Mailbox: Praise for The Dispatch's Adam Jardy; and does March Madness have correct format?
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Have more comments, questions? Reach out to me at bwhite1@dispatch.com.
On college basketball
To Brian: As the OSU basketball season ends, I want to recognize the great work of Adam Jardy in covering the Buckeyes. His work is timely, astute, interesting and tells the story. He is also very responsive when a question is posed. I really enjoy his writing.
As a Buckeye fan living in California, I count on both his Dispatch articles and text messages to stay informed about the status of the team, coaches, players, games and how the season is going. I was recently in Australia and New Zealand for several weeks during the season but was able to keep up with the Buckeyes through those two information sources.
Thanks again to Adam for such professional writing and a great job!
Doug Hartman, Pebble Beach, Calif.
To Doug: Thanks for the kind words for a great representative of The Dispatch. I encourage all to sign up for our Ohio State texts, as Adam and our football writers Bill Rabinowitz and Joey Kaufman regularly deliver breaking news and interesting observations. You can sign up here.
To Brian: I think it's time to change the NCAA basketball system of tournament bracketing. The Final Four should be open to any team who wins X number of games, who has a winning conference record or some other agreed-upon criteria while tossing out some of the current barriers. (I know some conditions already exist). In the truest sense, a tournament would include only conference champions and the respective conference tournament winners. But that might be a little narrow and lessen the fun quotient we presently enjoy. One factor to be considered is strength of schedule. It has too much weight, disqualifying some, not all, "bubble teams" who are close in overall wins. Then there are the automatic qualifiers of the "first four" play-in games. Should those schools get precedence over teams left out? And what about teams that peak late, perhaps due to starters returning from injury? The committee has dashed too many hopes over the years.
Secondly, there's so much parity that, in many cases, the home court holds less impact: a team with a losing record can knock off the predicted favorite, yet the same matchup another time can be markedly different. In addition to letting more teams participate in the Division I bracket, why not consider a separate Final Four only for smaller colleges, where they would have a better chance?
Larry Cheek, Dublin
To Larry: After this wild weekend of March Madness, you'd have a hard time convincing many that the tournament isn't fine as it is.
To the editor: It was reported that Chris Holtmann declined the entreaties from Notre Dame in their basketball search. Please call the Golden Domers, Chris, so it is a win win for all. OSU gets rid of you and Notre Dame pays your salary. Everyone is pleased, especially those of us who want a new beginning despite a few wins for OSU at the end of the season.
Michael Oser, Columbus
On Skip Young
To the editor: I want to thank Dispatch columnist Michael Arace for his outstanding and moving tribute to former Linden McKinley basketball star Ahmad Aliyy, or Skip Young, as he was known in his playing days in Columbus. Not only did it detail the history of his athletic abilities and life successes, it reminded all of us our country’s history of race relations back in that day. It brought tears to my eyes when I think of what it was like to be on the receiving end of the ignorant hatred that Skip Young endured. And yet he became a pioneer in race integration, a striving individual, a model of a good human being. So many were blessed by his contributions, and thanks to him, inspiration for all of us to do better in these divisive times.Susan B. West, Athens
To Susan: Agreed that Young/Aliyy was a fascinating person. And that Michael did a wonderful job telling that story. However, I'm a bit skeptical that I get praising emails about both Jardy and Arace right when annual performance reviews are due. I know they have a lot of friends and relatives in the area ...
On high school basketball
To Brian: Another example of our culture changing incrementally is a high school basketball championship game being played on a Sunday morning. That would have been unheard of not all that long ago. And to add to it, a Lutheran school will be competing in the game played in the arena of a Catholic university.
Dennis Singleton, Dayton
On Aaron Rodgers
Hi Brian: I see whereby Mr. Rodgers going to the Jets is apparently a done deal as, evidenced by the fact he is requesting certain players he wants on this team. We now know one more thing about him − he is not short on nerve. All of this from a player who is full of himself, refuses to get vaccinated, will turn 40 later this year, was 8-9 last year and has one Super Bowl to show for his efforts even though he has been in the league since 2005. Do you think he sees himself as the next coming of Joe Montana? Do you get the idea I cannot wait to pull against the Jets every single game next season?
Rick Higgins, Columbus
To the editor: The Jets Song:
When you’re a JetYou’ll be hailed as The CureYou will sing at The MetYou will diss Matt LeFleur
Hair in a bobYou can bask in the darkYou can squeeze Randall CobbAboard Aaron’s Ark
You’re still rockin’ greenFans could be dejectedThe money’s obsceneCareer is resurrectedAs we expected!
Jon Armstrong, Columbus
On Jesus Alou
To Mr. White: Jesus Alou, a 15-year major league outfielder, passed away on March 10 at the age of 80. His life could have ended on June 10, 1969, in the Houston Astrodome in a Damar Hamlin-like moment. Al Oliver of the Pittsburgh Pirates blooped a ball between shortstop Hector Torres and the hard-charging left fielder, Alou, that resulted in an inside-the-park home run. As Sports Illustrated reported, "A frightening collision between Jesus Alou and Hector Torres of Houston . . . could have resulted in tragedy had it not been for fast work by Pittsburgh trainer Tony Bartirome and his Houston counterpart, Jim Ewell. They may well have saved Alou’s life, prying his tongue from the back of his throat and inserting a rubber hose that permitted Alou to breathe normally again. Torres received only minor cuts, but Alou got a severe concussion and a broken jaw." Five years later, Pirates 17-year-old minor league outfielder Alfredo Edmead died one hour after a similar collision in a game, which indelibly illustrates how fortunate Mr. Alou was, as he enjoyed a lengthy career with two World Series rings to his credit.
Richard Zaborsky, Dublin
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Here's hoping Ohio State football's new quarterback runs more than CJ Stroud did
Blue Jackets remain a mystery; and would Aaron Craft save Ohio State basketball?
Can Les Wexner fix Ohio State men's basketball?
Ohio State basketball's Chris Holtmann, Kevin McGuff under fire from readers
Readers unhappy about Ohio State lending $48M to athletic department
A vote to keep Chris Holtmann; and why do refs hate everything about Ohio?
Readers don't like letter calling Ohio State Buckeyes lucky in 2003 Fiesta Bowl
'Back off!': Readers come to the defense of Ohio State football coach Ryan Day
Threatening OSU players makes no sense; and did refs want Georgia to win for ESPN?
Praise for Ohio State's CJ Stroud, but jeers for Jim Knowles and Rob Oller
Get more Ohio State football news by listening to our podcasts
This article originally appeared on The Columbus Dispatch: Mailbox: Praise for Adam Jardy; and is March Madness format correct?
