‘73 Falcons were a joy to coach

I want to add my congratulations to the 1973 Falcon football team for their induction into the Crescenta Valley High School Athletic Hall of Fame. It was my privilege to be one of the coaches, and I wish I could have come to the ceremony.

There are several reasons, in addition to the CIF Championship, that they are deserving of this honor.

As young men they demonstrated fine attributes both on and off the athletic field: They were dedicated. After the previous season (5-4), they came forward and declared their desire to be champions and their willingness to do what it took to succeed. They lifted weights, caught passes, worked on moves and improved their athleticism the entire off-season and summer before the season began, which was unusual for 1973.

They were a team. Each player on the squad worked hard and prepared himself to play well in games. Second- and third-team players made a difference in several games. They overcame tragedy and serious setbacks. They experienced the death of one teammate and a crippling life-threatening injury to another.

They supported one another in their grief. Then they rededicated themselves to the goal. There were other injuries during the season, but nothing dampened their resolve.

They were competitive. It didn’t matter if they were playing cards at someone’s house, or handball, or basketball or Frisbee, these guys played hard, and they played to win!

They were gentlemen. I still have in my scrapbook a letter to the editor from parents of a rival high school. They complimented the manners and behavior of the boys at a game we were scouting. In my mind, it was the highest compliment they could have received.

Congratulations team, and thank you for enriching my life. I think I learned more than I taught that year, and I have been forever grateful. God bless you all.

Coach Jack Hay

Longmont, Colo.

Tired of being cheated at the counter

Corporate greed has never ceased to amaze me.

It is around us daily. It is in the form of pricing. At some stores, the prices that are marked on the merchandise differ from what we are charged at cash register. We are being charged higher prices, and when we ask questions — which I have done more than once — we get the runaround.

Companies have to make more profit any way they can.

Sarkis Abrahamian

Glendale