Re: 5 straight

[CECIL WRIGHT <cdubs@loki.atcon.com>]

Caleb J. McArthur wrote:
> 
> On Tue, 28 Jan 1997, CECIL WRIGHT wrote:
> 
> > > move to Buffalo soon.  At least their first round picks don't die of heart
> > > attacks in their 20s.
> 
> > Dear Mr. McArthur,
> >
> > You have absolutely NO CLASS!!
> >
> > To make that kind of remark about the death of an athlete shows what
> > little regard you have for the life of a human being.  The memory of Len
> > Bias means far more than winning championships, unless the beholder is
> > some gutless law school student like you, who has a propensity for
> > rattling off meaningless statistics.  Stick to the mighty Detroit Tigers
> > and the Detroit Lions.  Now those are real winners huh?  And the
> > University of Michigan, did the Fab Four ever bring home that NCAA title?
> 
> Who said the death of those two players only bothered me on a sports
> level?  A team and its fans are a community of sorts.  I had a great deal
> of respect and admiration for the kind of person Lewis was off the court,
> and his death saddened me greatly.  I don't think I am alone in preferring
> to belong to communities who don't have to suffer through such tragedy. Of
> course many, many people who were not Boston sports fans were disturbed by
> these deaths, but such tragedies are more disturbing the more you know the
> person. My remark merely expressed my anguish at having to suffer through
> this kind of close to home, off the court/field tragedy in addition to on
> the court/field disappointments.
> 
> Your petty gibes at the Detroit teams and the UMich teams (neither of
> which I care about -- I am from Newton, MA, and I am here only for the
> degree), and your personal attacks on my chosen profession belittle the
> point you are trying to make.  Are you really concerned about fans
> attitudes towards athletes and their families? or are you just one of
> those list members who looks for any excuse to take pot shots at posters?
> If the former is true, you would be much more effective if you expressed
> your opinion without the clutter of tangential insults.
> 
> While I appreciate and sympathize with your desire to defend Bias and
> Lewis, I think you are a little too quick to pass judgment here.  You make
> a lot of negative assumptions based on one fairly innocuous, even if
> ambiguous, remark.  You really ought to make more of an effort to elicit
> the poster's intended meaning before you post such a hostile reply.
> 
> CJM
> 
> Caleb J. McArthur | Michigan Law School | cmcarthu@umich.edu

Perhaps the poster should be more forthright about his true feelings in 
the first place.  

Regardless, there's no place for crude remarks like the crack about Len 
Bias.  I didn't mention anything at all about Reggie Lewis, however, 
based on your initial "INNOCUOUS" remark, I am touched that you are 
refraining from making an attempt to tarnish his image as well.

Do you think that a relative of Bias, if they were part of the mailing 
list, would think it was a "Harmless" comment, or would they feel 
terribly insulted?

Cw