Backtalk | What readers are saying

Seattle sports scene

Things can only

be better in 2009

Remember when our hometown teams were actually good? We united together as a city, putting all differences aside for the ultimate goal, a championship. There was always at least one team clinching a playoff spot, accepting a bowl invitation or winning a conference title. However, this year there are no championships and barely any wins to celebrate.

We left 2008 with a deflated Mariners team, a struggling 4-11 Seahawks, a winless Huskies football season and no Sonics.

My thoughts are simple: Bring back the old-school Mariners logo. We want the royal blue and gold tradition to return. Sign Ken Griffey Jr. for him to finish his incredible career as a Mariner. The Huskies can't go any lower than this season, but I guarantee at least one win. The Seahawks were plagued with injuries, but next season we should have a healthy team in the hunt for a playoff position. The 12th man might be on crutches, but is still hanging.

— Joy Hollingsworth, Seattle

Seahawks

Embarrassing

show by fans

My 6-year-old son and I were at the game on Dec. 21 to see Brett Favre and Mike Holmgren in possibly their last games. I was burning up in the second half when I saw Favre and other Jets getting pelted with snowballs from the stands.

I wished they could have penalized the Seahawks for the fan misbehavior; the snowballs then might have at least slowed down some.

If it's true that higher numbers of security forces were needed but they were not at the game, why didn't they postpone the game until they had the required number of people? Isn't the safety of the fans and NFL personnel at all important?

Seattleites may be well known for their politeness but, as we can see, it doesn't take much to move a crowd to some destruction. I was very embarrassed for the Seahawks, the team and their fans.

Holmgren got a nice standing ovation from his adoring fans, but the snowballs were really a distraction and not indicative of what Seattle fans are all about.

— Kaarin Gust, Renton

Mike Holmgren

Coach has been

great role model

I agree with Steve Kelley ("Seattle's biggest loss," Dec. 26) that Mike Holmgren will be a tremendous loss not just for the Seahawks, but for our region. I have been a big fan of the coach since his days in San Francisco. I studied his 49ers quarterbacks to make myself a better player, and outright copied many of his tactics to make myself a better coach. He has been a terrific model to try to emulate.

My greatest enjoyment, however, has been to take the last few seasons off to just be a fan and watch.

— Kirk Kriskovich, Shoreline

A flawed plan?

Mike Holmgren had great leadership qualities, and he commanded and received respect from players, colleagues, referees, et al. One thing caught my eye in Steve Kelley's column ("Holmgren entering the great unknown," Dec. 29) that I may have missed before — that he scripted the first 15 plays of every game.

It just seems to me the scripting 15 plays in advance might cause more problems than it precludes. And it might explain why we were blitzed so often and so effectively. In other words, perhaps the opposing coaches were taking advantage of this knowledge.

— John Mizenko, Issaquah

Bad numbers

Now that the Seahawks' season is mercifully over, let's examine their third-place finish in the woefully weak NFC West.

If all 16 teams in the NFC were lumped together in one big division, the Seahawks' record of 4-12 would put them 14th out of 16.

Out of the 32 teams in the league, their record puts them 26th.

And out of the six worst teams (which includes the Seahawks), three have already fired their coaches and one general manager.

The NFL is fooling people by splitting the league into so many divisions, but the fans have known that for many years.

The NFL should require that a divisional winner have at least 10 wins to qualify for the playoffs. If a division winner fails to win 10 games, then that team should rightfully be bumped by a team with 10 wins.

Conclusion: The Seahawks are a lot worse off than it appears.

— Bill Manning, Clinton

High-school sports

Moore, Pripp were

a quality pair

How ironic, coincidental and yet appropriately fitting that the names of Gary Moore and Bud Pripp appear consecutively in a recent list of notables who passed away in 2008. I don't know of any two individuals who have been more closely associated with one another than Bud and Gary. Bud's daughter, Mary Lou, was Gary's wife.

Bud was my baseball/football coach from 1948 to 1951, and like so many of his former players I maintained a close and loving lifelong relationship with him.

He was my motivation to become a high-school teacher/coach.

During my 35 years of officiating high-school football, I always relished my "Issy" football assignments, because: a) Gary and his players were always competitive and a class act, and; b) I knew Bud would be there and I'd have an opportunity to visit with him and Gary after the game.

Finally, the fact that Bud passed away on March 3 and Gary on Sept. 11 further enhanced their relationship by cementing it for eternity.

— Jerry B. Thornton Sr., Tukwila