Sometimes, sports people need a note

Every now and then -- more now than then -- the desire is there to fire off a quick note to some folks in sports.

Sure, there are occasions when 140 characters suffice, and there are times when an essay is more warranted.

But often, a couple of paragraphs take care of getting the point across.

Arthur Blank is on the list.

Dear Artie,

Boy, you really gave, to quote philosopher Barney Fife, the Johnny Shafto to longtime fans with the cost of the new seat licenses and tickets.

A friend has two pretty good seats that cost him $144 per ticket per game now. To stay, he has to cough up $20,000 per ticket and then $335 per ticket per game for the same seats.

I sure wish Col. Joe Curtis was still around to give you his thoughts. That would be worth admission.

You people in charge forget: It’s those making below $500,000 who give sports the passion and environments the flavor who are the real foundation.

There’s no homefield advantage courtesy of rich people who aren’t showing up or paying attention.

Sincerely,

A 99-percenter

Dear soon-to-be-ex Macon County head coach Larry Harold,

Congrats on the new job. Condolences to where you’re leaving, because you were clearly doing good work there, and your successor sure has some nice pieces to work with.

A huge high five for telling Brunswick you weren’t going anywhere until after National Signing Day on Wednesday, that you owed it to those seniors who are signing.

That’s an extraordinarily pleasant change from many of your college and pro colleagues, who apparently owe nobody anything by simply agreeing to take a new job.

Respectfully yours,

Well-wisher

Dear ESPN and NFL Network,

I hope that whatever y’all are getting paid to keep Lou Holtz, Michael Irvin and Deion Sanders on a set is worth it.

I just wish it wasn’t.

Exhaustedly yours,

Remote grabber

Dear Marshawn Lynch,

I’m long past caring about your little game, and it’s clearly a game.

But there’s this inference that you want to set an example for youngsters.

You are. The wrong one. At-risk kids have to grasp the importance of quality communication skills when they get older, and you’re obliterating that by mocking communication.

And at-risk kids must grasp the importance of structure, and part of your job is communicating about your job. You’re blasting that by snubbing rules, however debatable they are, and they are debatable. The little post-touchdown crotch grab doesn’t help your cause, either.

You infer it’s not about you, but it has become all about you. And you’re blocking any good messages you want to get across.

Later,

Thinking wishfully

Dear football refs,

Can those of you on the high school level quit calling the offense for offsides so radio folks will quit getting it wrong, too?

And can you on the college and pro levels stop saying “by rule” because, well, if you’re talking to us, it’s about a broken rule. Every penalty is “by rule.” It’s just kinda stupid. But otherwise detailed explanations are much appreciated.

Regards,

Zebra defender

Dear Bill Belichick,

You seemed fairly loose Tuesday at the Super Bowl media day, almost enjoying yourself, speaking in paragraphs, smiling without the process looking like a certain painful exam.

Whatever medication or coffee you were on, keep it up.

Affectionately,

Hoodieless

Dear St. John’s basketball team,

Nothing personal, but a lot of people were pulling against you Sunday because we were just flat worn out with coverage of Mike Krzyzewski’s chase of 1,000 wins ... like ESPN’s free recruiting video that kept being rerun.

We couldn’t take any more. He needed to get it.

Of course, we’d have been done with the Coach K watch almost a week earlier ... if not for Mercer.

Best wishes,

Hoopsman

Dear college football recruiters,

Stop worrying about a player being a half-inch too short, two-tenths of a second too slow, weighing 15 pounds too little, benching not enough.

Stop worrying about measurables. Focus on football IQ, work ethic, trustability and how a kid plays.

Worry about the football player, not the numbers on a chart or form.

We’ll watch you miss the boat again Wednesday -- Peach County’s Keyshawn Lowe is among the poster children this year for such shortsightedness -- and we’ll be hoping those players you scoffed at come back and burn you.

Until next year,

Underdog lover

Contact Michael A. Lough at mlough@macon.com or 744-4626

This story was originally published January 28, 2015 at 5:30 PM with the headline "Sometimes, sports people need a note ."