A few ill-mannered fans can tarnish image of whole town

After many years of attending high school tourney basketball games, I still find it surprising to see the number of ignorant fans who can infiltrate some of the mostly well-behaved crowds.

It was alarming to discover that at two separate games involving the Bucksport girls and the George Stevens Academy girls of Blue Hill that a few fans were yelling at coaches to take players out of the ballgames. No, they were not yelling at the opposing coaches, but at the coaches of their own teams.

Imagine being a player on one of those teams and taking the ball out of bounds when the crowd is fairly quiet and hearing your named belted out through the cavernous Bangor Auditorium. Imagine how it feels when it’s an insulting yell from your own supposed fans instead of a cheer of support.

Fans who want to insult their own players and tell their coaches how to coach should stay home. Their behavior is appalling.

I grew up in a milltown, Millinocket, and watched a lot of high school basketball games in the 1960s and ’70s before I started getting paid to watch games. Millinocket fans in those days were far from the perfect models of sportsmanship and to say they were tough on opposing teams is an understatement. However, they didn’t hurl insults at their own players.

The majority of the Bucksport and GSA fans do have a lot of class and showed a good understanding of the purpose of the sport of basketball and the high school tourney. However, just a minority of ignorant fans can tarnish the reputation of the majority.

The next time the minority starts insulting their own players, then the majority should take a little initiative and tell them to keep quiet. It’s an old rule many learn at a young age from their parents: If you don’t have anything good to say to someone, then keep quiet.

– Joe McLaughlin, BDN

In your paper dated Feb. 10 in the sports section, I noticed the Western Maine Tournament schedule is designed for the fan of the real game. They have you pay for two boys games played back-to-back, which is giving customers a better product than the Eastern Maine Tourney, which makes you pay the same price, but you only get one real game and one lower caliber version of basketball.

The format used to be customer friendly back in the early ’70s, but economics jeopardized the girls part, because let’s face it, that caliber of ball is very nauseating to watch, so they had to combine the boys and girls tourney in order for the girls to stay afloat.

It’s been over 20 years since the format was used. Maybe it’s time to stop shortchanging the customers and see if girls basketball in Eastern Maine can stand on its own or get a hold of the powers that be in Western Maine and have them run the Eastern Maine tourney.

– Nick Montrose, Bangor

I would like to express my anger at WLBZ Channel 2. On Sunday, Feb. 16, 1997, Channel 2 interrupted the NBA game between the Chicago Bulls and the Orlando Magic for the 6 o’clock news. Why couldn’t a brief newcast be shown at halftime? Why broadcast the game at all if the whole game isn’t going to be shown? I don’t believe Maine local news, in the six hours since the noon telecast, is more of a drawing card than watching the best team (Chicago) with the best player, some say ever, (Michael Jordan) competing against another top team. If a story is of great importance, why not run a bulletin at the bottom of the screen?

It’s bad enough that a great contest is interrupted, but the news is broadcast from Portland, which doesn’t hold much interest to me, living in Bangor.

I remember a few years ago I watched the Maine state parade instead of a playoff game the Bulls played in. If the Maine women were playing or the Celtics were once again great, I don’t believe WLBZ would interrupt the telecast for the news. During NFL telecasts the news is shown at halftime; I think a similar process would work for NBA games.

This inept programming gives me reason to order a different cable operator that carries the national NBC telecast. It’s too bad Cablevision has to broadcast WLBZ’s feed. Fans watching any national telecast of a game can watch the complete contest.

I encourage all true basketball fans to speak up on this issue. It will only be a matter of time before Channel 2 will interrupt a game you are enjoying or looking forward to.

– Todd E. Richardson, 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.