Fan Speak 9/25/05

More important matters

I WAS disheartened to see Roger Clemens pitch for the Houston Astros on the day of his mother's death. Why do professional athletes feel the need to not take at least a day off after the death of an immediate family member? We sports fans would understand if someone did not feel like performing after a death of a parent. We need to understand that certain things supersede a wild card chase.

Eliminate mistakes

DOES THE Southeast Missouri State football team ever work on all the mistakes they make? I've never seen a team shoot themselves in the foot more than they do. They could have probably won at least one of their games if not for all the dumb mistakes.

Hooray for freshmen

I WOULD just like to herald the performance of the Central ninth-grade football team against Perryville. The two lines of mention the team received in the newspaper didn't do justice to the 28-28 overtime tie. It was, by far, the most entertaining game I have seen in years. Perhaps continued performances of this quality will qualify them for jerseys that don't have numbers falling off or hand-painted on. They deserve better.

Thanks for coverage

THANKS TO Bill Hester for the great coverage of Notre Dame's third-place game in the Jackson Tournament.

Gotta gamble

I UNDERSTAND the way some people feel that Southeast should only recruit quality young athletes. However, it's not really coach Gary Garner's fault. All small Division I schools take the same gamble hoping some will work out. What I don't understand is the recent uproar over a basketball transfer. He's nowhere near the worst one they've ever taken a chance on but has caused the most controversy.

Still lousy

NEW TEAM name, new team look, same lousy team. If Southeast wants to save money, they should cut the football program. They're an embarrassment to the university and the city of Cape Girardeau.

Cards deserve respect

I WOULD just like to comment about the Cardinals. I've been watching "Pardon the Interruption" and "Sports Center" on ESPN and different programs on TV, and it seems like nobody wants to give the Cardinals their due. They're the best team in baseball, they have the best record in baseball, they have an MVP candidate, they have a Cy Young candidate and lots of Gold Gloves, but you never hear nothing about them very much. I know if the Yankees had the same record the Cardinals did, that's all you would hear about on TV is Yankees, Yankees, Yankees or Boston, Boston, Boston. The Cardinals have the best record in baseball. They should be talked about a little bit more.