Albuquerque Journal

SPORTS SPEAK UP!

- sportsspea­kup@abqjournal.com

REALITY CHECK: Time to face reality. UNM cut the wrong sports, they should have cut football instead. UNM doesn’t have the facilities, coach or fan support to attract top D1 players and lacks the will or the ability to spend the money required to turn these things around. A new coach won’t change that reality. Perhaps they can find a way to get to the middle of the Mountain West, but that won’t bring many fans back. … UNM football is stuck in a death spiral. — VicInAbq

COACH DAVIE says the Lobos will evaluate everything after the backto-back shellackin­g by both Fresno State a week ago and Utah State last Saturday. I suggest he look into the mirror, as the buck stops there. The product is completely unacceptab­le. Losing $4.7 million every year is tragic. We loyal fans show up and watch garbage or see it on TV. After 43 years of season (tickets on the ) 50 yard line, enough is enough. I can’t wait for beach volleyball season to get here. — Regents Killed Wrong Program

FIRST RULE in hiring a coach: Do Not hire a coach with a son. Very simple. — SS

THE MOST THAT we could get (at least that I heard) from radio’s play-by-play announcer Robert Portnoy while broadcasti­ng the UNM-Utah State disaster was a “my goodness.” Most Lobo fans had some harsher words for the performanc­e. Maybe give us something like this — for our listening audience, this 61-19 thrashing of the Lobos is one of the worst games that I’ve ever been associated with in all my years of sports broadcasti­ng? — Lobo FB Advisor I don’t have a dog in this hunt, but two possible explanatio­ns: 1) it wasn’t among the worst (loss Liberty, especially first half, anyone?) in his opinion; and 2) sometimes, less is more. — Randy, Journal

THE NMAA changed the rules last spring, to allow a loophole where high school “student” athletes can compete in the fall with multiple failing grades. In essence, blow off fall classes and still play football. Would certain sleazy coaches play those kids to win games rather than leverage football to assure student athletes make grades to graduate from high school? Come on NMAA, you says that’s not cheating, but it is deplorable. — RBB

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