Equal public access to baseball on TV

Re “A swing and a miss,” editorial, March 7

The Times drops an easy fly ball by editorializing against equal public access to Major League Baseball games on all satellite and cable systems.

How can you conclude that it is not a national issue? True, baseball is a private business, but it enjoys a unique exemption from federal antitrust laws. In return, the public certainly has a right to fair treatment from both businesses.

I don’t know if I am more disturbed by your conclusion or the fact that the editorial churned through nearly 500 words and didn’t address that widely known fact.

HANS LAETZ

Malibu

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About 75 million people can now enjoy watching their teams play ball on cable, instead of the mere 15 million who would have this option available to them should DirecTV “win” the deal for our baseball hearts.

I’m literally gnashing my teeth at the potential heartache for millions of fans who currently have baseball on cable. For baseball fans, it’s not a matter of inconvenience, it’s a matter of heartbreak.

With Democrat John Kerry in Congress, and groundskeepers lovingly grooming those baseball fields, there is hope. Other than having to face this horrible dilemma, spring is indeed in the air, and baseball season is about to begin.

JANET KLISE

Clovis, Calif.