SOUND OFF.

Byline: The Register-Guard

Swing and a miss

With all due respect, I can't imagine a time where the contrast between the R-G sports department focus and the national sports focus has been more clear. I'm dismayed that despite previous, past protestations that Sports Editor Ron Bellamy is a baseball fan, he could completely miss the opportunity to comment on some of the greatest playoff series in memory.

Are you telling me ad nauseam columns on UO athletics couldn't be put off for a day or two? Writing anything now, after the fact, is strictly bush league and doesn't make up for this unconscionable (to the baseball fan) omission. Once again an opportunity to upgrade your coverage is missed, and we are left to turn to the City/Region section in the hopes that Bob Welch pens something we can sink our teeth into.

It shouldn't be this way, not if your intention is to run a first-class sports section (which, in my opinion is reasonable given the size of the R-G's market).

In addition, a subscription for full box scores for the playoffs couldn't possibly break the R-G Sports department budget could it?

After years of requests from me and other intelligent baseball fans, I can only conclude the R-G is just not interested. So we will continue to bypass the R-G's quaint 1950s boxes and go to www.mlb.com to look at pitch counts, etc.

Very disappointing. Oh well, there's always the next column on the Ducks' backup point guard to look forward to.

ANDY TRAISMAN

Eugene