Burke's absence 'unbelievable'
Unbelievable. That was my reaction to Tim Burke's absence from The Baltimore Sun's All-Metro football team.
Tim finished the season No. 2 in the area in passing, with a completion rate of 70 percent. He led his team to an 8-2 record (16-4 over the last two years) and ran an offense ranked among the area's top 10 throughout the entire season.
Two of his teammates, Mike Graebner and Tex DeLeon, respectively, finished in the area's top 10 in receiving and rushing. Certainly, this indicates Tim's execution and balance, as well as leadership.
The Towson Generals again missed the state playoffs by a scant point or two. Tim Burke was a significant ingredient in the offensive production of this successful team. When one considers that several of the honorable mentions on the All-Metro team had much lower completion rates and dismal win/loss records, it is inexplicable that Tim Burke was overlooked. His absence, quite frankly, diminishes the credibility of this award.
Should the designators of the All-Metro team continue to ignore such accomplishments and overlook players such as Tim Burke, I suggest you do away with such "honors" completely.
David Kalman
Baltimore
Wake up, Channel 11
Wake up, Channel 11 -- Baltimore is trying to get an NFL team. All true Baltimore Colts fans hate the Washington Redskins, they hate RFK Stadium and they hate that sickening song that those goofballs sing after every score. Any so-called Baltimore Colts fan who doesn't is a loser and has given up on our chances of getting a team.
I think that the station manager and program director of Channel 11 are Redskins lovers and should be asked to leave our town immediately.
Football fans in Baltimore wish to see the best games each week. On Dec. 8, the game of the week was the Eagles vs. the Giants at 1 p.m. The Redskins didn't play until 4 p.m. The Eagles and the Giants were fighting for a playoff spot while the Redskins had already locked up the division. We were forced to watch the Redskins play the Cardinals, and WBAL didn't even show the Eagles-Giants game.
The NFL has got to be watching the ratings of the games in Baltimore, and if we cannot see the best games, then our TV sets will be turned off. If Baltimore does not get a team, it will be Channel 11's fault and the newspaper reporters' as well for not giving WBAL a hard time about their choices on Sundays. I hope the NFL goes pay-per-view so we can make our own choices.
Paul Charles
Pasadena
7/8
It's OK to root for Colts
Last week a Redskins fan said that it's OK to like the Redskins, even though they were much hated here in Baltimore. Being a loyal Colts fan for 30 years, I say it's OK to still like them. Robert Irsay has taken his team to an up-and-coming, lively sports town. They play in a beautiful stadium, have either made or played for the playoffs four out of the last five years, have the next Bert Jones, the third-leading rusher in NFL history and still wear blue and white.
The fans in Baltimore never heard these positive things because the writers and the broadcasters here have made cheap-shot livings on the Colts the last 20 years. There are not many loyal Colts fans left here in Baltimore, but for the few of us, it is sheer joy to support them. At least we all can thank Robert Irsay for Oriole Park and thank the Redskins fans for filling it.
Robert M. Alark Sr.
Baltimore
Thanks, traitors!
I open The Sun, and what team is on the front page again? The Redskins. Who is on front page of sports all of the time? The Redskins. I thought I was reading The Baltimore Sun -- or is it The Washington Sun?
Fans who have taken to the Redskins just because they are the closest team make me sick. Move to Washington! Every Sunday they're on when a better game could be on. Last week it was the only game on at 4 p.m.
Thanks to The Sun and traitor fans of Baltimore, we'll never get our own team. The NFL will think we're happy and content supporting the Redskins. Thanks, traitors.
Don Brown
Baltimore
7/8
Bonilla no $5 million man
The number of teams that were willing to succumb to the demands of Bobby Bonilla was unbelievable. Also unbelievable was the way that these teams tried to outdo each other by enticing Bonilla with larger amounts of money than the previous team offered.
Bonilla is definitely a productive player, but he was hardly worth his asking price of $5 million per year. Teams should have realize this, and also the fact that free agents often go sour. All one has to do is look at the 1990 deal between Darryl Strawberry and the Dodgers.
Hopefully, all major-league teams will wake up and understand that no one player is worth all the money and the hassle.
Anita J. Arendt
Fallston