stop playing the big boys in the early games and hire a top-flight coach who has experience. I would have hired Lane Kiffen the day he got fired by the “skeleton ghost” in Oakland, and brought in a new staff.
If something doesn't change and quick, SDSU football will go the way of Long Beach State and others that have found football costs prohibitive and not worth all the headaches. What's more, they may have nowhere to play in the near future.
BRIAN PIKE, Spring Valley
MISSING MAGEE: I recently read the distressing article that Jerry Magee was retiring. He has left a valuable legacy to all the sports fans of San Diego, if not a broader venue. Nick Canepa's tribute article last Saturday was truly complimentary and accurate. Jerry Magee has been a powerhouse resource to the sports journalism community for his half century of dedicated production and creativity.
I was fortunate to play on championship high school football teams at San Diego High and later at Cal and enjoyed following Jerry's commentaries and critiques. He is truly a master worthy of recognition and rewards. Hopefully he will find many of both in his well-deserved retirement. I also hope he will occasionally contribute more articles, commentaries and critiques, so the rest of us sports fans can enjoy his literary prowess.
JAMES S. MARINOS, San Diego
THE GREAT OUTDOORS: Good to see more of Ed Zieralski's articles hitting the paper version of the U-T these days. . . . Maybe somebody finally recognized the number of readers that look for the quality outdoor coverage and “close to home” articles that he provides.
Yeah, there are boat launches being closed, water shortages, and debates on what to close, but it's the “youngsters” in their 90s catching “fish of a lifetime” and the youngsters catching their first fish of a lifetime, and the families camping and turkey hunting, etc., that make a lot of us outdoors folks smile and forget the rest of the stuff going on out there in the crazy world.
KEVIN OLIVER, San Diego
