VOL. XV, NO. 13
MAY 17, 1974
Letters
Dear Editor:
Throughout this past year a column on the sports page of our Westerner has caused considerable controversy. This column, "Bench Beat," by Brock Akers has continually demeaned sports and related subjects. In the 12 issues already printed Brock has cut down sports in some form seven times. In the last issue, for example, he said golf is an impractical game and is a very frustrating game for the duffer. In other issues he has called high school students apathetic toward sports and criticized the playing of the "Star Spangled Banner."
But the two columns which particularly made me and many others angry was the November 30 column, in which he called sports ridiculous and just idle folly and the April 5 article where he said baseball is not the national pastime. According to Brock, football just hurts people; cross country is nonsensical; and sports fans are dolts for watching such activity.
Brock fails to mention that sports means a lot to many people. Sports afford relaxation, fun, enjoyment, and a place to get away from the problems of the world for a while. Millions upon millions of people watch or attend sporting events over the year. Are there 30 million dolts who watched this year's Super Bowl? For the players, sports offers life‑long friendship, teamwork, and not to mention for the exceptional athlete, a great career. Tell me another profession where a player can get paid $400,000 to play 78 games a year, like Jerry West of the Los Angeles Lakers basketball team.
The April 5 column, which says baseball is no longer the national pastime, also proves Brock's failure to look at all of the facts. He says "every station from NBC to WMTH" will cover baseball. This statement in itself shows baseball's popularity. He also says baseball lasts longer and draws more people than any other sport. Granted, one reason for the high est attendance figures is the length of the season, but this is a tribute to baseball because this is the only sport that can average 25,000 people for 82 games like the Cincinnati Reds did last year. He says baseball is on the decline because Willie Mays is gone and the Yankees are not the dynasty they were for so long. In rebuttal Mays is being replaced by youngsters like Dave Parker of Pittsburgh and Bobby Bonds of San Francisco. The lack of a Yankee dynasty indicates the balance in the American League East.
Brock says other sports are making advances by having two major leagues apiece, and the competition for spectators causes a higher degree of entertainment. The only thing the new leagues in hockey, basketball, and football have accomplished is watered down the already low talent level. Instead of having a strong six‑team league like the NHL had 10 years ago, expansion of the WHA has caused a weak NHL and a weaker WHL.
Baseball will live on as the national pastime because of the loyal fans, young and old, that come out to the park (over 30 million came to major league parks last season) or watch the game at home. They know a good thing when they find it.
There is no way that a person like Brock Akers can say things in his article without pointing out all the facts. Most of his columns should not have been printed to begin with. How can anyone who never tried out for a sport or suffered through a day of practice be supposed to know sports.
Jeff Schwarz
Throughout this past year a column on the sports page of our Westerner has caused considerable controversy. This column, "Bench Beat," by Brock Akers has continually demeaned sports and related subjects. In the 12 issues already printed Brock has cut down sports in some form seven times. In the last issue, for example, he said golf is an impractical game and is a very frustrating game for the duffer. In other issues he has called high school students apathetic toward sports and criticized the playing of the "Star Spangled Banner."
But the two columns which particularly made me and many others angry was the November 30 column, in which he called sports ridiculous and just idle folly and the April 5 article where he said baseball is not the national pastime. According to Brock, football just hurts people; cross country is nonsensical; and sports fans are dolts for watching such activity.
Brock fails to mention that sports means a lot to many people. Sports afford relaxation, fun, enjoyment, and a place to get away from the problems of the world for a while. Millions upon millions of people watch or attend sporting events over the year. Are there 30 million dolts who watched this year's Super Bowl? For the players, sports offers life‑long friendship, teamwork, and not to mention for the exceptional athlete, a great career. Tell me another profession where a player can get paid $400,000 to play 78 games a year, like Jerry West of the Los Angeles Lakers basketball team.
The April 5 column, which says baseball is no longer the national pastime, also proves Brock's failure to look at all of the facts. He says "every station from NBC to WMTH" will cover baseball. This statement in itself shows baseball's popularity. He also says baseball lasts longer and draws more people than any other sport. Granted, one reason for the high est attendance figures is the length of the season, but this is a tribute to baseball because this is the only sport that can average 25,000 people for 82 games like the Cincinnati Reds did last year. He says baseball is on the decline because Willie Mays is gone and the Yankees are not the dynasty they were for so long. In rebuttal Mays is being replaced by youngsters like Dave Parker of Pittsburgh and Bobby Bonds of San Francisco. The lack of a Yankee dynasty indicates the balance in the American League East.
Brock says other sports are making advances by having two major leagues apiece, and the competition for spectators causes a higher degree of entertainment. The only thing the new leagues in hockey, basketball, and football have accomplished is watered down the already low talent level. Instead of having a strong six‑team league like the NHL had 10 years ago, expansion of the WHA has caused a weak NHL and a weaker WHL.
Baseball will live on as the national pastime because of the loyal fans, young and old, that come out to the park (over 30 million came to major league parks last season) or watch the game at home. They know a good thing when they find it.
There is no way that a person like Brock Akers can say things in his article without pointing out all the facts. Most of his columns should not have been printed to begin with. How can anyone who never tried out for a sport or suffered through a day of practice be supposed to know sports.
Jeff Schwarz
Dear Editor:
Out of curiosity we read Chris Ladner's anti‑handgun article in the Westerner of May 3. We are sure that he is sincere and means well; but other than generating emotion, he only proves that he has a lot to learn about handguns and their use. Recently the Handgun Club invited any students with antigun feelings including Chris (he was personally invited twice) to attend our club meeting and present their views while listening to ours. Needless to say, none of them showed up.
