One of the terrific benefits of writing a weekly sports column is receiving letters from readers. It’s impressive how up-to-date The CS&T readers are when it comes to sports, and even more so that they always cut to the heart of the matter when discussing a high school’s chances of success, or a matter of public interest.
Below are some letters I’ve received over the past few months, followed by a response to each. Keep ’em coming.

I enjoyed your column about the St. Denis baseball games [Aug. 12, 2004 issue]. It sounded like a scene from my childhood. I remember when I could walk down almost any street or driveway in Philly and find a baseball, football, wireball, hockey or stickball game in progress and then head on over to someone’s pool to cool off. Those were the days. For us kids back then, that kind of fun just happened. It didn’t have to be planned in advance by parents.
I’ve tried to explain to my boys how informal and relaxed playing was when I was a kid, but they don’t quite grasp what I describe. Partly because of where we live, they can’t even fathom walking up and knocking on someone’s door to see if he can come out and play. They’ve grown up with prearranged play dates, organized sports at the Y, and various scout and summer camps.
Thanks for the stroll down memory lane.
Suzanne Schaefer,
St. Ambrose and Cardinal Dougherty graduate

Suzanne,
It’s amazing how many people responded to that column in e-mails, phone calls, or chats with me at the local Wawa. It appears that many of us who grew up before the 90s long for yesteryear, when summer fun meant leaving the house early and staying out until late, and always finding friends to play sports or hang out with. From the reaction to the column, it seems to me that our society has become increasingly concerned about two things.
One concern has to do with boundary issues. Knocking on someone’s door uninvited, in hopes of finding someone to play with, is a rare occurrence. As a preteen and then a teenager, I vividly recall feeling free to knock on a friend’s door out of the blue and then maybe inching my way in his house. Now, I would be very hesitant to knock on someone’s front or back door without prior agreement — and even more hesitant to walk into someone’s house without an invitation.
The second — and most prevalent — concern is for safety. And who can blame parents for wanting to know precisely where their kids are heading and how they can be reached at a moment’s notice? Let’s face it. We live in a scary world.

I was sitting in the lobby of the Malvern Retreat House this past weekend and happened to pick up a copy of The Catholic Standard & Times — we normally get the paper at our parish. I had been meaning to write to congratulate you on the fine work that you do for the students and coaches in the area. It seemed that as I sat there reading your article, a number of the retreatants shared my admiration for your work.
We don’t always hear about the good that we are doing, so I thought that it was about time that you did!
It was a great weekend. My Dad is approaching his 50th year at Malvern, I’m approaching my 35th, and now we are joined by my son, Jimmy, who just completed his second retreat. Three generations of Fenertys enjoy your work!
Jim Fenerty,
Former basketball coach at Bishop Egan and currently at Germantown Academy

Jim,
Thanks for the kind words. I admired the work you did at Egan and continue to do at GA. You always have the best interests of the kids at heart, and that is indeed what matters most.
I haven’t made a Malvern retreat in years but plan to do so soon. One of my favorite memories was sharing a retreat with my dad back in the late 80s; he passed away in 2000 and he was a prayerful man. I look forward to taking my son, Blaise, and daughter, Kate, sometime in the near future so that they can perhaps enjoy similar memories many years from now.
Hearing that there are three generations of Fenertys celebrating life at a Malvern retreat is what it’s all about!

I have trouble figuring out how you could be so bold as to predict that St. Joseph’s Prep will run the field in the Catholic League. That is a disservice to other teams like Cardinal O’Hara and LaSalle and the like. Did you see how the Prep got dismantled in their first two preseason games? That is the team you think is so good? Maybe last year — not this year. Boy, won’t you be disappointed when the Prep loses.
Thomas Wayne,
Glenside

Tom,
A prediction is just a prediction. I really don’t think it’s a slight to the rest of the league. It’s more of a conversation spark than anything else.
That said, I wouldn’t be shocked if the Prep didn’t win the championship this year, but I would be surprised. There is certainly more parity in the Red Division, but don’t fool yourself into thinking that the Prep’s two non-league losses have relegated them to also-rans. They lost to nationally ranked teams, and this past weekend they defeated an excellent team from New York.
And by the way, if the Prep loses, I won’t be disappointed. I really don’t care who wins championships. I just enjoy watching and reporting about what I see. I always feel really good for the school that wins because they’re visibly happy. Scout’s honor.

Do you have a response to this or a tip for a future article? Send e-mail to jknebels@comcast.net.