Taking The Fifth…On The Fourth
Time for our monthly review of readers’ comments…celebrating not only your kindness to write, but your freedom to do so.


By Sonny Fulks/1570wptw.com

For one reason or another, the 4th of July is one of my favorite American holidays. It’s no less festive than Christmas, and it’s almost always cheaper.

It’s also an occasion when I can practice one of my favorite pastimes and hobbies…cooking ribs. I’m excited this year because I’m trying out a new Texas recipe on some baby backs Friday, and if it’s good you’ll be hearing about it. I’m happy to share.

As is our monthly routine, I’m also happy to share some of your comments with other readers pertaining to recent posts on 1570wptw.com. And to clear things up, I invoke the age-old tradition of the Fifth Amendment…and the editor’s note.

On the recent blog entitled, Manny Being Manny, WPTW colleague and buddy Heath Murray reminded: “You forget that players don’t get free tickets in the majors anymore. You have to pay for tickets that you leave for family and friends.”

And he’s right, I wasn’t aware that the policy had changed. But it goes to better make my point…that if you have Manny Ramirez’s money just give the traveling secretary a $1,000 and tell him to go out on the street and buy 16 tickets from a scalper. That’s a lot classier than screaming at him and shoving him to the floor…and classier than the Red Sox acting as if bad behavior (they call it internal matters) is a function of being a team!

Another wrote, “…this is another example of why it’s so hard to trust and admire the leaders and public figures of this day. A-Rod’s sleeping with Madonna, while A-Rod’s wife if stepping out with Lenny Kravitz. And we all know who Bill Clinton stepped on under his desk.”

Ouch, Joe (from Clayton)…but I like your train of thought!

On last week’s blog about Fresno State and upsets, David wrote this: “Thanks for your thoughtful insights. But for a guy who kicks in the door on political correctness like you do, aren’t you knocking on the same door?”

Yes, depending on your perspective…as I so clearly wrote.

From Springfield, Trent wrote, “(I'm a) former jock and your point was right on, but falls on deaf ears.”

One reader with obvious insomnia wrote to complain about an archived blog on Cleveland from last summer: “Your characterization of Cleveland as a city of losers was a low blow. You could have made the same argument with at least 40 other cities in America.”(Melanie Richert)

Melanie…no I couldn’t, and when you read so late at night you read too much between the lines. There aren’t 40 other cities that have Cleveland’s representation and record in professional sports.

And nowhere in that blog did I say people from Cleveland were losers. What I did say…and please feel free to argue, if you can…is that teams from Cleveland don’t win! And they haven’t won…not since the Browns in 1964! And, because they don’t win, Clevelanders (and I know tons of them from college days and beyond) seem to take particular delight in welcoming back old favorites from the past (Kenny Lofton) who were there once upon a time…when they almost won! My conscience is clear.

Finally, Keith Skeens from South Point, Ohio wrote this week to make two points: “Your story about local radio could not have been better. We all miss the old days of WIRO in Ironton. Some of us here (through the internet) are very aware of what WPTW does for high school sports in your area, and you’re very deserving of the compliment received from Mr. Ludwig of the Dayton Daily News.”

Mr. Ludwig? Chickster, you need to find this guy and take him to your new favorite eatery...Buffalo Jack’s!

BLOG BACK: Got your own take on a subject? E-mail us at wptwsports@1570WPTW.com