Last night we received the following email, the sender of which requested that we forward it to Trip Weldon. Here's the email in full, only corrected for punctuation.
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Dear Mr. Weldon,

My name is Wendy O. Williams. I am a lifelong resident of Marblehead, Ohio, which is on the shore of Lake Erie.

I am writing to you because I was shocked at the behavior of one of your contestants at the Northern Tour event on Lake Erie last October. My husband and I watched this contestant enter the waters of Lake Erie, which you know at the time had 10-foot waves. I could not believe my eyes. The boat would disappear and then reappear between the waves. It was like watching The Perfect Storm. My stomach was in a knot and my heart all a-flutter thinking about what kind of person would put himself and his passenger in harms way like that. How many more people would put their lives I risk, I wondered, to rescue this man? It was disgusting, and upsetting, to think about.

Well, as you know, this man was Joe Balog who -- I am assuming with his lucky rabbit foot -- won your tournament. In light of what I saw on ESPN last night about Gerald Swindle, I feel I must notify you about Mr. Balog since his actions disqualify him under your Rules 5 and 6. Specifically, the portions "Safe boat conduct must be observed at all times by competitors" and "Maximum courtesy must be practiced at all times, especially with regard to boating and angling in the vicinity of non-competitors...."

How discourteous to the other person in the boat and observers like us. Mr. Balog should be scolded. Can you disqualify him now?

I must also mention that my husband and I videotaped Mr. Balog's boat in these waters, which might be of help to you in your decision.

Finally, I commend you and BASS for having the courage to stand up for what is right, for considering television viewers' feelings, and for allowing the general public to be a part of your rule-making process. I personally feel that the NFL would be a nicer sport if the people in the stands and at home were allowed to penalize athletes, possibly with a call-in system like American Idol.

Thank you for considering my letter, and please let me know where to send the videotape.

Sincerely,
Wendy Williams
Librarian

P.S. Rules are rules, but I do hope Skeet Reese isn't next to be disqualified. He is so cute!

P.P.S. From the editor: Wendy's pen seems a little like Kumar's writing, doesn't it? Don't take the above too seriously.