Letters to the Editor 03-21-2006
July 28, 2016 at 4:25 p.m.
By -
- Bad Sports Page - Hoops Observations - 'Da Vinci Code' - Great Wall - Everyone Loses - Class Basketball - Pray For Sister - Vote For Hayhurst
Bad Sports Page
Editor, Times-Union:So this is what Tiger sports coverage has become. In a matter of several years, the once good sports page in the Times-Union has become the weapon of choice to bludgeon a good coach and a great human being. Fewer and fewer subscriptions, and fewer and fewer readers, results in cheap shots from the cheap shots in hopes of drawing the attention back to print media that struggles to be mediocre.
Plain and simple, the sports page is a far cry from what it was when Robin Hartman and Kirby Sprouls were running a sports page that reported stories about high school athletics, and let the respective school administration deal with personnel assignments.
I have taught and coached for more than 20 years in the Warsaw system. In my opinion, we were on solid ground when Robin and Kirby were reporting on high school sports. These men would never resort to the Jerry Springer-type reporting that has been evident these past few months in the Times-Union sports page. I guess thinking the sports page would remain strong when a former second-string offensive lineman for Tiger Football took over was wrong on my part.
Robin and Kirby talked to all the coaches and got permission from the coaches to talk to players. They would never seek out a disgruntled parent and print their opinion in the paper. They understood that winning and losing was the by-product of parent support, team chemistry, along with school and administration backing. Of course, the coaching staff contributed to the team's overall success.
In the past few years, our sports page has gone in a different direction. We now read articles that express opinions by people who have never coached a day in their lives. Stats are used as weapons for attack, and there is no understanding of the formula that is needed to have a successful team.
As a former coach who saw my share of championships, let me tell you, that to put together a winning program you need the full support from parents, athletes and the administration. You also need a strong staff from top to bottom. You do not need someone who has never coached a day in his life, expressing his negative opinion, about a man who has forgotten more about basketball than he can ever hope to know.
Robin and Kirby, where are you?
Dave Baumgartner, former head coach
Warsaw Community High School
Hoops Observations
Editor, Times-Union:As a Warsaw Community High School grad and a 30+-year season-ticket holder, I feel compelled and qualified to comment on Dale Hubler's opinion piece, "What's Wrong With Tiger Basketball?"
First, a little nit-picking.
Talented underclassmen often don't receive as much playing time some feel they should because there are upperclassmen who, through their hard work and dedication to the program, have earned their time in the spotlight.
Second, in high school, some players, particularly those 6-6 or taller, are routinely asked to play inside to benefit the team to provide defense, scoring potential and rebounding even though their "natural" position is at guard or on the wing.
Finally, AAU ball with its emphasis on individual play and little defense is much different than the high school game.
That said, it would have been very interesting, and possibly beneficial, to have seen the two brothers show what they can do. Here's hoping we will have the opportunity to see them do it in a Tiger uniform over the next several years.
Otherwise, Dale's observations were spot on.
The skills, desire and dedication of the players was there. They simply were not given the tools they needed.
At the defensive end of the court, there were flashes of the excellence this community has come to expect. At the offensive end, not so much.
For the past two years, the offensive scheme featured little movement away from the ball, very few screens to open up a passing lane or to give a shooter a clean look and too much emphasis on one-on-one play. The result? Players trying to make something happen with ill-advised passes, resulting in turnovers, and forcing shots. Far too often, after such a pass or shot, a player was pulled from the game for a seat on the bench, not for instruction (seldom did a coach speak to the player) but, as it seemed from the stands, as a form of punishment.
Over the past couple of years, Coach Ogle often stated the need for the team, and by extension the fans, to "buy into the program." As any consumer will tell you, once they have become accustomed to an excellent product, a mediocre one will not do. This is evidenced by the so-so results on the floor and the increasing number of long time fans attending games disguised as empty seats.
I have no personal animosity toward Coach Ogle. In my interactions with him he has always been, if not gregarious, affable. By all reports, he is a decent and caring husband, father and teacher. He is simply not the right choice to provide the excellence the fans expect and the players deserve.
It is time to make a change.
