Baseball's greed spoils the fun of national pastime
Larry Atkins' column about the potential baseball strike mirrored the sentiments of many fans, and non-fans, as well ("Final out is 1 strike away for baseball," Opinion Commentary, Aug. 16).
The average salary of a major league player is about $2.38 million. The average person can't even relate to that salary. Yet the players have the nerve to threaten to strike because the owners want a 50 percent luxury tax on excessive payrolls, revenue sharing and a drug-testing plan to deal with steroids.
Can't the players live on $2.38 million? Are they afraid of drug testing?
In the eyes of many fans, both the owners and players are spoiled adolescents who have no regard for the game itself as a "national pastime." That term in itself is a joke because, as a result of all of the greed that has surrounded the game for the past decade, baseball is no longer affordable for the average family.
Maybe the fans should go on strike for a change, and demand lower ticket and food prices.
Barbara Blumberg
Baltimore
Player-owner dispute might hurt others
Major League Baseball players and owners make me sick. The fact that about 800 people can't find a way to adequately carve up billions of dollars among themselves and, at the same time, are treating paying fans with an indifference that borders on disdain, is reprehensible.
Worse yet is the utter disregard and contempt they have shown to the thousands of individuals who make a living or supplement their primary income with a job that touches the fringes of the game.
Hats off to Major League Baseball Players Association Executive Director Donald Fehr, Commissioner Bud Selig and their heartless brethren. Their greed is literally taking food from babies' mouths.
Kevin Corbett
Glen Arm
City Council backs the biotech project
I would like to offer some facts in response to The Sun's editorial "Challenging Poverty" (Aug. 18).
The editorial said that, "the [east-side biotech] project has seemingly stalled in the City Council, which cancelled one set of public hearings and has failed to schedule new ones."
Fact: The Baltimore City Department of Housing and Community Development, the agency responsible for posting notice of the hearings in two publications, did not meet the requirements.
Community notification is critical to the success of this project. All five of the urban renewal hearings were rescheduled at the Aug. 12 City Council meeting, and notices of them were posted on our Web site on Aug. 13.
The editorial also stated, "The inactivity of the council, which is now on its summer break, is as incomprehensible as it is inexcusable."
Fact: The City Council met on July 15 and on Aug. 12. This marks the second year the council has had year-round meetings.
The mayor's office and the council have been meeting regularly for briefings on the progress of the biotech project, board member functions and administrative structure. In an effort to move the project forward, I organized a council tour of the proposed site on Aug. 20, which was very informative.
The Baltimore City Council agrees with The Sun on one thing -- the biotech project is the ticket to revitalizing East Baltimore.
Sheila Dixon
Baltimore
The writer is president of the Baltimore City Council.
Miller owes the state apology, resignation
State Senate President Thomas V. Mike Miller says he did nothing morally, ethically or legally wrong when he called judges concerning redistricting and suggests there is a right-wing plot to get him ("State ethics panel to rebuke Miller for calling judges," Aug. 17).
This sounds like the typical response of a Democrat who gets caught. The last time we heard about right-wing plots, a sitting president was in trouble and a sitting vice president was droning on about no controlling legal authority.
Mr. Miller should apologize to Marylanders and resign.
C. D. Wilmer
Baltimore
Concert noise harms quality of city life
If we measure noise pollution like air pollution, then last weekend's Harley-Davidson concert at Pimlico Race Course sent noise to code-red levels in neighborhoods from Pimlico to Mount Washington to Bancroft Park ("Streets to close for concert at Pimlico this weekend," Aug. 16).
It seems that the city government and the owners of the track would rather chase a few tourist dollars than consistently maintain livable neighborhoods.
Michael Edidin
Baltimore
No good options available on Iraq
President Bush now has the opportunity to use the advice of Henry Kissinger and other notables as cover to change his mind on invading Iraq ("Bush weighing warnings of Republicans over Iraq," Aug. 17).
It is becoming more and more clear that the rest of the world is very much against an attack, and Mr. Bush needs a graceful way to pull back.
Unfortunately Saddam Hussein may then become even more determined to get weapons, because he may feel it is only a matter of time before he is attacked and that he needs something to hurt the Americans and Jews. This may cause Mr. Hussein to become even more secretive in his efforts to be dangerous.
We may be in a position where we can't win, we can't quit and we can't break even.
James Dow
Baltimore
Prison conditions violate human rights
Thank you for printing the letter from a detainee at the Baltimore City Detention Center for Women ("The cruel state of women's jail," Aug. 10).
Whatever the causes, the conditions described in this woman's letter are horrible and not worthy of the standards of a free society.
As long as we allow prisoners to live in filthy, overcrowded spaces, exposed to disease as well as to extremely hot and cold temperatures, we have no right to criticize other countries for their human rights violations.
I hope the attention The Sun has given to this issue will help to bring needed changes to Baltimore's jails.
Elke Straub
Baltimore
Finally, some relief for female prisoners
I was extremely relieved to read that the city's jail for female prisoners awaiting trial will finally get some relief from the heat ("Release urged for city inmates," Aug. 15).
Renting an air conditioner to cool the gym should bring some comfort to these women who've been subjected to temperatures of 110 degrees.
But I find it unbelievable that it took so long for something to be done. And I hope even more air conditioners are added.
Money shouldn't be a problem -- just ask Police Commissioner Edward T. Norris for it.
Cindy Rothhaas
Shady Side