Neff missed point
Columnist Andrew Neff seems to have missed the big picture behindPETA's request that certain sports teams, such as the Packers and theGamecocks, change their name to avoid promoting violence to animals ('Petty PETA should forget mascot battle,' 7/2/02).
Our requests are made as a way to raise awareness about animalcruelty. Sometimes it's necessary to make a somewhat silly suggestionto make a serious point about animal cruelty. For example, we askedthe Fighting Gamecocks to change their name to something that doesnot glorify a blood sport. Cockfighters purposely breed birds to beaggressive, then up the ante by attaching razor-sharp spurs to thebirds' feet and pumping them full of stimulants and other drugs tomake them fight more ferociously. It's not uncommon for birds tosuffer broken wings and legs, punctured lungs, severed spinal cords,and gouged-out eyes. Not exactly a 'sport' to cheer for!
For more information, see PETA.org.
Heather Moore
Norfolk, Va.
Soccer snafu annoying
Twenty-five percent of the world's population watched thethrilling Germany-Brazil World Cup final live at 7 a.m EDT. But those of us who relied on Bangor's ABC TV-7 for the event weretreated to informercials on flat bellies and chiropractic magic atthat hour.
As a Portland-area resident enjoying a weekend in even moreglorious northern Maine, I was stunned at my inability to share in aworldwide event as it happened.
I feel sorry for those of you who have to watch a TV station witha program director from the dark ages. Wake up, TV-7, and join therest of the planet. There is life behind Penobscot Valley, in caseyou haven't noticed yet.
Chris Neagle
Cumberland
Williams a true hero
Ted Williams died yesterday. This may not seem an item that shouldweigh large in the scale of human events. But it looms large for me.
Ted became a major leaguer in 1939, joining the Boston Red Soxwhen I was a Red Sox fan at the age of nine. He became my hero.
I was luckier than most who have boyhood heroes. I got to meet andtalk with my hero when, as a your sportswriter for the Bangor DailyNews in the late 50s, I was assigned to interview him when he visitedBangor on a fishing trip. It was just before the World Series, so Iasked him what he thought of the coming fall classic. He predictedthat the Yankees would win the series in six games and the Don Larsonwould be a pitching hero. The Yankees won the series, 4-2, and Larsenthrew his famous perfect game in that series.
The very next year he came to Bangor to attend a Bangor Daily Newssports banquet at Pilots Grill. I was assigned to meet his limousinein the parking lot and escort Ted to the head table. When thelimousine arrived, Ted unfolded his lanky frame from the vehicle andlooked up at me. 'Hi, Hugh!' he said. 'How the hell are ya!'
I was impressed.
Since then, in my role as a public relations practitioner atBowdoin, Cornell, Brown University, and Holy Cross College, I havemet and talked with such personages as Dwight Eisenhower, HarryTruman, Nelson Rockefeller, David Rockefeller, Stephen Spender, CarlSandburg, Robert Frost, Arnold Palmer, Bobby Locke, George Mitchell,Bill Cohen, Stephen King, Lyndon Johnson, Lady Bird Johnson, ThomasGold, Richard Feynman, Hans Bethe, and many others of such stature.Except for Mitchell, Cohen, and King, hardly any of them would haveremembered my name on a second meeting. Ted remembered my name.
There are those who will tell you that Ted was like John Wayne, aMAN'S man. Ted DID remind me of Wayne in many of his mannerisms, butTed Williams was a genuine Marine fighter pilot in World War II andthe Korean War. Wayne was merely an actor. There's a difference. Thenation should genuinely mourn the death of such a true hero. I know Ido.
Hugh Lord
Enfield
Pelletier a rising star
I was pleased, though not at all surprised, to learn that JasonPelletier is moving up smartly in the ranks of soccer officials.
When I was coaching soccer and Jason was assigned to our games, itwas akin to watching a master craftsman at work. Jason's knowledge ofthe laws of soccer is encyclopedic, and his understanding of the gameis unmatched. He enforces the rules consistently, fairly, andsensibly. It is no wonder that the powers-that-be have their eye onthis talented referee.
The soccer community can take pride in the progress of one of itsfinest.
David Dean
Sangerville
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