Stephen J. Clingenpeel, via e-mail
Warsaw
'Da Vinci Code'
Editor, Times-Union:Having read the book, "The Da Vinci Code," I did not like it.
This is a fiction book, yet in some places, it deals with facts.
Now they are making a movie of this book. As a Christian, I do not like having Jesus portrayed as an immoral person.
It seems strange that a judge can make a law that one cannot say Jesus in our legislature, yet a movie can be made demoralizing Jesus.
I protest this movie under the First Amendment of the Constitution of the U.S.
Joyce A. Phaneuf
North Webster
Great Wall
Editor, Times-Union:I am disappointed by the city's slow response regarding the situation at Great Wall. I hope city officials will work harder for a just resolution and not burden Wei and Joni any further.
Raphael Wolff, via e-mail
Warsaw
Everyone Loses
Editor, Times-Union:I was disappointed when I read Dale Hubler's article Saturday titled "What's Wrong with Tiger Basketball?"
I don't think it would be too difficult to counter Mr. Hubler's "evidence," but I don't intend to do that primarily because I don't feel qualified to do so. I am qualified to know there's a lot of important information available to a coaching staff that is not available to even the most avid fan.
At the end of the day, I'm really wondering what good will come from this article. The editorial effectively undermined an elected school board, and a competent administration and athletic director that are paid to make such decisions. I expect there will be a firestorm of letters to the editor, some supporting Coach Ogle - and maybe calling into question the talent of the players - others agreeing with Mr. Hubler. Either way, everyone will lose. We'll have a divided community, an undermined administration, and great pain to the family of a qualified, hard-working coach who deserves better from our great community.
Steve C. Yeager, via e-mail
Warsaw
Class Basketball
Editor, Times-Union:It's called "class" basketball.
As far as records go, Coach Ogle 53-35 record (huh). How about Coach Rhodes' 3-year record at Logansport - 28-37 - that's not even 50 percent.
I am not trying to run down either of these fine coaches. It's a lot harder now playing all big schools. I've followed the Tiger boys and girls for a lot of years myself and even held all-sports tickets. I think that class basketball has helped the smaller schools to win more or go a little further in the tournament. Not that many state champs - just the Triton girls. In fact, that's the only one to reach the state finals! My Question is, do we really need class basketball with that low of percentage?
Gary Morrow, Class of 1958, via e-mail
Warsaw
Pray For Sister
Editor, Times-Union:I am writing this letter to the community, asking them to please pray for my sister, Deborah, and her husband, Arthur Clark.
You see, they have a very limited income and they have a truck that is in desperate need of some work done to it. They haven't been able to drive it for almost a month now. A friend of theirs is letting them use a van, but that will have to be given back soon and my brother-in-law needs his truck because, about the end of April, he will start mowing again. His truck is the only way for him to transport his mowers with his trailer. That is how him and his wife make it through the summer months, so please pray for them if you will that God will provide for them.
Dale P. Zimmerman
Warsaw
Vote For Hayhurst
Editor, Times-Union:Dr. Tom Hayhurst, candidate for Congress in the third district, is a pulmonary physician with 30 years of practice in the Fort Wayne community. He also has been recognized for his dedication and voluntary work at Mathew 25, the free medical and dental clinic.
No candidate could have a better medical background and experience to tackle our nation's most serious domestic problem - affordable and available healthcare for Americans as we move into the 21st century.
Dr. Hayhurst will take a leadership role in Congress in the next session to:
n Allow importation of prescription drugs from Canada and other nations where they are available at world market prices, which are generally 50 percent less than the U.S. retail prices.
n Draft legislation to direct government agencies to negotiate prescription drug prices with the producing companies. Billions of dollars could be saved.
n Correct the poorly designed Medicare, Part D program which has the infamous doughnut hole and benefits the insurance companies primarily and senior citizens secondly.
Dr. Hayhurst's volunteer time as a physician at a Louisiana hurricane relocation center for displaced persons further demonstrates his dedication to humanity and public service.
The good people of the third district of Indiana need a representative who will not ignore the health care needs of our citizens, but will attack the problems with positive and practical solutions.
Dr. Tom Hayhurst is the person that we need and deserve in the next session of Congress.
