FanSpeak 11/3/02

Iknew it, I knew it

I JUST knew Notre Dame would receive a first-place vote or two in the Top 10 volleyball poll even after being crushed by Leopold in both sets last week. I'd love to see the logic behind the journalist who still maintains Notre Dame is the best team in Southeast Missouri. He probably also voted for Nebraska last year after they were spanked by Miami in the college football national title game. Unlike basketball, football, softball and other sports, the most powerful Southeast Missouri volleyball teams have consistently been the smaller schools. It's time for a few writers to wake up to that fact. Kudos to the other vote-casters, who voted honestly and not politically.

He's an Angels fan, too

A FEW weeks ago you ran a provocative piece by a sports columnist who wrote that the San Francisco Giants and not the St. Louis Cardinals were the team of destiny. Since he was such a great guy, I'm certain one time Anaheim Angels owner Gene Autry would not have held it against the columnist for his failure to recognize that God was on the side of the Angels.

It's not even related

IN RESPONSE to "Rank the Indians" (FanSpeak, Oct. 27), what does Mario Whitney have to do with the Indians' ranking this football season? Yes, their 2001 football season was stellar, but the Indians had all summer to come up with new plays without him. Out of eight weeks worth of games, the Indians have only won two, meaning the remaining six were lost. You do the math: What rank would the Indians get this season at 2-6? I would say let this be a trial time, work on getting the defense tighter and most definitely new offensive plays and get ready to rumble in the football season 2003. Most of all, lil' buddy, keep your head up.

Flattery will get you ...

JUST TO let you know that the coverage of the volleyball game between Leopold and Notre Dame was much appreciated. It's good to know that at least the Missourian knows that the sport does exist.

Don't express yourself

INTERESTING THAT a former NFL player came out of the closet this week and admitted he was gay. If memory serves, I've heard that 10 percent of the population is gay -- that's one in every 10. So that means on a team with, say, 50 players, there are five who are gay. And how many have come out? Hardly any. It's unfortunate that we're can rush to a sporting event every week and pay to see athletes compete, but we can't stand to let them be themselves and express themselves freely. What a shame.

It's a technological world

Here's an idea for Southeast:Have your coaches or players come online for a chat session each week. I'd get on there and yak it up each week if you will.

The annual sneak peek

I WOULD like to say I enjoy the high school basketball previews you put in the paper every year, and I was wondering when they would be published in the paper this year.

Look for the basketball preview section in our Nov. 30 edition.

The more the merrier

LISTED IN the NASCAR Napa 500 heading it says that the starting positions are listed in parentheses. Folks, those are the cars numbers. If there were 99 cars in the starting grid of a NASCAR event it would be a demolition derby, not a stock car race. Please check your editing more closely.

We should've caught that, too -- although come to think of it, a 99-car NASCAR event at Bristol could be a big draw. Hmmmm.

Stop making sense

AS A loyal reader of Speak Out for years, I'm startled that the number of nonsensical comments made to FanSpeak pale in comparison to those in Speak Out. I'd safely wager that the margin is 10 to 1. Can't somebody do something about this?

Harkening back

FOLLOWING NOTRE Dame's last victory over Central on the soccer field, a Tiger fan called and said it's obvious that the best team did not win. I ask you, after Notre Dame's 4-0 win, are your sure the best team didn't win the first time also?

Write this down ...

As I look at Rick Gosselin's NFLrankings (Page 5B, Oct. 27) I can't possibly imagine any of the teams in the top five getting to the Super Bowl. Green Bay is No. 1 but won't make the big game. San Diego is No. 2 and has no chance. Mark it down now:It'll be San Francisco and Indianapolis in the Super Bowl. I'd put money on that game right now.

Credit where it's due

I HAVE already heard a lot of comments regarding the Leopold-Notre Dame volleyball game last Thursday night. I've heard about how the ND girls played poorly and the referees made bad calls. But how about giving the Leopold team some credit? Quite simply, Leopold played their best and the true No. 1 team in Southeast Missouri finally got its glory.

BCS?You gotta be crazy

THIS BCS ranking nonsense is just that -- nonsense. Anybody who supported this from the start has to be insane. Bring on a college football playoff.