More on Finch
To the Editor:
Your February 6th editorial cartoon ["Larry Finch's Burden"] was--to say the least--childish, crude, insulting, and insensitive. Anyone who loves Tiger basketball and the University of Memphis could not have helped being appalled.
I am one who approves of the decision to replace Larry Finch, but I must say that your cartoonist's cynicism was totally inappropriate. Only a moron could glean from the facts of the situation that Larry Finch is laughing all the way to the bank. Finch could have prolonged this public agony by instructing his attorney to hold out for additional compensation. Instead, he accepted the school's offer, sparing the university more adverse publicity. The fact that he chose to do this shows a hell of a lot more class than you exercised by running this tasteless cartoon.
Anyone who does not understand that Larry Finch loves the University of Memphis, that it has been his life since he was a teenager, and that he obviously is undergoing a long and painful process regarding his dismissal, is an idiot. Why not have Larry seated on a bale of cotton marked U of M Buyout eating a big slice of watermelon? How about Larry picking cotton topped with hundred-dollar bills, the cotton sack labeled Buyout?
What is even more disgraceful is the fact that this cartoon is reminiscent of the CA's Michael Ramirez school of journalism, i.e., a drawing penned by a kindergarten student who thinks he has talent. At least you could hire someone who has had some kind of formal training.
Disgusting.
Gordon Alexander
Memphis
To the Editor:
Every year there are numerous firings and resignations of college coaches. But the resignation of Larry Finch at the U of M is being turned into a soap opera.
A private group calling itself the "Finch Bench" has called the handling of Finch's resignation (which was long overdue) "blatant racism." I wonder if they have been talking to Johnnie Cochran? They further state that they will possibly encourage area athletes not to attend the U of M. If this group was really that well-informed or kept up with the local sporting news, they would realize that lately, most area athletes are not that overly enthused about attending the U of M anyway.
This type of negativism for the city is exactly what I would expect from a group of this sort. And they will be quick to tell you that after 11 years, Finch has won more games than any other coach in U of M history. What they fail to extol is the fact that he has also lost more games than any other coach. The Finch Bench must learn to cope with all the facts, especially the one that they are now "yesterday's news."
Joe Mercer
Memphis
In a Funk
To the Editor:
Your one-sided distressing remarks about Dr. Zarr's Amazing Funkmonster [in the January 30th "Best Of" issue] did not go unnoticed by some fans of this talented band. Just because you apparently like a different type of music, doesn't mean that you can't see the talent that these six guys have. The Funkmonster placed third in Best Local Band for many reasons, namely lots of talent, hard work, and giving the public what they want.
You should be very proud of them, not distressed.
Janis Twilley
Bartlett
Another "Best Of" Idea
To the Editor:
I thoroughly enjoy reading the annual "Best of Memphis" issue. It's fun to compare my personal choices with the winners in each category and marvel at the collective ignorance of the paper's readership evidenced by some of the selections. I have a suggestion on how to set the record straight in cases where an obviously deserving winner was overlooked by the readers. Why not have the editorial staff make their own picks in, at least, the Food & Drink, Nightlife, and Memphian of the Year categories?
By doing this you can perhaps open some readers' eyes, ears, and/or mouths to a new or unfamiliar restaurant, club, or band. This can also allow your staff a chance to flash their hipster credentials, while possibly creating dual winners in certain categories. This should make even more local merchants happy, and could, in turn, help to boost that all important component that keeps successful alternative weeklies successful, namely, ad revenue.
Edward Hankins
Memphis
Remembering Ann
To the Editor:
I would like to thank Phil Campbell for "Ann Hassell Remembered" [City Reporter, February 13th issue]. As one who served on former Memphis mayor Dick Hackett's Community Relations Commission, I knew Hassell by her smile, so refreshing to be greeted with as soon as I came in for the commission's monthly meetings. I knew her as a person who always had a kind word, always had something nice to say to me and to others.
Arthur Prince
Memphis