Fan Speak 4/22/07

Reprehensible handling

SOUTHEAST MISSOURI State's recent handling of injuries to football players is reprehensible.

Thanks for the Hall

I WOULD like to thank the Southeast Missourian sports department, local radio sports talk show hosts like Erik Sean, Todd Bonacki and Jess Bolen, and the legions of fans who kept up the pressure on Central to reintroduce its athletic Hall of Fame. Without your efforts, it would never have happened, although one must give pause, because it's not yet a certainty. After all the time that passed during which the Hall of Fame was allowed to lapse, it has come to the point that we'll believe it has been reinstituted when we see it.

Sidelined

I HEARD the reason Mitch Craft is not with the Southern Mississippi football program anymore is because of multiple injuries -- shoulders, back, knees, hamstrings -- that won't allow him to play. Such a shame. He was a great athlete and I hate to hear about his playing days coming to an end because of that particular reason.

(The Web site semoball.com linked to a story in the March 30 edition of the Jackson (Miss.) Clarion-Ledger that said Craft was no longer with the Southern Miss team. "I haven't heard from [Craft] in a while," USM coach Jeff Bower was quoted as saying.)

Fitting honor

KRISTAIN BURGER'S selection as Southeast Missourian's Player of the Year in girls basketball is very deserving. Her work ethic and talent are remarkable. Congrats to all the selections on the team.

(Burger, a senior at Notre Dame, will be attending Saint Louis University in the fall on a softball scholarship.)

Bad PR

I AGREE with Southeast Missourian sports writer Toby Carrig when he writes that Southeast Missouri State promotes rumors with its public relations strategy. It is suspicious how the little information about football player T.J. Walls' injury was released so late after the incident.

Contact the regents

ON TUESDAY, the Southeast Missourian ran a column in which Toby Carrig called on Southeast athletic director Don Kaverman to be more forthcoming and to have better communication with the press and with the public. I have to agree 100 percent. Almost every single negative story coming out of Southeast Missouri State in recent years -- except for, of course, the River Campus -- has had to do with sports. It seems like we have a real problem in that department. Information being withheld as if there's some big, dark secret. That allows gossip and rumors to flourish and instead of just putting things to rest and being upfront without violating someone's rights to privacy. It could be done. It's just not being done here. Kaverman is a wonderful human being, and I have the utmost respect for him as a person, but I don't believe he's doing the best job possible at our university and I think our sports programs have suffered under his tenure. People need to contact the regents and tell them how we feel about that.