Jack Spindler
Fort Wayne
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- Bad Sports Page - Hoops Observations - 'Da Vinci Code' - Great Wall - Everyone Loses - Class Basketball - Pray For Sister - Vote For Hayhurst
Bad Sports Page
Editor, Times-Union:So this is what Tiger sports coverage has become. In a matter of several years, the once good sports page in the Times-Union has become the weapon of choice to bludgeon a good coach and a great human being. Fewer and fewer subscriptions, and fewer and fewer readers, results in cheap shots from the cheap shots in hopes of drawing the attention back to print media that struggles to be mediocre.
Plain and simple, the sports page is a far cry from what it was when Robin Hartman and Kirby Sprouls were running a sports page that reported stories about high school athletics, and let the respective school administration deal with personnel assignments.
I have taught and coached for more than 20 years in the Warsaw system. In my opinion, we were on solid ground when Robin and Kirby were reporting on high school sports. These men would never resort to the Jerry Springer-type reporting that has been evident these past few months in the Times-Union sports page. I guess thinking the sports page would remain strong when a former second-string offensive lineman for Tiger Football took over was wrong on my part.
Robin and Kirby talked to all the coaches and got permission from the coaches to talk to players. They would never seek out a disgruntled parent and print their opinion in the paper. They understood that winning and losing was the by-product of parent support, team chemistry, along with school and administration backing. Of course, the coaching staff contributed to the team's overall success.
In the past few years, our sports page has gone in a different direction. We now read articles that express opinions by people who have never coached a day in their lives. Stats are used as weapons for attack, and there is no understanding of the formula that is needed to have a successful team.
As a former coach who saw my share of championships, let me tell you, that to put together a winning program you need the full support from parents, athletes and the administration. You also need a strong staff from top to bottom. You do not need someone who has never coached a day in his life, expressing his negative opinion, about a man who has forgotten more about basketball than he can ever hope to know.
Robin and Kirby, where are you?
Dave Baumgartner, former head coach
Warsaw Community High School
Hoops Observations
Editor, Times-Union:As a Warsaw Community High School grad and a 30+-year season-ticket holder, I feel compelled and qualified to comment on Dale Hubler's opinion piece, "What's Wrong With Tiger Basketball?"
First, a little nit-picking.
Talented underclassmen often don't receive as much playing time some feel they should because there are upperclassmen who, through their hard work and dedication to the program, have earned their time in the spotlight.
Second, in high school, some players, particularly those 6-6 or taller, are routinely asked to play inside to benefit the team to provide defense, scoring potential and rebounding even though their "natural" position is at guard or on the wing.
Finally, AAU ball with its emphasis on individual play and little defense is much different than the high school game.
That said, it would have been very interesting, and possibly beneficial, to have seen the two brothers show what they can do. Here's hoping we will have the opportunity to see them do it in a Tiger uniform over the next several years.
Otherwise, Dale's observations were spot on.
The skills, desire and dedication of the players was there. They simply were not given the tools they needed.
At the defensive end of the court, there were flashes of the excellence this community has come to expect. At the offensive end, not so much.
For the past two years, the offensive scheme featured little movement away from the ball, very few screens to open up a passing lane or to give a shooter a clean look and too much emphasis on one-on-one play. The result? Players trying to make something happen with ill-advised passes, resulting in turnovers, and forcing shots. Far too often, after such a pass or shot, a player was pulled from the game for a seat on the bench, not for instruction (seldom did a coach speak to the player) but, as it seemed from the stands, as a form of punishment.
Over the past couple of years, Coach Ogle often stated the need for the team, and by extension the fans, to "buy into the program." As any consumer will tell you, once they have become accustomed to an excellent product, a mediocre one will not do. This is evidenced by the so-so results on the floor and the increasing number of long time fans attending games disguised as empty seats.
I have no personal animosity toward Coach Ogle. In my interactions with him he has always been, if not gregarious, affable. By all reports, he is a decent and caring husband, father and teacher. He is simply not the right choice to provide the excellence the fans expect and the players deserve.
It is time to make a change.
