Horse racing by its nature isn't humane

Sports Editor,

Bob Lipper's PETA bashing for going "over the top" in the wake of the Kentucky Derby only shows that he is missing the point just like everyone else, including PETA.

You can talk all you want about how the riders, steroids/drugs, the riding crop, selective breeding, racing/distance frequency, etc. make horse racing more cruel and dangerous, but even if you correct all of that stuff, horse racing still is going to be . . . cruel.

It will always be a situation in which you are pushing an animal to its limits at risk to that animal, the most significant issue being that the animal does not have any say in the matter. The owners, breeders, trainers, and riders may all say that they love the horse and that the horse loved to race, but unless any of them are a bona fide Dr. Doolittle, nobody really knows what the horse loves or the kind of hell it thinks it is being put through.

It's barbaric to some degree, no matter what precautions are in place. As such, it always will boil down to whether the majority is going to say that it's acceptable or unacceptable barbarism. Having been to races myself, I know it's going to be the former, because there's too much money in the industry and too much interest by the fans. In addition, a lot of animal lovers love animals selectively or only only to a certain degree.

Horse racing is going to be OK to those people with safety measures in place, as long as the ultimate safety measure isn't enacted. Ironically, thanks to the Eight Belles tragedy, I can guarantee that there will be a new group of fans who will be even more interested in horse racing. Just as there are some people who go to NASCAR races hoping to see a spectacular wreck, there will be people hoping to see a horse racing equivalent at the next Derby.

Don't expect any changes in society until we've all had a few hundred more years of evolution. Brian Hoard Charlottesville

Nowdays, an act of sportsmanship is news

Sports Editor,

By now, many of your readers have either read or heard about Western Oregon softball player Sara Tucholsky and her first home run that almost never happened.

For those who haven't, the short version is Tucholsky hit her only career home run in a game against rival Central Washington only to injure her knee while running the bases. In a superb display of sportsmanship, two players from Central Washington carried Tucholsky around the bases in a game won by Western Oregon 4-2.

This may be the single most talked about display of sportsmanship since 1969 when Jack Nicklaus conceded the Europeans a short putt to halve and retain the Ryder Cup. Like many of you, I tip my cap to all of the players involved.

What I wonder is why this is such big news. What have our sports become when acting decent is news? It seems that no one is shocked anymore by the criminal behavior of many of our "star" athletes, yet it blows us away when someone reaches out to help up an injured player. Where are our priorities? What are we teaching our kids?

As a parent, coach and physical educator, I will, and already have, used this story in class and at practice to help my kids, students, and players understand what sportsmanship is really all about. It's about respect, honor, and about doing the right thing. It's about playing the game for the sake of the game and about knowing you tried your best. It's about having fun.

I know that Sara Tucholsky wished she had never hurt her knee, but something tells me that she had fun. Something also tells me that no one who was on that field that day will ever look at sports the same way again. After all, it's just a game. Let's play! Mark Busser Richmond

NASCAR needs to go back to drawing board

Sports Editor,

I'd like to suggest another factor that may be influencing the downturn in NASCAR attendance and viewership this year ("NASCAR race may fail to sell out").

In addition to the "economic downturn" and "added capacity" of RIR, cited by your reporter, could it possibly be that members of NASCAR's royalty (read: Brian France, et al) have lost sight of their core consumer/fan base? When a business tries to be all things to all people, it ends up being little or nothing to anyone.

Bring back the days of the Winston Cup "rubbin'-is-racin'," "creative" crew chiefs and the era when a driver's fan base was built on his own personality, character, and talent -not constructed and/or construed by a public relations firm to meet the needs of Madison Avenue and its ilk. As of late, I'd rather be fishing. Deborah Cowles Ashland