Wayne,
 
I've been meaning to reply to several of your posts, but it's
been too busy around here for me to get to my mail.  Anyway, now
that I'm depressed over Wisconsin's loss to LSSU I'll try to
turn that frustration into something useful and get some mail answered.
 
Anyway, I agree with you that the incident in Providence gives the
University a black eye.  I've been reading the reports in the Campus
(not your most reliable source), and I am saddened to see it happened
at all.  I think one of your comments was directly to the point...
 
>immediately before the Maine-MSU game.  Providence police are
>investigating, with support of UMaine officials.  This (and the other
>two events on which I have 2nd hand reports) are all alcohol related.
 
It's that "alcohol related" bugaboo again.  I don't think ANYTHING
that anyone does excuses the sort of incident we are discussing, but
I think - again from the reports - the alcohol abuse involved may
explain it somewhat.  Personally (and discussing this is perhaps
worse than discussing religion or politics these days) I equate our
(society's) problems with alcohol to the problems we have when we
let peewees start to check!  We've prohibited them from doing something
for so long that when they are allowed to do it (or before in both
instances) they go completely overboard.  I'm for allowing checking
from the mite level (when they can't hurt each other) and for lowering
the drinking age to 18 (while increasing the push to educate our
teenagers in responsible behavior.)  I won't harp...just wanted to
make the analogy - one of my favorites.
 
Hmmm...I wish I knew how to include more of your posts into this
letter, but I don't.  I'll have to go from memory...
 
I also thought your comments about Frank (is that right?) Cole, were
on the money.  I actually thought he was one of the better HE refs
I saw this year.  I don't claim to be an expert (though I was aggravated
by the refereeing in Sat night's game - you can chalk it up to sour
grapes from a Wisc. fan), but I never felt he was as noticeable as
some of the refs who did a terrible job.
 
Last one - amazingly I remembered - I *loved* your response on
Pellerin's nationality.  Of course he's an American!  He was born
in Mexico City, or Peru, or...
 
Enough of my rambling - I'll be around most of the summer and I
look forward to the discussions on Hockey-L.
 
Best wishes, Charlie