Over the years of being involved with the program, Jack has made a lot of friends around the country who are similarly involved. Without exception, their "hometown" newspapers report their college's athletics without the negative bias that infects the BDN. UMaine Athletics gets better coverage from the Lewiston papers. It's too bad. It used to be a paper to be proud of. That pride is gone as the editorial policy is enforced, and tacitily approved by the inaction of the staff and the tolerance of the public. Maine fans don't want sugar coating either, just the facts. (Larry Mahoney used to do that regularly, when we had a wilder bunch of players!!) Now, I wouldn't even let the BDN on campus. They could make do with the generic press release. And "Sounding Off" is not a forum for the readers to express their opposing views. It is just another place to read the same garbage shoveled out by the same writers. I know of and have read many, many letters dissenting with the BDN that never get published, nor does a "representative sample" get published. Joe McLaughlin, the last time I bothered to send anything in, called me and said they would publish it if I would agree to take out the uncomplimentary reference I made to the BDN as the "Bangor Deadly" I just laughed and told him he could do as he wanted. Hey Deron! Want a job!?! Cathy Hart