ROANOKE TIMES
Copyright (c) 1996, Roanoke Times
DATE: Tuesday, October 22, 1996 TAG: 9610220056
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: B-2 EDITION: METRO
TYPE: SPORTS MAILBAG
I sincerely appreciate the coverage of VMI sports. Your newspaper has tried to accurately cover our programs and student-athletes, which we are all proud to represent at the Keydet Club. Despite the coverage VMI has received over the past seven years concerning the court case and despite the challenges we continue to face from a financial and competitive front, intercollegiate athletics at VMI continue to provide a positive message and marketing support for the Institute.
Your thoughts on a new conference affiliation for VMI, noted on several occasions (Jack Bogaczyk's Oct.12 column, ``Keydets left to Marshall new revenue'') are on target. Although I may not speak for the entire Board of Governors, the majority of these (Keydet Club) volunteers, who promote our student-athlete foundation, strongly favor this type of move.
We understand that VMI's official stand must be to continue to support Southern Conference membership, but Jack's rationale for the proposed new affiliation reflects the overall majority of alumni that follow VMI athletics closely. It certainly will not represent an easier level of competition, but it will enhance alumni support and participation, provide a new coalition of in-state rivalries, increased marketing exposure and increased fundraising potential. In an era of cost concerns and burdens involved with Division I-AA competition, it also would assist in controlling this area. It confounds me why so many good state I-AA state and regional schools can't find a way to look at one another and say, ``Why not?''
I'm certainly not writing to criticize the Southern Conference, but the fact of the matter is, it's not what it used to be and neither is VMI. VMI must take a long look at what's best for VMI, and not just maintain current conference affiliation without looking at its future needs and goals. We stand firmly behind our superintendent in exploring these options to the fullest extent. Your ongoing coverage will remind us of what we are missing.
JEFF MORGAN
Executive Vice President, Keydet Club
Lexington
Let Welsh decide who talks when
As a Roanoke resident and supporter of University of Virginia sports, I and others are fortunate to have access to the skills and talents of The Roanoke Times. [Doug] Doughty's work is consistently substantive and informative.
But anyone can have a bad day. Doug's column of Oct.9 attempted to take Cavaliers coach George Welsh to task for implementing a gag order on his football players after the Georgia Tech game. Doughty's take was that it was an act performed by a paranoid personality - a knee-jerk reaction to a loss the fault of either incompetent quarterbacks, the coaching staff or Welsh himself. Doughty also defended Tiki Barber's ridiculously stupid pregame comments that, in essence, stated UVa was incapable of losing to Georgia Tech. As we all know, you win only on the football field.
Georgia Tech is a Top 25 football team that had home-field advantage over a UVa team that alternately can't pass or catch the ball. In spite of this, the Cavs still were in a position to win the game, and the third- and fourth-down plays on their last possession were wide-open. You can correctly criticize the execution, but the play calling was righteous.
Doughty's opinion is that George Welsh is taking out his frustrations on the media by denying player access to reporters. I disagree. More likely, Coach Welsh is giving his team and its suddenly swelled-headed tailback a lesson in humility and common sense. It was Doug Doughty's knee-jerk reaction to being cut off that resulted in his deplorable remarks and crybaby column.
George Welsh is the man who has single-handedly lifted the University of Virginia's football program from an embarrassment to one of national prominence. Could anyone have imagined UVa playing and winning games against Penn State, Florida State, Georgia and other powers just a few years ago? Oh, ye fair-weather fans with your short memories - most of you don't realize how lucky we are to have Welsh guiding a program of integrity and acclaim in our home state. Don't think for a minute that George isn't coveted by 99 percent of today's colleges, who would pay dearly to have him lead their team. I, for one, while realizing no one (Doughty, Barber or Welsh included) is perfect, am proud to stand by Coach Welsh until the very sad day he leaves the university.
DALE BIVENS
Roanoke
Almost heaven for WVU supporter
I want to thank you for writing such a nice story about West Virginia sports (Jack Bogaczyk's Oct.15 column on WVU football) without making any disparaging remarks about our state or its university. It is really a new high for your newspaper.
DR. WILLIAM H. ROBISON
Roanoke
The real issue? It's a bit confusing
Jack Bogaczyk's column in your (Oct.11) Sports section confused me to say the least. He begins by telling us that coach Frank Beamer at Virginia Tech has more than talked to his team about disorderly conduct. He has provided lectures, programs, counseling, etc., by professionals.
Bogaczyk goes on to say, ``It's pretty apparent that Beamer's program doesn't get the message.''
Coach Beamer says, ``Because of our family and our discipline - we'll come out of this thing.''
The writer says, ``There's little evidence of that to date, however.'' Then, he concludes his questioning Coach Beamer's ability to deal with disciplinary matters: ``It's also obvious he still has no answers, in more ways than one.''
The referenced matters are not yet concluded - so, the presumption that Coach Beamer has no answers is premature and indeed insulting.
Would all who are concerned (including the public) be better served, and would justice, filled with wisdom, be more swiftly found if Coach Beamer faxed Bogaczyk a daily report, so he could be assured of not missing a ``scoop?''
TEXAS S. BADKINS
Norfolk
Teach Bob Zeller how to spell Chevy
There he goes again. Bob Zeller, that is.
I just finished his North Wilkesboro race report in today's [Sept.30] Roanoke Times. He wrote an entire article on the final NASCAR race at North Wilkesboro and never once mentioned the make of the car that won it. I know and all NASCAR fans know what make of car Jeff Gordon drives. We also know what make of car Ricky Rudd, Rusty Wallace and most of the other drivers use. My point in writing this letter is very simple - Zeller has got a terrible problem with the ``C'' [Chevy] word or the ``MC'' [Monte Carlo] words.
I read Zeller's race reports regularly and it is simply amazing to me that a man who is supposed to be unbiased in his reporting can be so unabashedly partial that he can't even bring himself to use the ``C'' word or even the ``MC'' words.
When a Ford wins or even runs up front, he never gets done ``gushing'' the ``F'' word or the ``T'' [Thunderbird] word! No, I don't drive a ``C'' or an ``F,'' but I know biased reporting when I read it. I think Zeller is about ready to move into political reporting now.
Give us a race reporter who will objectively cover racing news. If, for some reason you can't do this, please teach Zeller how to spell C-H-E-V-Y.
RAYMOND SIMMONS
Roanoke
More coverage of soccer playoffs
I object greatly to your lack of reporting of the recent Major League Soccer playoffs, beyond a mention in the scoreboard. MLS has been a big hit since April, when it first started, and your paper has not given enough details.
The only way anyone can find adequate coverage is on the Internet, and not everyone has the luxury of a computer.
As a student at Blacksburg High School and a soccer player for the New River Soccer Club, I know there is more than enough interest. There are many more people who would recognize soccer as a worthy sport if newspapers, such as yours, would write articles about it.
Virginia has gained nationwide recognition as one of the top three soccer states in America. For soccer to catch on even more, there has to be reporting. All of the pieces of the puzzle are there, except yours. Please do your job by covering MLS.
CRAIG WILLIAMS
Blacksburg
Please write Mail letters to:
Sports Mailbag
P.O. Box 2491
Roanoke, Va. 24010
Letters should include signature, full address and, for verification only, phone number. All letters are edited. Letters of 200 words or less are given preference.
LENGTH: Long : 157 linesby CNB