Drexel misses the point
Christopher Drexel's article Thursday that claimed Dirk Koetter shouldn't have been fired was completely absurd. His reasoning showed only one side of the story.
For example, Chris compared Koetter to UA's coach Mike Stoops, who went 12-22 in his first three seasons. Koetter went 17-20 his first three years.
This is true, but Stoops was taking over a team who went 2-10 the previous season and was 2-14 in the Pac-10 the two previous seasons.
Koetter took over a team that was only a few years removed from a Rose Bowl berth. UA hadn't made a bowl since 1998. That's exactly why Stoops, who led Arizona to the same Pac-10 record as ASU and a bowl game this season, has done a better job as a coach.
Drexel then says, "All the top college programs have fertile recruiting grounds in their backyards." Right, Chris. Tell me how Michigan, Notre Dame, and Ohio State - three of the best programs in the country - have "fertile recruiting grounds" in the Midwest.
It'd be hard to prove when they share these recruiting grounds with nearly two dozen more Division I-A schools, including Wisconsin, Northwestern, Illinois and Purdue; all teams who have gone to the Rose Bowl more recently than ASU while in a better Big-Ten conference.
Finally, addressing Chris' question, "Just who is available that is going to take ASU to a BCS game within the next six years?"
How about Mike Shula, son of legendary coach Don Shula? Or Steve Maruicci, a former successful pro coach?
Anytime you can hire a coach who was successful at the pro level, you have a chance to bring in recruits at a national level because recruits believe in that coach.
Adam Thomas
SENIOR
Kid movies are for kids
Kudos to Kirsten Keane for her column regarding conservatives' unreasonable allegations toward the film "Happy Feet" in Tuesday's State Press. I'm saddened, but not shocked, that social conservatives would attack a children's movie about penguins and dancing.
Those of us who don't have our heads wedged in our polar posteriors clearly see that this movie is a joy to experience for kids and adults alike. The fact that Bonnie Colvin would take such a ridiculous position as to say the film promotes homosexuality and denounces religion is proof that the neo-cons have gone off the deep end.
As to Colvin's claim that the film "promotes science": I truly hope I'm not the only Christian who believes in the veracity of science. The neo-con viewpoint, it would seem, is that we don't have to learn anything because God will just show us the way on everything.
That's ridiculous. If God wanted us to be good little sheep, we wouldn't be as intelligent as we are.
But if you listen to Colvin, stepping into a science lab automatically makes you a Godless gay.
What's next, Bonnie? Are you going to call for a return to slavery? Maybe poison some Indians and rob their graves?
Let's try to see kids' movies for what they are: kids' movies.
Justin Adams
JUNIOR