Readers: Don't waste a good name on Cubs home

It's only logical to me that after 99 years of playing like rubbish in Wrigley Field -- and trashing their fans' hopes and dreams at the end of each unfulfilled season -- that the Chicago Cubs current owner, Sam Zell, insist that the naming rights be awarded to Waste Management, the garbage pickup business.

I can imagine Waste Management Field, Home of the Chicago Cubs, being nicknamed The Dumpster! Then Cubs fans attending their beloved team's games could be literally throwing their money in the dumpster!

Alfred N GodinezPrairie View

A longtime rival for Bulls coach?

Jim Boylan has done as much as he can after taking over for Scot Skiles, but I believe John Paxson's next choice as head coach should be fellow Notre Dame basketball star Bill Laimbeer.

Laimbeer might be one of the most hated men in NBA history, and the mention of his name can still upset most people. Yet, if Laimbeer is hired as head coach of the Bulls, players would immediately know who's in charge and all of this season's problems of players showing up late for games and practices, hazing rookies and taking nights off would come to a quick halt.

Plus, Laimbeer knows what it takes to win as he was part of the Detroit Pistons back-to-back NBA world champions and has guided the WNBA's Detroit Shock to two titles.

Some Bulls fans were initially skeptical about another Detroit Pistons player in Dennis Rodman coming to the Bulls. All Rodman did was help the Bulls win three more championships.

Walter BrzeskiChicago

A name from past stirs old memories

When Bruce Miles mentioned Pat Pieper (in Saturday's Daily Herald), it brought back memories for this octogenarian and one-time Kalamazoo city desk curmudgeon:

It's Sunday afternoon, Sept. 13, 1931, in Rockford, Illinois.

Nine years old, I'm tuned into WBBM. Pat Flanagan's broadcasting from Wrigley Field.

Bottom of the 11th: Cubs, 7, Boston Braves 7.

Cubs load the bases. On deck: Gabby Hartnett's backup and my favorite Cub, Rollie Hemsley.

Since Rollie came over from the Pirates in midseason, he's knocked the cover off the ball. He's batting over .300 with a slugging percentage up around .475.

Nineteen years later "rollicking Rollie" admits publicly to the acute alcoholism that earned him his nickname, but today he's this youngster's idol. I couldn't be more excited.

Then, I hear the field announcer, Pat Pieper, in the background:

"Batting for Hemsley, Rogers Hornsby."

The Cubs playing manager is 35 years old! I go ballistic. I scream at the radio:

"Old man, how dare you bat yourself for Rollie?"

Quickly, however:

Crack!

Line drive over the right-field wall.

CUBS WIN, 11-7 !!!

Rage turns to ecstasy.

My heart belongs to the Cubs -- forevermore.

Casey Stengel once said, "Managing is getting paid for home runs someone else runs."

On that Sunday afternoon, not so for the Rajah -- first National Leaguer to hit 300 homers.

As Casey also said:

"You could look it up."

Brad BradfordHighland Park