Rose-y commentary strikes chord

Every Saturday, I get up, I read Steve Smith’s mostly sappy column

and then when I’m finished, I usually roll my eyes and say, “You know

what? He just seems like such a decent person.” Then I go on.

Well this Saturday morning he wrote about Pete Rose and I agreed

with him 100%. Nobody could have said it better than he did. Pete

Rose is a despicable human being. And for those baseball fans out

there who say, “Well, you know he didn’t bet against his team, he bet

on his team,” I say this:

If you know anything about baseball, betting on your team is a far

worse sin because of the things that could happen in comparison to

betting against your team. Think about.

GEORGE LAMPINEN

Newport Beach

Imagine opening the pages of the Daily Pilot and finding yourself

being equated with murderers. That’s what happened to me Saturday

morning as I read Steve Smith’s most recent column, purportedly on

Pete Rose’s lack of character.

In his opening paragraph, Smith compares people who still feel an

airport at El Toro is the appropriate, and obvious, solution to our

region’s demand for increased airport capacity to murderers. Since I

am one of the thousands of people who do, indeed, feel El Toro is the

best solution, I am offended that Smith -- in his warped, misguided

attempt at humor -- equates us with killers.

In the past, I’ve often gotten a chuckle from his work, even

though I didn’t always agree with him. I’ve also read, usually

nodding in agreement, the many previous letters that took him to task

for one column or another. Such is the life of a columnist -- you are

almost certain to offend people along the way. He accomplished that

goal Saturday.

Everyone is entitled to his or her opinion on subjects in the

public domain -- no question about that. However, for Smith to use

his bully pulpit to equate people with whom he has a difference of

opinion with murderers is a giant step beyond the line of

impropriety.

His column goes on to talk about the launch of the youth baseball

programs locally, and how he has been roped into coaching a team. I

found myself wondering about issues of character and whether I would

want this man coaching a child of mine. Intolerance, hatred and bad

judgment are characteristics which can be learned by impressionable

minds when demonstrated by adults in positions of authority. I guess

I just answered my own question.

In the meantime, I hope Smith will show the good judgment and

character he looks for in Pete Rose and acknowledge his mistake this

morning and apologize to me and more than 60% of the Costa Mesa

registered voters who felt El Toro was the right choice. Speaking for

myself and for them, we don’t appreciated being equated with

murderers, simply because our opinion differs from those held by

Steve Smith.

GEOFF WEST

Costa Mesa