Sunday's FanSpeak

Oak Ridge coach justified

I'M CALLING in reference to the comments in Sunday's paper in the FansSpeak about the Oak Ridge basketball coach. I don't agree with that caller's comments and I found no one in Oak Ridge who agrees either. We don't think we need to get another coach. We have a very good, talented coach. He's done a great job with our athletes and deserves our thanks, not destructive criticism. In reference to the technical fouls, I attended both basketball games that previous caller referred to. The refereeing in both games was questionable at best. When a player gets elbowed in the face in close proximity to a referee, is noticeably bleeding and not only is a foul not called, but the referee doesn't even call an official's time out, something is wrong. I cannot fault our coach for losing his patience when a game's outcome is not being determined by the athletes on the court but by a lack of competent officiating. His support of our players is greatly appreciated by me and many others.

Coach complaints wrong

SPEAKING AS a team, the basketball players of Oak Ridge High School would like everyone to know that we have a great coach. He has only received two technicals this season, and has never used foul language toward an official. Coach Lynch has only had three technicals over a period of three years at Oak Ridge. Whoever is putting the false information in the paper needs to check their sources before they do so.

Will they graduate?

NOW WITH the players all signing their letters of intent, it will be interesting to check in four or five years and see how many actually graduate.

McCord made no promises

COACH MCCORD is doing just fine at Cape Central. He never promised them anything for the first few years until he gets his system in place and he's not expected to, just like at Scott City his first couple of years. Those of you who are snickering are either stupid or don't keep up with the news and current events and know nothing about SEMO hoops. To ever underestimate coach McCord is a mistake few coaches would venture to do.

Illinois tough on its fan

YOU'RE KILLIN' me! Thanks for the UI coverage, but with the Sugar Bowl and the start of conference basketball play, I don't know how much more I can take! Gotta go -- need to get to Wal-Mart for more Rolaids.

Sportsmanship forgotten

AT THE Mississippi Valley Conference Tournament at Chaffee, the team players showed good sportsmanship and should be commended. The spectators, on the other hand, and a few coaches got out of control. Very disrespectful, which affects their school's reputation. Some junior varsity players watching the varsity game were mouthing off at referees and booing disrespectfully. Their parents were also doing this. They taught them this is the way you handle competition and losing. What they need to teach them is every team cannot win the contest, that you can win people's respect by being respectable, winners and losers. The cheerleaders should never encourage poor sportsmanship. No wonder there is so much hate crime these days. The message following was on the back of their program. I suggest it be encouraged by all area schools, dictators, school personnel and students: "Do this for your team. These are high school athletes who are performing here tonight. They are friendly rivals as members of opposing teams. They are not enemies. This basically is the theme of inter-scholastic athletics, the idea of friendly competition. The officials are people who by agreement by the competing teams are signed to administer the rules of the game. Their experience and their integrity qualify them for their part in the friendly inner-scholastic contest. This attitude of sportsmanship should be reflected by all spectators too. No matter what their personal feelings of loyalty may be to one or the other of the team in tonight's game. Inter-scholastic athletics are for sportsman, both on the court and in the stands."

Rams' fans are poor losers

I WOULD just like to say that all of you in St. Louis are just bad losers. You went into this game thinking it was all yours and that there was no way the Patriots could beat the oh-so-popular Rams. Well guess what? We kicked your butt and we did it because we are the better team, we have more spirit and we work as a team as was showcased by the team being announced instead of the individual players. See what happens when you get too cocky for your own good? You end up eating crow.

Oran needs a change

TIME FOR a change. After Friday night's basketball game at Bell City, every school board member in Oran should resign. What a disgrace that took place. People come to the games to watch the kids play, not to watch a coach make a fool of himself. We have the principal who is our coach. We're told the reason for this is to save money, yet we have three coaches at the bench. When is the school board going to realize that the world doesn't revolve around our coach?

Scott City coach returning?

I WAS just wondering if anyone else has heard about a former Scott City football coach returning. Stephen O'Brien is rumoured to have stepped down due to the birth of his son. Does anyone know anything about coach Flannigan?

Editor's note:O'Brien resigned in December. The school is searching for a replacement.

Second referee needed

I WANT to voice my concern over the disappointment of having only one referee at the Charleston-Jackson basketball game Jan. 29 at Charleston. First of all, as emotional and physical a game that took place at the Christmas tournament, you would think there would have been common sense to have two official refs, if not three for this intense rematch. Second, anytime you have to pass through metal detectors and a metal wand, the atomosphere is volatile and definitely in need of three refs, not two. After the one ref, who just happened to be a brother to a past Charleston coach, refs the JV game alone, they pull out of the stands their assistant principal dressed in sweats and a Bluejays T-shirt. He blew his whistle once in the first half and once in the second half. If he had his referee license as the Charleston timekeeper and the radio DJs said, then why not be able to call fouls? It was the most severe case of blatant, obvious bias in such a physical game I have ever witnessed. I don't buy the excuse that they couldn't find a referee. I am just thankful no one was more seriously hurt.