Ken Rosenthal

Difference of opinionIs Ken Rosenthal having an "off" year, or is he just washed up? Come to think of it, has he ever had an "on" year? How can The Sun expect to be major league with writing like his? Didn't anyone ever teach him that simply writing something negative does not qualify as an "opinion"?For someone who wants to be considered one of the best columnists in the game, doesn't he realize that a rambling series of comments does not constitute commentary? What about cohesive thought?

Lay off stadiumI am weary of recent continuing negative drum beating by The Sun. Consider the Aug. 9 edition: Rosenthal -- "Upper deck halfway to Mars"; Eisenberg -- "Into the sky [and we do mean high]"; Steadman -- "Cardiac heights, 12 stories up". To fans who went to Memorial Stadium, where approximately 20,000 seats total were between the end zones, it is a new era. The stadium is great. We have an NFL team. The fans know it is expensive, but sports in the nation are expensive. The Colts were great and will always be part of Baltimore lore.

Honor McNally, BelangerAs a longtime Orioles fan, I've often wondered why the club has failed to retire the numbers of some of its greatest ballplayers. Certainly, when you consider the championship teams of the 1960s and '70s, several key players come to mind. Dave McNally won 181 games, including four consecutive 20-win seasons, and slick-fielding shortstop Mark Belanger won eight Gold Gloves and was the keystone to the Orioles' best defensive infield ever.Having learned that both men are in poor health, it struck me that now would be a fitting time to correct the oversight and pay tribute to them.

O's free fall no surpriseI am not surprised by the Orioles' pitiful self-destruction. I expected it. I must admit it is a surprise at how early in the season they fell apart. I figured they'd get to July before the implosion, but May?You can't blame the GMs. They have no real authority. Ray Miller is a lousy manager (Tom Kelly got the Twins to the World Series really fast after Miller was canned), but it's not all his fault, either. The players may be old, slow, tired and lazy, but they're just the guys that management put out there to begin with.

Divisive columnistWell, here we go again. Ken Rosenthal says a house divided cannot stand. Well, it seems to me he's doing his best to divide it.First, the article about Davey Johnson. Of course, no offense intended to Ray Miller, but Johnson well I guess he's a Billy Martin -- a professional winner and personal loser. But, Rosenthal, true to form, only emphasizes the good.Fans with a memory might remember the words of Earl Weaver and others who said that at most a manager is really worth five to seven wins a season.

Use the city surplus to wire public schools with more 0) computersFortunately, we as Baltimoreans have been afforded a surplus that can be used by the city for a one-time investment. What greater investment could we as a city make than to the education of our children through the purchase of computer equipment for the Baltimore public schools?To meet Maryland's goals for the year 2000, the school system must have one computer for every 10 students. In 1989, Baltimore had one computer for every 57 students.

Recent listeners to Stan "The Fan" Charles' nightly talk show on WJFK (1300 AM) probably have gotten the sense that getting callers to dial him up consistently has been something of a struggle.Well, the new Arbitron ratings for the spring are in, covering a period from March to June, and they quantify what has mostly been an impression, that Charles is hurting in his new time slot, 7-10 p.m., and at the new station.Among all adults aged 18 and over, Charles' show attracted an average of 1,100 listeners per quarter-hour, a far cry from the 18,300 who were dialed into Greg Sher's show on WBAL (1090 AM)

Boys' Latin responseAs a Boys' Latin alumnus, I was thrilled to witness the Lakers' recent MIAA Division A lacrosse championship victory over Loyola. However, the day before the contest, some disparaging remarks concerning Boys' Latin transfer students were made by Loyola coach Joe McFadden in The Sun. Those remarks require clarification. First, it should be noted that all private schools in the area accept transfer students. This past year, for instance, St. Paul's accepted several senior transfers who assisted them in winning MIAA championships in football and basketball.

Where do media get figures on what things cost?Where do the media get the "cost" numbers they seem compelled to report to support many news stories?The Sun on May 14 reported that Anne Arundel County wasted $3.3 million responding to false burglar alarms last year. Where did that number come from?Did the police response require additional police to be hired? Or, was the number calculated using an average hourly rate times the time estimated for the police already on the payroll? Was it an actual, above-budget expenditure?

NBA does suspensions rightThe NBA should be commended for immediately suspending the players involved in the Knicks-Heat fight during the playoffs without hesitation even though the players would miss some playoff games. This is the way the spitting incident involving Roberto Alomar should have been handled last year. His suspension should have taken place immediately instead of at the beginning of the new season. Baseball has no gumption to stand up to the players the way they should, and the NBA did.Wayne SpanglerFallstonKudos to RosenthalI had the pleasure of meeting sports columnist Ken Rosenthal the other day. I would like to thank him and bring to the attention of the reading public the fine person that he is. My 13-year-old son was given a social studies issues project to complete in his eighth-grade class.