As the first month of the baseball season comes to a close, Pirate fans have to wonder how long Clint Hurdle will stick with Pedro Alvarez.
Alvarez is suffering through a month-long sophomore slump, and it is Hurdle's job to make sure it doesn't turn into a season-long slump.
Alvarez has struggled mightily at the plate, laying off good pitches and chasing bad ones. It's time to send him to AAA for a while to get his swing back.
Steve Pearce will do a good job filling in while Alvarez works out the kinks. Hopefully a couple weeks of Triple-A ball will be the right medicine.
The Bucs need his bat in a bad way.
Don Ciambotti
Altoona
Ohio State shows priorities
I am no legal expert, but in the case about Jim Tressel and the suspended Ohio State football players, there is enough information dealing with Rife, possible drug involvement and a criminal along with hiding information and lying about violations.
This is equivalent to a guy using performance enhancing drugs and saying he knew nothing about what he was using, when in fact he knew or should have known.
Lying about violations, getting email information from a lawyer about the tattoo parlor run by a criminal and not reporting it to higher ups and using illegal players in games.
It adds up to the interest of winning national championships and Big Ten titles.
Tressel is a low-life weasel who has no conscience.
There are many Jim Tressels who come from all walks of life. As for the NCAA, I sincerely hope they come down hard on him to the point of being fired and barred from coaching for a specified period of time.
The five players in question will have to live with the consequences.
Les Hart
Duncansville
PSU not so innocent
Penn State best be careful in recruiting those bad boys from Ohio.
Here's an interesting statistic: Since 2002, 42 players from squeaky-clean PSU have been arrested. Check it out. And it's for much more dastardly things than selling personal items.
Not once did any sports writer from Ohio badmouth the PSU program regarding these thugs.
Penn State is simply not a major player anymore and some people just cannot handle that fact.
Why do all Pennsylvania's blue chippers continue to come to Ohio State?
I hope Tressel gets canned.
But whomever takes his place, even with backups, the Bucks could still whup the not-so-nasty Nits.
Rich Foust
Troy, Ohio
