I cannot help but respond to the Sun Journal article regarding the Pirates and Maniacs, titled “Pirates Come Calling.” (Aug, 21)

The reporter obviously has never worked in the entertainment industry because if he had, he would understand that ticket sales are the bread and butter of any successful entity.

Why do you think Major League Baseball is looking to eliminate Tampa, Florida and Minnesota? It is not because the hot dogs don’t taste good. Do the powers that be of those teams tell their ticket staff not to call cities and towns 40 miles north, south, east or west of their team because they might hurt someone’s feelings?

Why are the Pirates any different? They have a 7,000-seat arena and Lewiston is a hockey hotbed. If people from Lewiston have attended Pirates games, then they probably have a vested interest in learning about all the great ticket products and money saving packages. If the Maniacs’ ticket staff don’t want to talk to the fans from Portland next summer that experienced a Maniac game this season, then guess what? In about two years, the Sun Journal will not be writing about the Maniacs anymore because there will be no Maniacs to write about.

Let me ask this, why does the Sun Journal write about the Sea Dogs and the Pirates? Isn’t there a paper in Portland where these teams play? Why can you do that, but the Pirates can’t call Lewiston?

Eric Allen, Andover, Mass.

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