Backtalk: What local readers are saying

Floyd Landis

Choosing a side

With Floyd Landis' positive drug test in the Tour de France and the sacking of many riders, surely any type of sport should have two categories: chemical-free and chemically enhanced. All the money that is spent on drug testing could be saved and athletes could then decide which group they belonged to.

Imagine an athlete is disqualified if he or she was chemically free but entered in a race for the chemically enhanced, and won. I am sure that sponsorship would not be a problem for the chemically enhanced sports.

— Robert Pallister, Punchbowl, Australia

Sonics & Storm

Take a stand, fans

The recent purchase of the Sonics and the Storm may be the best thing that ever happened to them. People in New Orleans didn't give a flip about the Hornets until they learned that another city wanted them. Now they're buying tickets for next season's games.

We love sports and we'll support any team that calls Oklahoma City home, even on a temporary basis. You're afraid that OKC won't support a WNBA team? Last week some 6,000 people crowded into Hall of Fame Stadium in triple-digit heat to watch a softball tournament. I don't think it's going to be a problem.

It isn't Clay Bennett's job to keep the team in Seattle. It's Seattle's job. It's time for the fans to put the pressure on the folks who pass the bond issues. As a sports fan, I completely understand the city's emotional attachment to its basketball teams and, personally, I hope that you pull it off.

— Mary Harris, Oklahoma City

The Seattle Penguins?

It has always been my belief that Seattle does not have a pro hockey team because the city is not sports savvy enough to support two winter teams. Now that the Sonics are about to leave, I think it's time Seattle should look to net one.

After the Super Bowl I spent some time reading posts by Steelers fans. The general consensus was that Seattle fans are a bunch of crybabies because we were "whining" about the officiating. Personally, I am a bit bitter about the aftermath of Super Bowl XL and would like to feel better about the whole situation.

The answer? It seems as though the Pittsburgh Penguins are for sale. Nothing would be more poetic than to snatch the Penguins away from the fans of the team that took an undeserved win from my Seahawks at the Super Bowl.

Heck, I would even forgive Howard Schultz if he were able to pull this off.

— Zach Eberspecher, Bainbridge

Investor speaks out

I have been stunned by the viciousness that sports writers have exhibited in basically calling into question the integrity and veracity of both the selling group and the new ownership group. I have a pretty good idea of what happened, as I am an investor and board member of the selling group.

The buying group was chosen among many suitors because of their good-faith, legal commitment to try to retain the Sonics in the Seattle area so our community could continue the cultural enhancement and value that sports have always given.

The reception that has been given the new owners as well as the selling group has been rife with a "you are all liars" reaction by the sports reporters.

Perhaps City Council president Nick Licata and others also will realize that his statement that NBA teams have no cultural or economic value smacks not only of fiscal stupidity but also of a racial ignorance, if not hostility, that is totally repugnant to this community.

To those city officials who by their silence gave credence to Licata's statements, I can only determine that they would rather have his racially charged statements escape their criticism than express disdain for such repugnant comments.

— Stan Barer, Seattle

Chief Sealth

An important lesson

This time the WIAA got it right with Chief Sealth.

Most good athletes will tell you that winning is a powerful drug, and they'll do most anything to maintain that high. It's one of reasons we have that type of problem in sports today.

The coaches have sent the wrong message to the parents, who all think their child is a D-I athlete, and to the athletes themselves: "It's OK to cheat."

The bottom line is that every decision you make, either good or bad, has consequences and someone must be held accountable.

I have read past comments that the kids should not be punished for what the coaches did. They may not have understood the complete scope of what was happening, but I am sure they knew they were doing something that wasn't right. These are young adults, not 8-year-olds. I would hope that this small setback at this stage of their lives would be a powerful reminder for the rest of their lives.

— Ross Grimm, Singapore

The rules of fairness

Thanks, Steve Kelley ("Silent victims are Willis' legacy," Seattle Times, July 26), for saying what needed to be said concerning Ray Willis, former Chief Sealth basketball coach who treated rules as an annoying impediment to personal progress.

I wish someone would explain how the various advocates for the Sealth point of view consistently voice deep concern for the "blameless" athletes of that school who might have to live without the rights to these titles, and yet fail to express any feeling at all for the countless athletes from other schools who were forced to compete in an arena with the odds stacked against them. The concept of fairness should be a thing that appeals to everyone.

— Tom Likai, Shoreline

Even the field

I have played ball with Ray Willis for many years and have followed his teams. Yes, I believe Ray recruited, just as many other teams recruit. But you did not write about the talent that left Chief Sealth for private schools, which are allowed to recruit under the "scholarship" rule that helped defeat poor inner-city schools for many years. What about those kids who have to endure the one-sided victories due to these recruitment rules? Is their self-esteem enhanced by this system?

Let's have an even field: Players who are given scholarships are not eligible to play conference ball.

— Steve Ball, Seattle