Baseball Hall of Fame; biographical errors; keep summer long

Baseball Hall of Fame

I am a lifetime fan of baseball.

I played some Little League. I watched “The Game Of The Week” with Dizzy Dean and Pee Wee Reese.

I would listen to the radio during night games.

I disagree with Gil LeBreton on voting players like Barry Bonds or Roger Clemens into the Hall Of Fame. (See: Gil Lebreton’s column, “It’s A Hall Of Fame Vote” )

Gil says it’s the Hall Of Fame, not the Sistine Chapel.

To me it is the Sistine Chapel of baseball.

Barry Bonds hit 33 home runs. The next year a bulked-up Bonds hit 73.

A chubby, beer-drinking, food-loving, Babe Ruth hit 60 home runs.

A tall, thin, four-pack-smoking Roger Maris hit 62.

I agree with player Chris Davis. Hank Aaron still holds the record for most home runs and Roger Maris for most hits in a year.

This week, Bob Nightengale of USA Today sports said to let it go and vote steroid users into the Hall Of Fame.

Bob and Gil are entitled to their opinions. For me it’s about respect for the game of baseball. Great players that did it right.

— Roy Conner, Fort Worth

Biographical errors

In your recent profile of incoming DA Sharen Wilson you print her disingenuous claim that she was “a civil defense attorney” following her unmourned 1988 departure from the DA’s office.

As per her routine practice, Wilson has re-written her history.

Although handling a smattering of civil cases, Wilson also tried her hand as a criminal defense lawyer. I can understand her reluctance to admit that, inasmuch as the Texas Court of Criminal Appeals found her representation of capital murderer David Lee Herman to have been constitutionally inadequate, falling below the standards required of a minimally competent lawyer.

While the court did not reverse the case, the facts remain.

If Wilson truly wishes to have a transparent tenure, she might start with some minimal truthfulness.

— Jack V. Strickland, Fort Worth

Keep summer long

The Star-Telegram editorial notes several strong arguments in favor of a later school start date — lower air-conditioning costs, the economic advantage to the travel industry (possible $790 million loss annually if kids start earlier), parents’ complaining early start dates spoil late summer vacations, and the belief that kids should be allowed to enjoy the waning days of summer before school stresses start to build.

But then the Star-Telegram makes its conclusion for local choice based on weak arguments — concern that a later start date would result in mid-term exams being held after the holiday break, and less prep time for standardized tests.

In my generation (50+ years ago) school always started after Labor Day and mid-term exams always occurred in late January. And we turned out OK. In fact, kids back then graduated with much better educational preparation overall than those of today.

And it’s sad to use “teaching to a test” to justify when to start school. Fewer holidays (not having a full week at Thanksgiving, full week of “spring break,” and many other holidays) would solve that!

— Mike Jones, Fort Worth

This story was originally published January 8, 2015 at 5:54 PM with the headline "Baseball Hall of Fame; biographical errors; keep summer long."