UHS baseball lineup raises questions
For most of the senior men on the University High School baseball team, 2021 did not bring normalcy back. Twenty-two students made the varsity squad. Nine played continually. Eight seniors were benched continually.
This blatant discrimination is a culture this county has cultivated and perfected over a number of years. This demeaning behavior of adults toward children is devastating and undermines the basis of our American ideals — “Work hard and succeed.”
Discrimination, as defined by the International Association of Coaching (IAC), “occurs when a person or group of people are treated less favorably than another person or group or denied the opportunity to participate freely and fully in activities.” This conduct by a coach/teacher toward a student is most heinously demoralizing, crippling their confidence and having a detrimental effect on mental health, self-esteem and educational performance.
Carlo Cipolla authored a book titled “The Basic Laws of Human Stupidity.” There are five laws, and number three defines UHS baseball perfectly. “A stupid person is one who causes harm to another person or group without at the same time obtaining benefit for himself or even damaging himself.”
These students were treated as individuals in a welfare state. Thomas Sowell explains: “The Welfare State is the oldest con game in the world, first you take people’s money quietly and then give some of it back to them FLAMBOYANTLY.” The “money” in this instance would be the students’ talents, self-worth and social development stolen from them by a coach they trusted. If by chance the students were deemed worthy, the player would FLAMBOYANTLY be given the opportunity to participate at a position that was rightfully his to begin with.
The credibility of player statistics is in question as well. The players’ stats put on Game Changer seem to be falsified to make them look superior. The team’s state ranking doesn’t match the reported performance of the players. If this special group of student athletes is more talented than those sitting on the bench, why is there a need to doctor the statistics?
Douglas J. Pinn
Morgantown
Traffic detours should be more considerate
On May 22 and 23, a short section of Beechurst Avenue was closed to allow construction of the new WVU building on the location of the former fieldhouse. The traffic was detoured up Campus Drive to University Avenue. The route was continued on University Avenue to the intersection at Beechurst Avenue and Fayette Street.
Traffic traveling the other way was directed up University Avenue on a part usually one-way the other direction. That route continued to Campus Drive and down to Beechurst.
The detoured traffic would have moved much better without the traffic lights, because those signals followed the usual sequence. All traffic was halted to allow the usual flow of cars from Beechurst Avenue to University Avenue and Fayette Street. Traffic flowing north on University Avenue was also interrupted.
When I drove south on University Avenue, I sat through two cycles of those signals before I could continue during the third cycle. The pause included time for the usual nonexistent traffic on Fayette Street that would cross the intersection.
Traffic traveling north on University Avenue was similarly interrupted.
I hope that future detours will include adjustment of the timing of traffic.
Even during the usual traffic, much could be done to accommodate traffic conditions that vary at different times of day.
Scott Burnworth
Westover
‘Toxic masculinity’ column a waste of space
What a waste of space in the opinion column. The opinion piece “Police have toxic masculinity problem” (DP-05-20-21) absolutely was disgusting. Just the title caused me to form an opinion that this was going to be a waste of newspaper space and readers’ time, but I decided to wade in anyway. Should have gone with my gut instinct. Ms. Thompson painted all police officers with a wide ugly brush.
To summarize her opinion: All police are too mean, quick to judge and quick to react in a forceful way. I then read the tiny print, which explains it all: She is working for the East Coast citadel of the far left, socialist, anti-everything conservative, anti-USA, Columbia University.
Well, if I had my choice of her ideal police vs. what we now have, I’ll take what we currently have. After all, our current officers don’t need to worry if they break a fingernail while protecting the citizens.
And if that article isn’t enough to ruin your breakfast, also in the May 20 paper was another article equally as disgusting describing Mr. Biden demanding that Israel wind down the protection of its citizens (stop bombing Gaza). Who died and left Mr Biden in charge of Israel? Mr. Biden, you would do well to start backing Israel instead of backing its enemies and to start trying to protect our country … but wait, Nancy wouldn’t let you do that.
Roger Vankirk
Morgantown
