FanSpeak 4/21/02

Recognition was overdue

YOU MIGHT see the article on Eagle Ridge printed in the paper this week. I was beginning to wonder if the local media was going to recognize that we not only had two state champions in our area being Notre Dame and Bell City but also the girls' team from Eagle Ridge. Great job on a good season.

Are they really fans?

Honestly, if THEY BANNED BEER FROM NASCAR RACES, WOULD ANYBODY EVEN SHOW UP AT A RACETRACK? ASK YOURSELF THAT AND ACTUALLY BE HONEST.

POINT ABOUT ATTENDANCE

I KNOW you want to put the Jamie Hall and B.J. Smith story to rest. One of the articles was printed in Sunday's paper but was edited. That's OK but you left out the main item of my call which was one of the largest crowds at the Show Me Center with over 7,000 people for a girls' basketball game.

You're right. In fact, the biggest women's single-game crowd was 7,064 in 1991. The largest crowd for a men's game was 7,241 in 2000.

Nice column, Larry

Larry lewis WROTE A VERY NICE PIECE ON JACKSON POWERHOUSE FOOTBALL PLAYER JOE BUERKLE. BUERKLE, WHO WENT ON TO STAR AS A LINEMAN AT MIZZOU, WAS A RUNNING BACK IN HIGH SCHOOL. ON AN EXTREMELY COLD EVENING I ONCE SAW HIM BREAK INTO THE OPEN AND BOWL OVER THE LONE REMAINING DEFENSIVE BACK ON THE WAY TO A TOUCHDOWN. AS I IMAGINED MYSELF TRYING TO TACKLE BUERKLE IN THAT SITUATION, I SPONTANEOUSLY GOT DOWN ON MY KNEES AND, EVEN THOUGH I GOT A LOT OF STRANGE LOOKS FROM THE CROWD, GAVE THANKS THAT I DID NOT TRY TO PLAY HIGH SCHOOL FOOTBALL.

BULLPEN ORIGINS

Here's a sports question:How did the bullpen at a baseball park get its name?

According to "Why You Say It"by Webb Garrison, civilians who were put under military arrest in the Civil War were housed in stockades that resembled cattle pens. That term was modified and later used to describe the fenced-in area where baseball pitchers and substitutes warmed up.

Thanks for the coverage

I want TO THANK THE REPORTERS AND PHOTOGRAPHERS FOR DOING THEIR BEST TO COVER ALL THE SPRING SPORTS GOING ON AT THIS TIME. I ESPECIALLY APPRECIATE IT WHEN THEY TAKE THE TIME TO COVER THE SMALLER SCHOOLS IN THE AREA AS THEY SOMETIMES FEEL LEFT OUT. I ENJOY HEARING ALL THE SCORES FROM GAMES AS WELL AS TRACK AND FIELD RESULTS FROM ALL THE SCHOOLS AROUND. WE ALL HAVE TO REALIZE THAT THE PAPER CANNOT PRINT SOMETHING THEY DO NOT HAVE. IT IS UP TO EACH COACH TO SUBMIT THE RESULTS TO THE PAPER SO IF YOUR SCHOOL'S INFO IS NOT PUBLISHED YOU SHOULD PROBABLY ASK THE COACH IF THE INFORMATION WAS EVEN SUBMITTED. I KNOW I WAS A LITTLE DISAPPOINTED THAT SOME THINGS WERE NOT IN THE PAPER UNTIL I FOUND AT THAT THE COACH NEVER BOTHERED TO DO HIS JOB AND SEND THEM IN.

COLUMN WAS AN ATTACK

THIS IS to comment about Jamie Hall's commentary in the Sports section on April 10. His method of writing was kind of confusing. On one hand, you think he's attacking the fans of Southeast Missouri as far as Cape Girardeau and on the other hand, you feel like he's attacking women's basketball. My first impression of his article was that you know, if you don't like it in Cape Girardeau or Southeast Missouri, move to another area where you do. You know, every year Cape, Poplar Bluff or Jackson win the districts in women's basketball. SEMO has been successful with women's basketball. At a Cape Central girls basketball game, yes, there are spots in the crowd, they do not pack a full house. They don't pack a full house for the boys' games. You come to Jackson and you've got a full crowd and you've got an exciting crowd. No, we don't have the best gym in the world, but by gosh, we can put the best teams out there. You know, maybe instead of saying good luck to B.J., we should say good luck to J.H. and find another area to go write about since you know so much about everything, especially from a fan's perspective.