"What Have You Been Smokin!"

By Joe Spear
Free Press Editor

An anonymous response to my recent post on how The Free Press has no intention of favoring any one school, East, West, Loyola over the other.

Astute reader sends us clips of most of January. Four times, West on front, East in back. That also ignores East story or two that they apparently didn't count. We clearly favor West, says astute reader.

This apparent East fan finally writes on the last page: "If all this is fair coverage, I'd like to know what you've been smoking."

Well, whatever it is, it's apparently not leaning East enough.

I take no offense, and enjoy this reader's spirited debate, and interesting analysis, but I stand by my original treatise. We don't favor. We cover what's most interesting, who's winning, who's at home, etc... and we spread the coverage around to the region as well.

It's possible some team had a stretch of two weeks where they had no big games, no home games and it looks like we didn't cover them. That happens by chance, if it happens. There is no way we could plan it based on who won, lost. But it all evens out. More important, we don't intend to slight anyone.

Our intentions are pure. We respect all the kids who play sports. Some coaches and fans can be less than hospitable now and then, but we know that comes with the territory.

Full disclosure. If I were favoring West, I'd be real traitor to my kids who go to guess what? EAST!

Go Cougars!! ;)