I couldn’t agree more, except for your classification of the ABL and baseball, in which you have the facts incorrect.

We want Tasmania in our national league, we are pursuing it in we (Baseball Australia) is the national body are the ones trying to make it happen.  

There was no bid from Tasmania so Tasmania wasn’t overlooked in our recent expansion announcement. I am not aware of any national league except us that are pursing Tasmania, the rest are making Tasmania pursue them.  And we are doing this while Tasmania has no baseball stadium and no formal state body, again showing our intent, we are in it for the long haul.

I believe strongly in Tasmania ability to have representation in national leagues - we are starting at the lowest base compared to basketball, soccer and of course AFL, yet are the most optimistic.

Tasmania is at times as you noted marginalised unfairly, as we at Baseball Australia are as well.  

If Tasmania and baseball work together we can be a great fit, proving baseball and Tassie’s strengths together on a starting point of mutual respect.

But it helps to be accurate with your facts and not take out the anger (correct as it is) on those that are actually trying to help.

MEDIA panelists, journalists, coaches, retired footballers are all having their say in the shake up of the rules. The original interpretation of the rules were based on contests with limited handball, it was considered a no-no on the back-line.

A game without handball - what would it achieve? Pure football where the receivers would disappear from the game (uncontested football). The emphasis would be on kicking with both feet, quicker disposal short or long. Kicking, marking, running bouncing the ball will result in less tackling, I believe the game would open up using the whole ground, not just a quarter as now.

The increasing use of handball is poaching the sport of rugby, where they have to pass backwards adding some difficulty in going forward the random disposal to anywhere is less skillful.

A trial game restricting the use of handball to one only instead of four or more consecutive handballs would at least be a novelty. The more you handle the ball the more chance of making a mistake (fumble).

WHAT a pleasurable joy to see the Canberra war museum and all it represents for the families and survivors of our war heroes.

For those of Tasmania’s 2/40th AIF WWII you can now subscribe online to get your history of prisoners of war free of charge.

This release is in Japanese, but records our men’s history as prisoners of war, as recorded by the Japanese in 1942 to 1945.

Since we have been working in navy drills with the Japanese in the Pacific, I guess it was only time until they released our men’s records from those dreadful years of internment.

You must have your TX number, birth date, full name etc.

I was astounded when Ron Cassidy, Launceston’s last survivor, told me they were only allowed to communicate by number after saluting or a good bashing.

A summary existence if not one of mateship and cursed luck to live or survive.

So good luck trying to work out what they say as you couldn't talk in public except by Japanese number. It was vastly different for many men, like my dad and Ron, when Hiroshima and Nagasaki bombs went off .

Families can access their relative's POW data at the following website: www.awm.gov.au.

Lest we never forget.

THE problem of unaffordable electricity was highlighted in The Examiner (July 18).  I am surprised there has been no debate on what happens if environmentalists get their way and 18 million cars in Australia are dependent on electricity – we might be housebound as well as cold.

AFTER reading Mary T. Bates letter in (The Examiner, July 11), I cannot understand her thinking. She states about the shortage of hospital beds, states people who go to the mainland for abortions must be well off.

Exercise self control and avoid sex.  

Advertisements in The Examiner are asking for foster care homes .

The situation happening in Africa and other countries, where children are staving, have to walk miles to get fresh water, is this what you want for the children of this country, there are enough now.

Your solution is exercise self control and avoid sex. 

Sex has occurred on this planet since the dawn of time.

Do you really think it is easy for a woman to abort a child, in doing so, they know they cannot support that child through life?

Abortion clinics are needed in Northern and Southern Tasmania.

Maybe Mary T. Bates should go to Africa and see all the children who are suffering, then ask herself is abortion really that bad?

In 1970 my father had to go to West Africa, Ghana, we lived in Accra, I went with my parents, even then the poverty was sad to see in the village’s outside of Accra.  

Please don’t judge people before you know the facts.