FanSpeak

In the spirit

CHRISTMAS TRADITIONS: Cards from friends far away. My mother-in-law's dry turkey. And the Illini defense snuffing out Mizzou in the annual "Braggin' Rights" game. Go Illini!

Blind to wrestling

IT'S REALLY bad that your sports editor is so blind or narrow-minded that he can't see that there is a large following of high school wrestling readers. If you look at your sports pages, you will see that it's full of basketball and has nothing about wrestling.

Great start for Saxony

CONGRATULATIONS TO everybody involved with the new Saxony Lutheran High School varsity basketball program. To have such a great start in your first season is a wonderful accomplishment. Good luck the rest of the way.

Lighting a fire

DARN THAT Rush. Though there may be other obstacles to the Rams reaching the Super Bowl, Philadelphia Eagles quarterback Donovan McNabb looms as a large one. McNabb is having a career year, in large part because of a determination to prove wrong El Rushbow's criticism of him.

Nice bridge, but no baseball

I'LL TELL you the biggest plus about having the new bridge in Cape Girardeau: It'll make it a lot more convenient to go to Marion, Ill., to see the minor-league baseball team they'll have within a couple of years. Too bad Cape was so blinded by a bridge and new fast-food restaurants that it didn't bother to beat Marion to the punch.

Not nearly enough

YEAH, I can answer your question on the Web site about the Cardinals' trades with one word: Ha!