Mail | What readers are saying

Mariners

We, the desperate, must wait and see

And what a Merry Christmas it must be for the Twins organization and Silva family! They are to be congratulated, while we M's fans wait to see what's great at Safeco in 2008.

We can thank the owners for this entire crazy salary era. It all started when the owners decided that it was baseball offense that filled the stadium seats, so they negotiated for a smaller strike zone. This translates to fewer and fewer pitchers who have the kind of velocity, control and finesse to survive throwing in the groove, thus the law of supply and demand kicks in.

The end result is evident when teams like the Yankees, Red Sox and Dodgers, who generate the big gate receipts, get the cream of the free agent crop, and the rest of the "desperados," like the M's, for example, abandon common sense by mortgaging the farm for gems like Jeff Weaver and now Carlos Silva.

I sure hope Carlos works out, but I'm not even cautiously optimistic as this juncture. What's the answer? As with the Twins, do a better job of developing good young players in the farm system, I'd guess. Then sell 'em to the "desperados" when they get too pricey.

— Bill Zynda, Port Angeles

Baseball

Someone must pull Selig out of the game

Two decades of steroids, a labor dispute that wiped out the first World Series in 90 years and an era where the New York Yankees dominated the league by gaining an obvious competitive advantage by dwarfing the payroll of all other teams. This is the 15-year legacy of Major League Baseball's commissioner, Bud Selig. And with all of it, we learn that baseball owners back Selig unconditionally ("Owners back Selig," Seattle Times, Dec. 21). Attendance is at a record level and profits for most clubs are up. Maybe that's all that matters?

If Selig's performance were that of a starting pitcher, and the Mitchell Report represented a sixth-inning offensive out burst by the opponent, most baseball minds would say, "pull him in favor of someone who can throw strikes and give the opposing hitters something different to look at."

Indeed. In Selig's early innings, credit his lack of leadership and ineffective negotiating for contributing to the early end of the 1994 baseball season, and the canceling of the World Series. Then 1998 represents a middle-inning disaster where one of baseball's most cherished records, the season home run standard, was broken by Mark McGwire and Sammy Sosa. McGwire is widely thought to have taken steroids, as he did not deny the fact in 2005 congressional testimony. And Sosa was not positively linked to steroids, but his reputation was officially sullied by a subsequent bat corking incident. Three years later, McGwire's single-season record falls when Barry Bonds muscles up to hammer 73 dingers.

Finally, we get the Mitchell Report.

What other industry can such a lack of leadership result in a unanimous vote of confidence?

Someone, however, has to take the hit for events of the past 15 years. If Selig won't willingly walk off the mound, and who would walk away from a $14 million annual payday, then someone needs to take the ball from him.

— Neil Truman, Spokane

Seahawks

Looking forward to seeing them play

I enjoyed Danny O'Neil's article ("Hawks practice-squad players share house, car and common goal," Seattle Times, Dec. 26). I wish they had kept the term "taxi squad." The late Paul Brown named them that because they worked part time for the owner's taxi-cab business.

We always root for the underdogs, so I hope they all make the team one day.

— Bill Hemmenway, Issaquah

Sonics

There are other reasons for downfall

Steve Kelley's column ("Allen has it all wrong — Sonics made right deal," Seattle Times, Dec. 28) about the Sonics trade of Ray Alen to the Celtics was right. But not for the reasons he cites. One playoff appearance in five years? That has a lot more to do with the previous ownership group shoving Nate McMillan out the door than with Ray Allen's abilities.

The Sonics have the wrong coach, the wrong team, and will for a while. I think Sam Presti, if allowed to do his job, will be fine.

But I doubt he is in place long enough to turn the ship around. I think the cancer in the Sonics starts with Wally Walker, and it could take a decade to recover from his missteps.

Meanwhile, Nate has kept things together in Portland, even through several seasons of Blazer head cases. And when the Blazers finally finished the cleansing by dealing Zach Randolph to the Knicks, the underpinnings he taught were still in place. There is a good chance the Blazers won't make the playoffs this season. But whose future looks brighter over the next five years?

— Rob Taylor-Manning, Seattle

Rebuilding for OKC

It is the timing of the rebuilding process that troubles most Sonics fans. If the team had made a run at 50 wins this year, attendance would be much better, interest in the team would be far greater, and chances of keeping the Supes here long-term would be enhanced. Instead, the team plays anonymously on most nights, with one of the worst records in the league.

It is a team devoid of stars, save Kevin Durant, that needs many more pieces if it is to become competitive. Can anyone truly get excited about a rebuilding process that is likely to be completed in another city? For that reason, Ray Allen was right.

The Sonics, at the direction of ownership, continue to plan for their future in Oklahoma City while being a lottery team in 2008. The plan is perfect as it allows Clay Bennett to decry the lack of local interest in a product that was never intended to generate excitement.

— Tom Wilkins, Renton

Hire key to scheme

Clay Bennett received his early Christmas present when he hired P.J. Carlesimo. I'm certain this was one of his many calculated moves in his grand scheme of moving our franchise. Bennett knew Carlesimo's colors haven't changed much over the years. He is quick tempered, petulant, irascible — better suited for the college game.

I sat close to the Sonics bench for the game against the Celtics. I watched intently to study the relationships between Sonics players and coach. It seems that they have given up on him long before we gave up on our Sonics.

— Kevin Tefft, Seattle

Gonzaga

Pargo story was right on the mark

I was delighted to see Bud Withers' story of Jeremy Pargo ("Pargo's rise at Gonzaga helped by guidance of many," Seattle Times, Dec. 27) merit the front page of the Sports section. It captured my attention and certainly describes Pargo in a way that makes his persistence and determination shine through.

— Mary Bartholet, Shoreline