Trekking into baseball season

To the Editors:

I have only one thing to say to that Misty Votel lady: Yes, you’re right: Baseball is boring. Unless you’re smart.

I found it hard to comprehend your complaining about having a husband who is sensitive and intelligent enough to follow baseball closely, lovingly, and to express his passion and emotion – something you women claim to find attractive in a man! – through such a beautiful, contemplative, and – dare I say it?? – sexy game as baseball. Of course he has it on the TV, radio, and the internet all the time, even at the same time – he wants to share those innermost feelings with you! Most women would kill to be baseball widows – because baseball men are worth killing for.

And by the way: It’s MLB.com, not MBL.com – that’s the homepage of Mopey Baseball Ladies. Like you.

Perhaps, though, you can be forgiven your downer perspective on baseball given your husband is a Giants fan. We Red Sox fans are past those dark times. Nevertheless, you don’t stop with baseball, do you? No. Instead, you further displayed your unsmartness by going on to carp on Star Trek fans. “It could be worse,” you wrote (and I use the term loosely), “I could be a … god forbid, Star Trek widow.” You are such a Borg Queen! Yes, Star Trek is boring – unless you’re enlightened!

Even if my wife doesn’t always share or understand (or appreciate or tolerate) my baseball and Star Trek devotions, I’m proud to have raised my son, Manny, and my daughter, Janeway, on the principles of the United Federation of Planets (“never be the disposable crewman on a hostile planet”) and by the pragmatic rules of our national past-time (“never make the first out of an inning at third base”). What more do our kids need to learn? Just ask my wife. If you know where she is.

So what will be the next target of your venal, hurtful tabloidian vituperative? I suppose you’ll complain about being a “Dark Side of the Rainbow” widow. Well, if you get that urge, come join me and your husband in his Chevy Van the next time we play “Dark Side of the Moon” with the sound turned down on “The Wizard of

Oz.” You’ll see for yourself: It’s not boring at all. Unless you’re sober.

– Ken Wright, Durango

(Editor’s note:The Chevy van in question is actually a 1976 Dodge Tradesman.)

Not everyone is a dam-hater

Dear Editors,

Thank you for David Halterman’s photos of Lake Powell! It was just what I needed to see since I’m jonesing for my favorite place on the planet. Not everyone is a dam-hater. There are plenty of us Powell aficionados here in Durango and the surrounding area. Not all was lost when Lake Powell inundated Glen Canyon. There are still plenty of arches, caves, alcoves, grottos, ruins, pictographs and petroglyphs – all above the high water line. And yes, the wildlife is STILL there! There’s also thousands of dinosaur tracks out there. Adventures abound!

Here’s another reason to get out to Lake Powell: The annual spring SHAD Rally, held May 4-6 at Stanton Creek, just north of Bullfrog. This is a gathering of fishermen and women, and everyone is welcome. It’s not a bass tourney, you don’t need to sign up, there are no professionals – this is for amateurs. Just get a fishing license, and you don’t even need a boat! There are no limits on striped bass at Lake Powell, and the fish will be hungry. On Saturday, May 5 around 5 p.m., there will be a fish fry at Stanton (look for the campers and a lot of people). There will be prizes for the biggest fish caught, and the most fish, plus plenty of door prizes. So if you think you’ve got the lunker of the day, bring it for the official weigh-in before the feast. Maybe some of you dam-haters out there will come and enjoy yourselves and see just how much fun Lake Powell can be.

– Tiff Mapel, Boatless in Durango

Fostering good, clean business

Dear Eds, Chris McMachon’s letter last week, “In search of higher wages,” was spot on. The one issue not addressed in the letter was the availability of commercial space for new businesses and expanding current operations. The county commissioners overpaid for several parcels next to the jail in Bodo Park for a future criminal justice complex. Over 50 good-paying jobs have to be relocated because of this purchase. Relocating these businesses to Bayfield will certainly add to traffic gridlock on 160.

Instead of affordable housing, the “progressive” councilors and commissioners would do well to create an enterprise zone to foster clean businesses within the city. Good jobs will make housing affordable.

One last thought, how about working on “starter” housing with creative zoning for modular units?

