It’s time to allow Sunday play

The Maine Principals’ Association feels Sunday should be a day of rest.

With the hectic schedules of families in the ’90s, MPA members probably feel more reluctant to change a policy which sets aside a day for families to spend time together.

It is an admirable concept, but there are times when the MPA should allow its schools to use Sunday as makeup days for playoff events.

They should state, however, that no MPA event can start before 1 p.m. That gives people time to attend church and spend a little bit of time together.

Now that we have Sunday sales, Sunday has become more like another weekday. The only difference is stores open a little later and a lot of people have Sundays off.

Rescheduling a rained out Saturday playoff game for Monday creates more of a hardship for families.

Parents obviously want to see their son or daughter play but a lot of them will have to take some time off from work to do so.

They are much more likely to have Sundays off than Mondays. The crowds will be much smaller on a Monday than a Sunday.

So c’mon, MPA. Reconsider your stance on Sunday play. Do it at least for for postseason play.

– Larry Mahoney, BDN

Once again Joe McLaughlin and the Bangor Daily News (Sounding Off, May 8) are out to see University of Maine hockey coach Shawn Walsh removed from UMaine and blacken the university’s reputation.

McLaughlin’s negative comments against Walsh rub salt in an already hard-to-heal wound. His attack of Walsh is also an attack against UM Athletic Director Sue Tyler, UM President Fred Hutchinson and the University of Maine.

Why he won’t let this wound heal is beyond me. Negative comments hurt not only Walsh and the hockey program but all UMaine sports and the University of Maine. McLaughlin’s negative attitude just keeps a cloud over UMaine.

Hutchinson and Tyler have punished Walsh, too harshly I believe. The NCAA will rule and possibly hand out more punishment this summer. So be it.

It’s time to put those issues and problems behind us. Let’s learn form this, take the positive and move on.

I agree with Cathy Hart. I would appreciate seeing more articles on the positive apects of University of Maine athletics.

– Rod Saunders, Surry

Andrew’s Neff Sounding Off article (BDN, May 15) seemed a bit out of touch with reality to me. The main theme of your writing seemed to be attacking local sports reporters for not covering every local sport.

As far as I know the local stations only employ one or two sports reporters. You want these people, who have to shoot their own video and then edit it under time constraints, to be at every local sporting event in the state?

If you had spent as much time with the local sports reporters as you did at your computer writing the article, then you would have quickly realized that it would be impossible. What is wrong with two local stories and two national stories?

The rest of your article seemed aimed at reporters who have enough talent to include a bit of humor in their report. I disagree with the idea that people see enough of that on ESPN. As an athlete that has been covered by both local and national sports, I will tell you that having you or your sport reported with a little extra pizazz makes you feel special.

Neff’s ideal sports report would not even have a human being reading it. It would be just a screen of boring scores, or maybe someone doing a cookie cutter report.

– Mike Eash, Bangor

Readers may submit “Sounding Off” comments to the Bangor Daily News’ Sports Desk at P.O. Box 1329, Bangor, ME 04402-1329. Our fax number is (207) 990-8092. All comments will be edited for accuracy, clarity, content, and taste.