What readers are saying

NBA Finals

Seattle knew how to celebrate

Thirty years ago, the Sonics won the NBA championship. How did the citizens of Seattle react? The citizens poured into the streets waving Sonics banners, honked their horns in celebration and cheered and celebrated with perfect strangers.

At the victory parade, which happened in downtown Seattle, our players were driven down Fourth Avenue in open convertibles. They shook hands, exchanged pleasantries and signed autographs for any fan who approached. Although there were police officers assisting with traffic control, there was no wall of security needed to shield the players from the fans. During the entire portion of the celebration parade, I did not witness a single incident or display of idiotic behavior. I saw nothing during the entire parade that would have been offensive to a young child or grandmother.

The parade was nothing aside from a gigantic neighborhood party to welcome our champions back home. Although this was 30 years ago, I suspect the citizens of Seattle, if ever given the opportunity again, would react in much the same way.

Unfortunately, now there appears to be a common and predictable outcome of violence and vandalism in many cities where championships are delivered. The current NBA commissioner seems much too focused on arenas and luxury suites instead of fan support and behavior in determining what cities get to participate in his league. Sadly, property and lives will be damaged in other championship cities in the future. I guess this is acceptable to the NBA so long as the city provides a state-of-the-art, publicly subsidized palace for the franchise.

— Joseph R. Kopta,

Port Orchard

A not-so-super finish

The NBA Finals proved two things: Kobe Bryant was Superman's (i.e. Dwight Howard's) kryptonite, and the Orlando Magic essentially pulled a disappearing act.

— Robert Randle, Tacoma

Mariners

GM, manager are on right track

Although May was a grind for the Mariners, and the offense often was quiet, I have great faith in general manager Jack Zduriencik and manager Don Wakamatsu. The mess former GM Bill Bavasi left was of Bushian proportions, but Z possesses the drive and acumen to turn it around. Given time, he will.

— Mike Wood, Lynnwood

Plenty of issues remain

Looking for a nice way to describe the Mariners' current season, the term sputter comes to mind. They look good, then bad, then good, then worse, then good, then awful, etc.

The new general manager and manager have put together a better team than I think most of us expected. But there are still glaring holes to be filled, and some touchy issues that need to be addressed.

Ken Griffey Jr. gave all of us fans a big thrill by putting on the Mariners uniform one more time. He wanted to retire a Mariner. Now he can, whenever he is ready, with his head held high knowing his next stop will be the Hall of Fame.

The Mariners need to decide if they have an asset in Jeff Clement. He either needs to be playing in Seattle, DH or first base if unable to contribute at catcher, or be traded before his value falls any further.

Endy Chavez and Franklin Gutierrez are both good defensive outfielders, but both have limited offensive potential and therefore don't complement Ichiro very well. Why not give Mike Saunders, Prentice Redmond or Mike Morse, all hitting over .300 in Tacoma, a shot?

— Raymond S. Wilson, Bellevue

Larry Stone

A great Sunday institution

Each Sunday I open my morning paper with eager anticipation of Larry Stone's consistently great work. From his witty and insightful analysis to the ever-hilarious power rankings, Larry's writing is the perfect accompaniment to my morning tea.

Larry Stone has become a true institution in Seattle, and I'm part of a large fan base that is grateful to have him.

— Kerry Frye, Seattle

Title IX

We've come a long way, baby

I read with great interest Mary Schutten's letter ("A plea to keep Title IX alive, June 7) congratulating the fabulous UW women's softball team's national championship. It causes one to reflect how things were just a generation ago for girls' and women's sports pre-Title IX. There were very few sports opportunities offered to women then.

I'll bet most of today's athletes couldn't comprehend not being able to participate in a sport because it was too strenuous or "unfeminine." Sports like figure skating and gymnastics were acceptable, but track and field or softball were definitely considered tomboyish and better avoided. Athletic scholarships? Unheard of no matter how accomplished a female athlete was. Female athletes were shortchanged on recognition and prizes, too. I remember one Metro League championship track meet I participated in in the early 1970s. The boys were awarded medals in the top three finishing spots, but the girls did not win anything!

Things weren't much better at the college level. The University of Washington did not have a varsity women's sports locker room when I competed there in gymnastics (1975-78). It was considered revolutionary (and not accepted by some of the men's team coaches) that we were allowed to use the training room and weight room during this time. Sports scholarships were slow to materialize, small in number and dollar amount and not offered to incoming freshmen.

Take heed, young athletic women of today. Title IX is indeed not written in stone and has been attacked by many in positions of power and influence. Let's keep this vital policy alive and effective for generations of women to come.

— Gayle Hawney Krona, Seattle

Shoreline High track 1970-73,

UW gymnastics 1975-78