What readers are saying

Huskies hero

Not always

a happy ending

The story about the Washington football player who caught the purse snatcher made me think of a similar story that took place in San Francisco some years back but which had a very different ending.

A purse snatcher reached in through the open passenger window of a car stopped at a red light and grabbed a purse off a woman's lap. The driver, who was also the woman's boyfriend, immediately leapt out and gave chase. He was also a strong, young athlete in his 20s.

He quickly gained on the purse snatcher, who then stopped, turned, pulled a gun and fired a single shot at his pursuer. The bullet hit the would-be hero in the chest, killing him instantly. The purse snatcher/killer got away and was never identified. It was very sad.

All I'm saying is, be careful out there.

— Dave Richards, Bainbridge Island

Mariners

Heckling, but

with respect

I sit five rows behind the opposing team's on-deck circle at the former Jacobs Field in Cleveland, Ohio. I tend to cheer and heckle rather loudly. During the Mariners' last series in Cleveland, I made no exception for Ken Griffey Jr. (despite his family being two rows away).

Now that the team is out of the ballpark, I simply wish to express my respect for Mr. Griffey. He is one of the greatest players I have seen, or will ever see, in my life. His character, his talent, and ooh, that swing!

Heckling is as time-honored a tradition in baseball as the curveball, and I embrace that. I just hope that Mr. Griffey, the living legend, knows that it's just baseball, and not disrespect.

— Malcolm Aalders,

Shaker Heights, Ohio

Game's getting

wet and wild

Spit! Spit! Spit! It is so gross for the camera to focus on the Mariners as they ... Spit!

The pitcher Spits! The catcher Spits! So does the umpire! The batter Spits! The manager Spits! The only one I have yet to see Spit! is spic-n-span Ichiro!

The dugout ... Spit! ... looks like a pig pen! What kind of table manners does this ... Spit! ... set for the kids?

I could go ... Spit! ... on and on about this disgusting ... Spit! ... subject, except I ran out of ... Spit!

— Noel Freedman, Stanwood

Baseball

A fair and balanced league, please

What do we have to do to get MLB to join the 20th century? I know, this is the 21st century, but they are still thinking like Neanderthals.

Every division in the major leagues has five teams — except the one that has four teams, and the one that has six teams. As FOX News would say, "This is not fair and balanced." The solution is so obvious, even Bud Selig should have thought of it years ago.

Move Houston from the NL Central to the AL West, thereby given all six divisions five teams each. This move would result in reduced travel for many teams, and set up a natural rivalry between the Texas Rangers and Houston. Both would see increases in attendance, no doubt.

— Howard Downey,

Astoria, Ore.

MLB failing to market game

Henry Aaron, Reggie Jackson, Willie McCovey, Rod Carew, Doc Ellis, Willie Stargell, Frank Robinson, Lee May, Willie Davis, Don Buford and Bobby Bonds. These are all African Americans who played in the 1971 All-Star Game I watched on MLB Network recently.

But here in 2009, there are very few African Americans in the All-Star Game. Most young African-American kids couldn't care less about watching the All-Star Game. MLB does a terrible job in marketing the game to African-American youth. The youth feel baseball is "unhip," and MLB does not market to the hip-hop generation like basketball and football.

MLB's RBI League is not enough. Baseball (including our Mariners) need to do much more.

— Gordon Curvey, Seattle

Michael Vick

A modern-day spectacle

The name of the game is "More Money," and if Michael Vick is still quick and has the skills to pay the bills, the NFL and possibly the Dallas Cowboys will be thinking "KA-CHING." No matter what is thought about him personally.

According to a FoxSports.com poll, 49 percent of the respondents think that Vick should be playing with an NFL team this season. Stop and think about it for a minute!

How many NFL players, as well as in MLB and the NBA, don't have some kind of criminal or thuggish behavior that is just swept under the rug because the person is a franchise or marquee player and all the physical contact and clowning just satiates the appetites of us modern-day Romans?

— Robert Randle, Tacoma

Sonics' move

Put the blame

on Schultz

As a lifelong Seattle resident and Sonics fan, it's my opinion there's only one person to blame for the team's departure — Howard Schultz, principal owner of the club at the time of the sale. I can't blame Clay Bennett and Oklahoma City for taking advantage of a perfect business opportunity in acquiring an NBA franchise, with relocation to OKC as the sole intent.

Howard's Starbucks empire was losing money at the time, but does that mean he was right in selling out our city and Sonics to the first available bidder? I think not.

Because of that I haven't and will never enter a Starbucks store again. There are plenty of other "local" choices for a $4 cup of joe.

— Blake Harada, Kirkland