Chris feels that banning handguns would halt killing. Since most handguns are owned by law‑abiding people, his idea is something like suggesting that arson and stabbings could be controlled by taking matches and knives from housewives. Surely he doesn't believe that if handgun ownership were made illegal, criminals would form a column of twos at city hail to turn in their guns.
Two cases of tragic killings were cited by Chris to bolster his argument, but it is just as simple to find newspaper articles telling how the mere presence of a gun saved innocent lives from vicious killers. Like guns, automobiles can be used for good and bad, but nobody suggests seriously that cars be outlawed to stop the 55,000 annual highway killings. The death rate from guns, by the way, does not even approach this figure. Reckless drivers are punished; the car isn't given the blame. Why can't criminals, particularly armed ones, be punished promptly and severely?
According to Chris, "The gun lovers claim that handguns are used for sport and perhaps in rare cases (ours) they are." We asked Chris again to attend our next meeting or to visit the 1cal shooting range so that he may learn that target‑shooting is a sport of millions of respectable citizens.
Hendrik Radtke, President Maine West Handgun Club
Dear Editor:
I attended the Friendship Festival, and despite the forced attendance I thought it was pretty good. Actually I didn't think that there was enough time to go around and ask a lot of questions there, but I had a lot of fun and learned a lot of things in the time alloted.
The only part I didn't like was that questionnaire. The pretest was very confusing as most of the questions were unrelated to many things a student was interested in; the after‑test was also confusing as, having talked to some of the people, I still didn't understand what was going on. Actually I scored about the same on both of them.
Other than the questionnaire and the overcrowded filmstrip viewing up in the balcony, I thought the Friendship Festival was a very good idea.
Melinda Vaughn
Dear Editor:
This is to notify you that you don't know what you are really talking about when it comes to a handgun (firearms). You say that you want all handguns banned, but I tend to disagree with you. O.K., you say in your report that two policemen were killed by handguns (and it's a darn shame), but you could do the same with a rifle or shotgun; saw it off and you're ready to go. Also, did you ever ask yourself how that Jacob Cohen got his weapon? Well, I'll tell you. It was most likely stolen. You can't get rid of a handgun just because some criminal stole one and used it on you or me. It all starts back in the courts. He should have never been released for what he did before. Did you bother to check his record, or didn't you read it in the newspapers?
Lastly handguns are used for target shooting, even hunting. Handguns are registered if you didn't know that. Instead of talking of banning them, why didn't you go out and fire a handgun, rifle, or even a B.B. gun. Then tell me what they are used for.
Jim Calams
Out of curiosity we read Chris Ladner's anti‑handgun article in the Westerner of May 3. We are sure that he is sincere and means well; but other than generating emotion, he only proves that he has a lot to learn about handguns and their use. Recently the Handgun Club invited any students with antigun feelings including Chris (he was personally invited twice) to attend our club meeting and present their views while listening to ours. Needless to say, none of them showed up.
Chris feels that banning handguns would halt killing. Since most handguns are owned by law‑abiding people, his idea is something like suggesting that arson and stabbings could be controlled by taking matches and knives from housewives. Surely he doesn't believe that if handgun ownership were made illegal, criminals would form a column of twos at city hail to turn in their guns.
Two cases of tragic killings were cited by Chris to bolster his argument, but it is just as simple to find newspaper articles telling how the mere presence of a gun saved innocent lives from vicious killers. Like guns, automobiles can be used for good and bad, but nobody suggests seriously that cars be outlawed to stop the 55,000 annual highway killings. The death rate from guns, by the way, does not even approach this figure. Reckless drivers are punished; the car isn't given the blame. Why can't criminals, particularly armed ones, be punished promptly and severely?
According to Chris, "The gun lovers claim that handguns are used for sport and perhaps in rare cases (ours) they are." We asked Chris again to attend our next meeting or to visit the 1cal shooting range so that he may learn that target‑shooting is a sport of millions of respectable citizens.
Hendrik Radtke, President Maine West Handgun Club
Dear Editor:
I attended the Friendship Festival, and despite the forced attendance I thought it was pretty good. Actually I didn't think that there was enough time to go around and ask a lot of questions there, but I had a lot of fun and learned a lot of things in the time alloted.
The only part I didn't like was that questionnaire. The pretest was very confusing as most of the questions were unrelated to many things a student was interested in; the after‑test was also confusing as, having talked to some of the people, I still didn't understand what was going on. Actually I scored about the same on both of them.
Other than the questionnaire and the overcrowded filmstrip viewing up in the balcony, I thought the Friendship Festival was a very good idea.
Melinda Vaughn
Dear Editor:
This is to notify you that you don't know what you are really talking about when it comes to a handgun (firearms). You say that you want all handguns banned, but I tend to disagree with you. O.K., you say in your report that two policemen were killed by handguns (and it's a darn shame), but you could do the same with a rifle or shotgun; saw it off and you're ready to go. Also, did you ever ask yourself how that Jacob Cohen got his weapon? Well, I'll tell you. It was most likely stolen. You can't get rid of a handgun just because some criminal stole one and used it on you or me. It all starts back in the courts. He should have never been released for what he did before. Did you bother to check his record, or didn't you read it in the newspapers?
Lastly handguns are used for target shooting, even hunting. Handguns are registered if you didn't know that. Instead of talking of banning them, why didn't you go out and fire a handgun, rifle, or even a B.B. gun. Then tell me what they are used for.
Jim Calams