Assertiveness worked for UMaine hockey

I am an avid University of Maine hockey fan. I remember the day that if the hockey team was behind and the goalie wasn’t up to par Shawn Walsh would pull him and put another goalie in.

Tim Whitehead has a very different coaching style than the late Walsh. Walsh was assertive and made a change if things weren’t going his way. Maybe for all of us that remember the great UMaine hockey days that is all it will ever be – a memory.

Kristi Skipper

Bangor

‘Misconduct’ is wrong term in Bangor AD case

In regard to the article (BDN, April 15) on the reinstatement of Bangor High School Athletic Director Steve Vanidestine, District Attorney Christopher Almy is quoted as stating “Mr. Vanidestine’s misconduct here is being carefully evaluated…” I hope that Mr. Almy misspoke. Had the word “alleged” been said before misconduct or simply stating conduct then there would be no issue here.

By using the word “misconduct” the implication is that there was wrongdoing committed. As Mr. Vanidestine was performing his work duties I will quote from Maine Employment Security Law which defines misconduct as “a culpable breach of the employee’s duties or obligations to the employer or a pattern of irresponsible behavior….”

Additionally, there was an article (BDN, April 14) which detailed a $2.9 million settlement from the local school district to a player from Arizona after he was paralyzed when he was trampled when fans rushed the court following a basketball game two years ago.

Had Mr. Vanidestine not taken action when the floor was rushed, and in so doing perhaps preventing a similar injury, would we now be investigating that misconduct also?

I have had three children graduate from Bangor High in the last six years. I also attend several games in a variety of sports every year. All students and other fans know they are not to rush the court or any other playing field upon the immediate end of a sporting event. There is ample opportunity to congratulate players later after the playing field or gym floor is clear.

I was not at the game in question so I cannot determine what exactly occurred. What I do know is that Mr. Vanidestine has committed his heart and soul to Bangor High for over 25 years and that he always gave my children and all other students the same respect they gave him.

Michael T. Brooker

Bangor

Thanks for memories

I would like to thank the film crew of MVP and the Baxter family of PAGEmployment and Seaboard Security for putting Bangor Youth Hockey on television.

We received the most amazing DVDs that hold a piece of time for family and friends to watch for years. Their passion for preserving memories of our children is priceless.

Aaron O’Donnell

Bangor Youth Hockey

Red Squirts coach

Yankees’ Damon is dazed and confused

After reading Gary Thorne’s column (BDN, April 14) on Johnny Damon’s confusion about why he wasn’t re-signed by the Red Sox, I have to wonder if some pro athletes aren’t out of touch with reality. The Red Sox offered Damon, a 32-year-old player with significant wear and tear, $40 million over four years. That’s good money. And what, exactly, does Damon not understand about the fact Coco Crisp will soon be the best center fielder in baseball?

A recent over-the-shoulder, leaping catch perfectly illustrates how Crisp is a demonstrably superior defender. He will likely surpass Damon as an offensive force within two years and still be only 28. Red Sox management would have been out of their collective minds not to want to sign Crisp.

Damon was one of the very best leadoff men in the game, but his best days are behind him. Why should the Red Sox take a chance on a long-term deal, particularly when they’ve been burned by players who either lose their skills or their minds, like Jose Offerman and Manny Ramirez? (And does anybody else think it’s really cheesy that David Wells, while under contract for $2.5 million a year to the Sox, was telling Damon how great it was to play for the Yankees?)

In spite of what Damon may believe, life was pretty good for him while he played for the Red Sox. He got to wear his hair like a caveman, became one of the most recognizable faces (even though you couldn’t see that much of it) in America and even around the world, made tens of millions, was part of the greatest pro sports comeback of all time, and after all that signed a $52 million, four-year contract with the Yankees. Is there a problem here? When do we get to the part where Damon is treated badly?

What Johnny Damon doesn’t seem to realize is that playing for the Sox gave him a springboard to a more lucrative contract with another team. And even if the Sox had offered him everything he wanted again, he probably would have still found something to be unhappy about – like the departure of many of his old mates, such as Kevin Millar.

Perhaps with a little homework, Johnny Damon would have discovered that the Red Sox are notoriously unsentimental. Over the past three decades, the list of Boston homegrown players snubbed by Sox management, one way or another, includes stars like Dwight Evans, Ellis Burks, Mo Vaughn, Roger Clemens, Wade Boggs, and Carlton Fisk. And these players all spent a decade or two in the Red Sox organization.

Only one Red Sox player I can think of – Carl Yastrzemski – got the parade, the gold watch, and the storybook ending. Other than that, the Sox have had one, and only one, priority – beating the Yankees. So would Johnny Damon, who was only in Boston for four years, please stop telling us how his feelings are hurt. The Boston Red Sox have the second highest payroll in baseball. It’s difficult for Damon to make the argument that they’re cheap.

When the Yankees come to town, Damon should get a nice ovation because he deserves it. The Sox wouldn’t have won the championship in 2004 without him. But time marches on, Johnny Damon has been replaced, and without him the Red Sox started the 2006 season at 10-4. That’s the hard, cold reality of pro sports and life: Anyone in any job can be replaced. Perhaps one day Damon will understand that. Let’s hope so.

David D. Wilson

Levant

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