Backtalk: Letters to the Seattle Times sports editor for this week.
Apple Cup
Leach’s actions dangerous for WSU
WSU football coach Mike Leach is a horse’s derriere, with the empathy of a jackal. And based on his public actions and statements, Leach may have put WSU in future legal jeopardy.
His crass and disinterested attitude about the head traumas of football players could cost WSU millions of dollars in damages and a national black eye. In answer to the rhetorical headline on Matt Calkins’ column (“Leach: Man of purpose or just petulant?” Nov. 24), Leach is the latter and much more.
Steven L. Kendall, Seattle
Support column with facts, not allegations
I take issue with the journalistic effort in Matt Calkins’ column about Mike Leach. Calkins thinks Leach was insensitive in his remarks after being asked to comment on his quarterback’s condition following a head injury. I understand Leach’s behavior completely. Here’s a coach who is required to answer a series of probing, inane questions from reporters. If they expected concern, I would show them flippancy. If they hoped for a “typical” answer, I would give them anything but.
Most Read Sports Stories
Calkins then proceeds to malign Leach’s past episodes at Texas Tech. He begins with the ever-popular “sources alleged.” What sources? In the following paragraph, “more allegations emerged.” I’m just a guy with no training who reads the newspaper. But it seems to me that if a writer is unable to support his thesis with facts rather than allegations, he should find a different topic.
Tom Likai, Shoreline
Pac-12 deserves better TV treatment
Northwest college sports fans are getting had. Case in point: an unbelievably awkward 12:30 p.m. Friday start time for the Apple Cup.
One of my sons, a UW grad, couldn’t watch the game because he had to work. Imagine that: working on Friday. Point is, lousy TV start times are killing the fan base. I find myself not caring about missing games after 50 years of being an avid Husky follower.
Last Saturday was another fine example of how TV slights the West Coast. At prime time, from 4 p.m. to 8 p.m., ESPN had four games on, with not one team from west of the Rockies. The Huskies were on earlier that day and a couple of important Pac-12 games came on at 7:45.
Can you imagine what the lack of exposure does to college recruiting? Some recruits pick their schools based on what they see on TV. ESPN is degrading West Coast football and all college sports with its week-in, week-out worship of the SEC and ACC. We deserve as good a deal as the rest of the nation gets.
Don Curtis, Clinton
Seahawks
Nominating new nickname for Rawls
How about this nickname for Thomas Rawls? “Steamrawler”!
Dan Mauch, Bothell
Something just doesn’t add up
Tuning into a Seahawks game this season could be compared to blowing on a set of dice and letting them roll. You have no idea what you’re going to get.
And now we have the 6-4 Steelers coming to town. One would like to think we should be able to collar a win, but I’m not going there. Call it a trust factor.
In a perfect football world, the Seahawks go out and shut me up. And I’d be fine with that. But something just doesn’t add up. They are capable of going on one of their recent late-season runs, get into the playoffs, make a little noise, but another Super Bowl appearance seems farfetched at best.
Creig Hamstad, Kenmore
Add new category to Frenzy meter
I’m not sure of the scientific accuracy of your Seahawk Frenzy meter. Are fans really “confident” after a win over the San Francisco 49ers? Maybe you should add another category between “confident” and “anxious,” something like: “Temporarily happy, but mostly resigned to Mariners-like performances this year.”
Craig Staats, Bellevue
Send us your backtalk:
Letters bearing real names, addresses and telephone numbers for verification are considered for publication. Please limit letters to 125 words or less. They are subject to editing and become the property of The Times. Fax them to 206-493-0934, or mail to: Backtalk, Seattle Times Sports, P.O. Box 70, Seattle, WA 98111. Or email to:
sports@seattletimes.com