Earlier this week, Page 2 ran its list of the 10 greatest offenses to animals in sports. Page 2 readers were full of comments on the issue, so we rummaged through the mailbag and came up with a sample of comments from Page 2 animal activists.

Your lighthearted article (April 30) about the death and maiming of animals was not funny. Only an ignorant, immature jerk would make jokes about death and pain. You really don't get it, do you? Let me ask you this, you gutless moron. If one of your sports heroes stabbed and gutted your father, or cut off the head of your mother, would you write a tongue-in-cheek article about it? If not, why not?
Bud Pollon
Houston, Texas

Today I had the unfortunate pleasure of reading "Hey PETA! Sports not kinds to critters." I am appalled at the lighthearted approach this writer took towards the cruelty to animals perpetrated by some of our well-known sports figures. Except for the human-mascot and not-at-fault stories (i.e. Randy Johnson), these stories are frightening. By perpetuating the belief that there is humor in cruelty, you are continuing the practice of making it acceptable to be cruel to animals.

It is widely known that people that engage in cruel behavior towards animals will increase in their degree of violence and will eventually act out this hatred towards other humans. Is that when this type of treatment only becomes unacceptable? It is NEVER funny to treat animals in this fashion. If, in this case, the writer feels there is humor in violence and cruelty towards animals, I offer him to take a trip to his local animal shelter. Maybe seeing and experiencing first hand the kind of cruelty us humans can inflict on animals will not seem so funny anymore.

I'd like to remind him why we are supposedly "better creatures" - because we can stop the violence and the belief that it is acceptable. This story certainly does not do this.
Amy Minash
Greeley, Colorado

I can only assume Jeff Merron was in a hurry to meet deadline with his Top 10 Animal Cruelty List. He filled two spots with incidents involving mascots (one of which was self-imposed), when there are a plethora of "real" animal stories still out there. For example...

I can understand tradition when it comes to the Detroit octopus, but how can you ignore Scott Mellanby's one-timer of a rat in the Florida Panther locker room?! The ensuing cascades of plastic rodents after every home-ice goal served as motivational energy that helped push a team of unknowns to the Stanley Cup Finals that year. Plus, it led to the NHL having to create a delay of game penalty for all similar acts...not including hats.

When a man can launch a live rat on a parachute from the upper deck to center ice, the motivation behind this effort should at least be given an honorary pat on the back! I mean, it's way more interesting than any mascot or minor league de-nesting!
Victor Rosado
Miami, FL

Your article about animals harmed in sports brought to light the ways animals are intentionally or unintentionally hurt in professional sports. But I am concerned that you OUTRIGHT mixed animal cruelty with accidental animal injuries and mascots, which trivializes inhumane acts such as the ruthless beheading of a cat to intimidate a so-called sports star's girlfriend.

A growing body of research shows the correlation between animal cruelty and violence against humans. In many states, more severe penalties against animal cruelty are being sought because legislators, law enforcement agencies and social service professionals recognize the dangers of not deterring animal cruelty. Please act responsibly - don't trivialize animal cruelty. It's NOT funny or entertaining. Thank you.
Pam Beiler
Florida

The worst case of animal cruelty that you missed was when the Texas Tech red Raider lost control of his horse, which went careening into a wall of the football stadium, broke his neck, and had to be killed. And this was at homecoming!
James Borden
Greensboro, NC

There's a great story from a few years back about a hare being released onto the pitch by rival fans which tripped up the Barcelona player Hristo Stoichkov. Camera cuts to a furious Stoitchkov and then pans to the crowd where a deranged Barca fan has the hare caught by its back legs and is beating it against the advertising hoardings.
Sean Dwyer
Ireland

In your cruelty to animals Top 10, you missed two big ones.

1) The creation of BEVO - The University of Texas mascot longhorn. Back in the early 1900's, Texas A&M defeated UT 13-0. One late night, some Aggies snuck into the stall where the then nameless longhorn was sleeping. The Aggies branded the score of 13-0 on the side of the bovine. To fix the branded reminder, UT connected the 13 to form a "B". They made the dash an "E" and squeezed in a V between the E and 0. Thus, BEVO was created.

2) In the mid 90's, Texas Tech's live horse was ridden into the stadium by a student dressed as a masked raider (kind of a Zorro knock-off). The horse hit a patch of pavement next to the Astroturf, slid into a wall and died on the spot.
Mike
Fort Worth, Texas

Ok guys,
Your mixing up real, inhumane acts of animal cruelty with stupid mascot accidents was rather wrong headed. It lessens the true evil of the premeditated act and attempts to put them in a comedic light. I hope Ryu's career falls as fast and as hard into oblivion as Ozzy did. And the cretin that beheaded the cat, who was he again?

I'm not a member of PETA. I think most of their stances are rather silly. Especially so as I finish off the lemon and butter drenched grilled flounder I caught earlier. They don't put up much of a fight, but they are quite yummy.

It's hard enough to get animal cruelty laws passed (pardon the pun) that have some teeth in them without an international media outlet making light of some rather gross incidents. Gotta go, the PBR is on, I'm rooting for the bulls.
Lisa Tireman
Cary, NC

To Jeff Merron,
Great article on the 10 worst cases of sports and animal cruelty!

I would like to add to your list opening night for the Mighty Ducks of Anaheim a few years ago. Wildwing (the Ducks' mascot) jumped through a ring of fire and caught on fire. An emergency crew had to douse the bird with fire extinguishers and the stunt was forever abandoned.

Best Regards,
Roy Newman
Santa Monica

To put incidents of mascots running into walls in the same poll as incidents where actual animals died belittles animal rights and is an outrage. Kevin Mitchell beheading his girlfriend's cat is a world different than Craig MacTavish removing a tongue from a furry mascot. Mascots are fake, those animals are actual breathing creatures.
Scott Anderson
Boulder, CO

Your list of animals harmed in sports should have included the 1975 Stanley cup finals. Jim Lorentz of the Buffalo Sabres killed a bat with his stick. From then on Lorentz was known as "Batman".
Steve Jacobs
Sicklerville, NJ

How do you sleep at night? This is just fun and games for you people isn't it? I wish everyone in your story was treated in exactly like manner to all the animals they hurt or killed. It's really a pity that "human beings" aren't really humane at all. I can't believe that you sleep at night at all... And who the hell is Jeff Merron? You people SUCK!
Karen
Seattle, WA

Dear Page 2,
If you think that the castration of a bull is in bad taste, I hope that you never eat in a quality steakhouse. It is a fact that this is a procedure that happens many times per day that most people in the beef business believe as being normal. If you think of this as being such a terrible thing, please go protest Bob Barker from the Price Is Right for wanting to spay and neuter every animal in the world!
Dennis Weaver
College Station, TX