Readers give kudos to Holtmann and say Browns can use Costner
Editor’s note: Unfortunately, we don’t have room in the print edition for all of the great reader feedback we’re getting. For more of the letters, go to Dispatch.com. Have more comments, questions? Reach out to me at bwhite1@dispatch.com.
On Ohio State basketball
To the editor: It appears that coach Chris Holtmann is on the “hot seat,” which seems short-sighted. Certainly, we all would like to see Big Ten league and tournament champs plus a national championship like 1960, but we also have one of the most competitive, deep athletic leagues in the country. Numerous Big Ten teams make the big dance, including the Buckeyes, but few make the Final Four. Why? Because we have exceptional teams across the country.
Coach Holtmann has run a clean, competitive program with a winning record. He has sent players to the professional ranks and recruited top-10 classes and made the Big Dance regularly. With the exceptions of Mike Krzyzewski and Jay Wright, few other current coaches have any more success than Holtmann out of the top 50 coaches beyond those winning one national championship.
Will a (coaching) change now, lead to bigger success? Doubtful. Will those never satisfied continue to criticize? Absolutely.
Than Johnson, Urbana
To Than: Again, this was a competitive but flawed team. And not the roster Holtmann expected to coach. He’s a good coach who now must hit it big in the transfer portal to give all the incoming freshmen time to mature.
On the Browns
To the editor: If you walk into a room full of Browns fans and ask them what their favorite movie is, at least half of them will say “Draft Day.” In the movie, Kevin Costner’s character, Browns general manager Sonny Weaver Jr., ultimately selects new players for the Browns based on a combination of talent plus integrity instead of players with a lot of talent but a lack of integrity. It sure would have been nice to have Sonny Weaver Jr. in the front office of the real Browns this year. I guess I’ll have to buy a Bengals sweatshirt for next season.
Jim Allen
To the editor: Thank you, Michael Arace, for calling out the Browns’ disgusting decision to hire Deshaun Watson and pay him the highest salary in NFL history and do this without any acknowledgment that, at the least, Watson chronically creates situations that result in women being compromised. Leave it to the hypocrites in power in the NFL to allow an owner to pay almost one quarter of a billion dollars to a player with a clear pattern of abusing the trust of women, while Colin Kaepernick, who’s only “fault” was taking a stand for social justice, can’t get a simple tryout. Pamela Conrad, Grandview Heights To the editor: My thanks to sports columnist Michael Arace, Andrea and Jim Thome, and The Dispatch for the honesty and support shown for women who put themselves in the public eye. You are all to be commended.
Kathleen Rosati, Westerville
On high school basketball
To the sports editor: As Gomer Pyle once said, “For shame, for shame, for shame!” As a retired teacher coach/official (24 years) with over 60 years of head varsity coaching experience in central Ohio, I wanted to express myself and how several of my fellow coaches feel regarding how things are run by central Ohio and OHSAA. The lack of minority representation on the CDAB (Central District Athletic Board) is appalling, as is the lack of diversity within the OHSAA structure. The lack of minority officials in the state basketball tournament is atrocious and puts minority athletes at an unfair disadvantage. Officials do their best, but biases do exist in our country. An example was the Africentric vs. Ottawa Glandorf state semifinal, with an all-black team vs an all-white team with three white officials. There were several calls which definitely swayed the outcome of the game. Africentric coach Michael Bates took the high road when asked about the officiating, but our kids deserved a better fate than what was provided by OHSAA. As a high school official, I will never question the integrity of officials, but I can question biases in life.
Secondly, it is a shame that the residents of central Ohio do not have a venue that will accommodate the fans to attend sporting events, in particular basketball. No disrespect and a thank you to those colleges who support central Ohio athletics, but for Columbus to not be able to accommodate the fans at a high school basketball game (Pickerington Central vs. Gahanna) in which the tickets were sold out in 20 minutes is a crying shame. Ohio State should be ashamed in not working with our central Ohio schools to provide a venue. Central Ohio should learn from other areas around the state in supporting high school athletics. The southwestern part of the state utilizes the Cintas Center (Xavier), Fifth Third Arena (University of Cincinnati) and the University of Dayton. All work with their area high schools. I suggest somebody in central Ohio look at what Kettering has done in building the Trent Arena as a venue to accommodate area and community events along with allowing residents of the community to utilize the facility during down time.
Dean Washington
To Dean: I, too, was a high school official and always felt the best crews were the most diverse. But I also realize the trouble the associations are having recruiting officials and how fan behavior has made it a very unappealing job, particularly for younger folks. As for the state semis, I was not present, but I did see one of the worst calls I’ve witnessed in a while when Africentric’s Dailyn Swain was given a technical for barely hanging on the rim. I also was impressed at how coach Bates handled such adversity.