Listeners Fill The OAG Inbox

The pot we set to boiling when we asked for your nominations of best movie set in sports has continued to bubble, even after we proclaimed Slap Shot worthy of that distinction.

"Did anybody nominate Men With Brooms?" inquired John Wilde, who hears Only A Game on WEPR in South Carolina. "Sure," he wrote, "it's about curling. But I'd challenge anyone to come up with a more riveting climax in any movie."

On the Only A Game Facebook page, Sarah Young wrote, "Are women's sports going to get some representation? My favorite is Bend It Like Beckham."

Gretchen Pili posted as follows: "Remember Victory with Stallone and Pele, plus soccer players from all over Europe? That and Breaking Away are my favorites."

Dr. David Warren emailed to respond to our discussion last week of the high school basketball game in Indiana that ended 107-2 and the impact of such a one-sided contest on the losing team. "It seems that the two coaches participating in that blowout should have met a mid-court at the end of the first half and agreed to go their separate ways," he wrote.

That suggestion reminded me of my days as a youth league basketball coach and official. During especially one-sided games, the other coaches and I would sometimes agree to let the clock keep running during timeouts, foul shots and so on. Of course, when the gap between the two teams is 105 points, that doesn't help much.

Another listener with some coaching experience left a comment on our website under that story. "Had a similar experience, but at a little lower score," wrote someone identifying him or herself as "walmart." "It is more of an insult if you hold the ball and play catch instead of playing a basketball game."

Bob Manning wrote to address the issue of public funding for arenas, which I discussed last week with Patrick Hruby, author of a Sports On Earth article titled "Let's Eliminate Sports Welfare." Mr. Manning's concern is with college sports. "The city of Louisville is one the hook for millions of dollars to service bonds for the home of the Louisville Cardinals, if the Center does not produce sufficient revenue," he wrote. "Yet there is currently a move afoot to try to attract an NBA team to town."

We welcome your comments, which you can register in the comments section at the bottom of all of our articles (including this one). You can leave a message on the listener line by calling 617-353-1860, and you can find us on Facebook and follow us on Twitter.