Sports Letters

Wednesday, May 17, 2006 | 7:34 a.m.

Golfer should show respect

This past weekend Brett Wetterich played golf in the Byron Nelson tournament and took first place to win more than a million dollars.

Taking off your cap after sinking your last putt is a traditional trait with golfers, win or lose. Did Brett take off his cap? No way. Not even to Mr. Byron Nelson or when he accepted the trophy and check.

This was his first big win but that's not an excuse in my book for not showing respect to his fellow players and those who put food on his table.

Being a sportsman for 83 years, I will never watch him play golf again.

Bruno W. Busch, Las Vegas

Prediction from an Idaho fan

Regarding Ron Kantowski making light of Idaho State and UNLV's other football opponents ("Duly Noted," May 9):

The Bengals will beat the Rebels on Sept. 2. There will be fireworks. And hopefully Ron will see fit to write about it.

Hank Carter, Pocatello, Idaho

A clue about college schedule

Two of Ron Kantowski's recent columns have stimulated me to offer him some insight regarding intercollegiate athletics administration before he pontificates further on the subject.

First, regarding UNLV's lack of promotion in the area of Olympic sports: I agree there is a void, but some blame must be directed to the media for failure to cover these teams. Your paper chooses to promote poker tournaments rather than college sports while that other paper prefers to cover boxing and NBA trivia. Certainly, the UNLV sports information department should also shoulder some responsibility.

The other concern I have is equating UNLV's scheduling of Washington State and Iowa State in football with Idaho State and Portland State. Had Ron done his research, he might have discovered that Washington State beat Texas in the 2004 Holiday Bowl.

There are a bunch of head football coaches who are thankful that Ron chose reporting rather than scheduling as his profession.

Jim Braun, Henderson

Some fans want commitment

I began reading Ron Kantowski's column on the prospect of major league sports coming to Las Vegas ("Pros and Cons," May 11) thinking it would be a marvelous and scathing indictment of the Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority, Las Vegas Events and the Las Vegas sports scene in general. I was very disappointed. It seems he is actually content with the insignificant events we get in this town.

The people in cities that have professional franchises anticipate the games, celebrate the games, reflect on the games - it's an ongoing love affair with their teams that extends beyond the two hours the event takes up.

Ron should understand the difference between opening day for your hometown team and an exhibition game at Cashman Field.

James Price, Las Vegas

Column helps teen read more

I thought Ron Kantowski might enjoy knowing that his articles have helped spark interest in reading for the 15-year-old boy I have been tutoring.

We used his two high-interest topics about choosing a baseball glove and pitching a knuckle ball at the start of tutoring sessions. In addition to enjoying the articles, the student got practice in vocabulary, reading and study skills that he was able to apply to his own school courses. His grades and interest in reading have climbed.

Best regards and thanks from two new fans.

Carol Newman, Las Vegas