Stephen J. Clingenpeel, via e-mail
Warsaw
'Da Vinci Code'
Editor, Times-Union:Having read the book, "The Da Vinci Code," I did not like it.
This is a fiction book, yet in some places, it deals with facts.
Now they are making a movie of this book. As a Christian, I do not like having Jesus portrayed as an immoral person.
It seems strange that a judge can make a law that one cannot say Jesus in our legislature, yet a movie can be made demoralizing Jesus.
I protest this movie under the First Amendment of the Constitution of the U.S.
Joyce A. Phaneuf
North Webster
Great Wall
Editor, Times-Union:I am disappointed by the city's slow response regarding the situation at Great Wall. I hope city officials will work harder for a just resolution and not burden Wei and Joni any further.
Raphael Wolff, via e-mail
Warsaw
Everyone Loses
Editor, Times-Union:I was disappointed when I read Dale Hubler's article Saturday titled "What's Wrong with Tiger Basketball?"
I don't think it would be too difficult to counter Mr. Hubler's "evidence," but I don't intend to do that primarily because I don't feel qualified to do so. I am qualified to know there's a lot of important information available to a coaching staff that is not available to even the most avid fan.
At the end of the day, I'm really wondering what good will come from this article. The editorial effectively undermined an elected school board, and a competent administration and athletic director that are paid to make such decisions. I expect there will be a firestorm of letters to the editor, some supporting Coach Ogle - and maybe calling into question the talent of the players - others agreeing with Mr. Hubler. Either way, everyone will lose. We'll have a divided community, an undermined administration, and great pain to the family of a qualified, hard-working coach who deserves better from our great community.
Steve C. Yeager, via e-mail
Warsaw
Class Basketball
Editor, Times-Union:It's called "class" basketball.
As far as records go, Coach Ogle 53-35 record (huh). How about Coach Rhodes' 3-year record at Logansport - 28-37 - that's not even 50 percent.
I am not trying to run down either of these fine coaches. It's a lot harder now playing all big schools. I've followed the Tiger boys and girls for a lot of years myself and even held all-sports tickets. I think that class basketball has helped the smaller schools to win more or go a little further in the tournament. Not that many state champs - just the Triton girls. In fact, that's the only one to reach the state finals! My Question is, do we really need class basketball with that low of percentage?
Gary Morrow, Class of 1958, via e-mail
Warsaw
Pray For Sister
Editor, Times-Union:I am writing this letter to the community, asking them to please pray for my sister, Deborah, and her husband, Arthur Clark.
You see, they have a very limited income and they have a truck that is in desperate need of some work done to it. They haven't been able to drive it for almost a month now. A friend of theirs is letting them use a van, but that will have to be given back soon and my brother-in-law needs his truck because, about the end of April, he will start mowing again. His truck is the only way for him to transport his mowers with his trailer. That is how him and his wife make it through the summer months, so please pray for them if you will that God will provide for them.
Dale P. Zimmerman
Warsaw
Vote For Hayhurst
Editor, Times-Union:Dr. Tom Hayhurst, candidate for Congress in the third district, is a pulmonary physician with 30 years of practice in the Fort Wayne community. He also has been recognized for his dedication and voluntary work at Mathew 25, the free medical and dental clinic.
No candidate could have a better medical background and experience to tackle our nation's most serious domestic problem - affordable and available healthcare for Americans as we move into the 21st century.
Dr. Hayhurst will take a leadership role in Congress in the next session to:
n Allow importation of prescription drugs from Canada and other nations where they are available at world market prices, which are generally 50 percent less than the U.S. retail prices.
n Draft legislation to direct government agencies to negotiate prescription drug prices with the producing companies. Billions of dollars could be saved.
n Correct the poorly designed Medicare, Part D program which has the infamous doughnut hole and benefits the insurance companies primarily and senior citizens secondly.
Dr. Hayhurst's volunteer time as a physician at a Louisiana hurricane relocation center for displaced persons further demonstrates his dedication to humanity and public service.
The good people of the third district of Indiana need a representative who will not ignore the health care needs of our citizens, but will attack the problems with positive and practical solutions.
Dr. Tom Hayhurst is the person that we need and deserve in the next session of Congress.
Jack Spindler
Fort Wayne
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