FanSpeak 5/11/03

Seeing similarities

THE COACH from Iowa State should not have been able to keep his job. Before the embarrassing photos were published, he should have resigned, pretty much on the same scale, maybe a little bit different than the Scott City coach. She should completely lose her job, not just a few weeks of softball season. Also, she should be made to take some kind of alcohol awareness class because she also teaches PE and health and she is still having an influence on young students.

Maybe, maybe not

I'D LIKE to think that by you publishing pictures of bodybuilders wearing little clothing, you were somehow demonstrating that you are, in fact, not sexist. But I really doubt that's the case.

Invest a little wiser

AS MUCH money as I pay to get into a game and see the Cardinals, buy food, a soda and maybe -- maybe -- some kind of souvenir, the least they could do is invest in a bullpen.

Eustachy had a deal

I READ Jim Litke's commentary on Eustachy being fired from Iowa State for being with a coed. I've also been listening to ESPN as they say, "really, is he doing anything all that wrong?" The point is, yes he is. He's in violation of his contract. Almost every educator in this country has morals clause in their contract, and one of the things that both college instructors and high school instructors are constantly reminded of is that you do not fraternize with your students or with students, even if they're not in your class. This gentleman was out drinking with students. He also was making comments to students so obviously he was sitting with them and visiting with them. That's just against everything that teachers are supposed to do. Coaches routinely get away with these things, and they shouldn't. They should be held to the same standard as the classroom teacher is and finally someone has done that. The second thing about Jim Litke's commentary that concerns is that he is the highest paid state employee in the state of Iowa. How sad. A coach at a college is making more money than any other state employee. He's a teacher. Nothing more. He shouldn't be making more than any other classroom teacher.

Wondering about deer

I REMEMBER a story about some kind of disease among deer last year that the state was looking into, but Inever heard what became of it. That might be a story to look into.

According to the Missouri Department of Conservation, the state sampled hundreds of deer and found no evidence of chronic wasting disease.

Learn a lesson

I THINK the situation involving the coaches at Iowa State and Alabama should be a lesson to a lot of coaches on a local level who involve themselves in things that are embarrassing to themselves, their teams and their schools. Local school leaders should open their eyes and ears and realize how pitiful those things really make them look. The community certainly does.

Calling women in helmets

MY NAME is Joe Eldridge, and I am the general manager of the Missouri Prowlers, a Women's Professional Football Team in Springfield, Mo. We are now holding tryouts for our second season scheduled to start Aug. 2. If you have any questions please feel free to visit at www.missouriprowlers.com or www.womensprofootball.com.

Really messed it up

MIKE PRICE and Larry Eustachy both had good things going, and then they blew it. One got busted partying with college kids, and then the other got busted at a strip club after he was already warned about his behavior. Are these people stupid or do they assume that if they lose their current job, they'll just go get another good one? Seems to me like they're trying to follow the Jim Harrick pattern, which shows that you can keep screwing up and still find employment somewhere.

A splashing success

THANKS FOR the great coverage of the Gators' swimming meet this week. It's nice to see our newspaper take such an interest in the good things going on with our young people.

Push for more Busch

THERE'S A Busch Series event this week going on just a couple of hours away in St. Louis, but Ihave seen barely a mention of it in your newspaper. A lot of people from down here will be going to see this race. Isn't it worthy of coverage in your newspaper, or is another loss by the Cardinals the only St. Louis sport worth mentioning?

Bulldogs are the real deal

SIKESTON IS the real thing this year in baseball. With the districts coming up, all the wannabes will find out what they found out in the SEMOConference tournament this week.