– Dennis Pierce, Durango

The art of music promotion

Telegraph,

I’m writing in regard to the statement that there is “too much bluegrass in this town.” Sure, there are a lot of bluegrass shows here. And you know why every bluegrass lover and hater in town knows this? The bluegrass people know how to promote. They get the word out to radio, they get the word out to print, and they poster just about everywhere there is a bulletin board. Simply put, they know how to network.

Now I’m not saying other promoters of other genres don’t do their work either. Josh at the Abbey sure as hell does a great job telling people about the Sunday night hip hop shows he puts on. Bands like the Freeman Social and the Lawn Chair Kings know how to poster a town as well. Both of those bands travel with friends, too, who always show their support.

There are live music events in many venues every weekend in this town that are poorly attended, due to the fact that the promoters don’t tell anyone what is going on. So you’re upset that nobody showed up at “this venue” to see a “certain band.” Well that’s because nobody had the idea to put up a few flyers. Meanwhile the only bluegrass show happening within a six-week period was packed because it seems like 50,000 flyers were dropped from the sky. You want people to come to a show? PROMOTE IT. Use the radio. Use the newspaper. Make a flyer.

I suppose if I promote a couple nights of barber shop and klezmer music and put up flyers in every window from here to Silverton people will start moaning about how this town gets nothing but Klezmer and Barbershop music.

– Bryant Liggett, Hermosa

Get hooked on KDUR

Dear Editors,

KDUR (the voice of Fort Lewis College) recently concluded its spring fund drive. One of the last few remaining free form radio stations operating in the U.S. How lucky we are to have such great informational programs available such as “Democracy Now!” BBC News and “Counterspin,” just to name a few. Listening for just a few days, you will be vastly more informed than most news junkies. What first hooked me on KDUR was the variety of music. Good music. You won’t hear Britney Spears, REO Speedwagon or Beyoncé.

Sunday morning, classical music for a nice lazy wakeup. Monday evening you can hear New Orleans music. Bluegrass Tuesday. Hip Hop, Metal, indie, alt-country, blues, jazz, rock you name it. Everything except overplayed, unimaginative corporate radio (Clear Channel) crap. Also, news, views and voices from the local community. Please visit www.kdur.org/ programs, find some shows of interest, and listen for a few weeks, you’ll be hooked, too. You can also listen on line anywhere in the world. Did I mention, no mind-numbing commercials! To pay for equipment, staff salaries (most DJs are volunteers) and shows like “Democracy Now!” pledge drives like the one last week are necessary. That’s where you and I come in. Do you pay for cable TV and enjoy that? It’s the same here. If you could make a tax-deductible donation of just a couple of bucks a month, that would be great! I’m happy to contribute twice a year to keep the station rolling and know that the management and staff truly appreciate whatever you can give. Be part of something special and help keep free speech alive!

– Thanks, Bill Vana, KDUR listener, member and former DJ, Durango

Help for an ailing planet

To the Editors: I pulled into the North City Market recycling center recently and was pleasantly surprised. A cheerful young woman, Karen, met me to carry some of my cans to their proper bin and to offer information and answer questions. It was almost like valet service. What a lift! When not aiding recyclers, Karen was sweeping up trash and broken glass, which often makes the driveway undrivable. The area looked at least 100 percent better than usual. There will not always be such an aide at each center. They are part-time. It’s up to us to sort and load stuff properly.

I want to offer appreciation to the City Recycling Dept. for hiring this young woman and others, to Karen for making a dreary task pleasant, and to all those community minded souls who gamely haul their used stuff to be recycled. It really does make a difference for our ailing planet in a small but meaningful way.

– Caye Geer, Durango

Send a strong message to Imus

Dear Editors,

As offensive as Don Imus’ comments were to the African American scholar athletes of Rutgers University, the hatefulness his words communicated should be felt by all of us, women and men.

These young ladies are at the top of their game, literally and figuratively. They are daughters, sisters, college students and future leaders and mothers. They deserve to be defended and spoken up for, NOT JUST by other African Americans and NOT JUST by other women. Women AND men of every color should be speaking out about the cruel and abusive misogynistic comments made toward a highly accomplished group of young women.

No person deserves the comments Mr. Imus made, but certainly these women didn’t deserve them. They are among the best and brightest of their age. They deserve to be supported in their own endeavors and lifted up as role models for the young people who will follow them.

– Diane Morazan, Durango