LETTERS
Burress incident, given situation, not surprising
To the sports editor:
The surprise in the circumstances surrounding the accidental shooting of Plaxico Burress by Plaxico Burress is that it is no surprise.
Are professional athletes and the general public somehow amazed that the carrying of handguns in and around "questionable" areas actually increases the likelihood they might be used?
NFL players and other athletes don't carry weapons because of the recent spate of murders and aggravated assaults. The murders and assaults occur because the athletes are carrying weapons.
The majority of incidents occur at bars, the parking lots of prostitutes' apartments and strip clubs. Does anyone else see a pattern here?
If you hang out at the bottom of the pond, you are going to swim with carp.
BRUCE SCHOWERS
Burress fortunate only his 'leg' was wounded
To the sports editor:
If it's true what I heard that Plaxico Burress had his gun in the waistband of his sweatpants and that it went off when he went to grab it as it slipped, he should be really thankful that he took a bullet in the "leg."
CRAIG DAWSON
Quit whining, Texas fans: BCS system all we've got
To the sports editor:
I've bitten my tongue as long as I can, but I've had enough of the "unbiased" sportswriters and the whiny Texan fans complaining about the Oklahoma Sooners getting to play in the Big 12 Conference championship game and then possibly having a shot at making the Bowl Championship Series title game.
You have Oklahoma, Texas and Texas Tech all with one loss, but you don't hear Texas Tech fans crying about not being in the Big 12 game, do you?
Only the Texas fans are complaining.
I realize the system set up for getting into the BCS championship game is not foolproof, but without a playoff system it's all we've got.
Until something better is developed, we have to listen "The Cries of Texas Are Upon You."
ROY M. FOSTER
Maybe O.J. can act, play football while in prison
To the sports editor:
So O.J. Simpson will spend a minimum of nine years in prison for his crimes here in Las Vegas.
That time doesn't have to be a waste -- he could star in an updated, real-life version of "The Longest Yard."
BENNY TIPTON
Rodeo cruel to animals, shows we aren't civilized
To the sports editor:
The (National Finals) rodeo is back in town, and it's time for the Review-Journal to glorify the mistreatment of the horses, steers and calves that are part of the nightly "competition."
I am not a member of PETA (People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals) nor do I support all of their actions to get their messages across, but it doesn't take being a PETA member to see that these animals are being forced into things they don't want to do and certainly wouldn't do on their own.
Why as a society, supposedly civilized, do we continue to let this happen? Haven't we evolved from the late 1800s?
MARY THOMPSON
The Review-Journal welcomes letters from its readers. Letters should be 150 words or less and must include the author's name and phone number. Send letters to: Letters to the Sports Editor, Las Vegas Review-Journal, P.O. Box 70, Las Vegas, NV 89125-0070. Letters also can be e-mailed to: jhawk@reviewjournal.com.
