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Disappointing lack of sportsmanship
I am writing to share my perspective as an opposing spectator at the Amador Valley vs. De La Salle varsity football game on Oct. 30. While De La Salle prides itself on its elite athletic status and Lasallian Catholic mission, the game-day environment displayed a disappointing lack of sportsmanship and basic respect.
The issues began before kickoff. The pregame warmup music broadcast over the stadium speakers featured tracks detailing illegal drug use, violence and killing. Muting profanity in a “radio edit” does not excuse blasting themes that glorify criminal behavior to an audience filled with families and children.
Furthermore, the physical logistics showed a blatant disregard for the visiting program. The Amador Valley cheerleaders were restricted and pushed off to the side of the stands, while De La Salle permitted its own cheer squad and a concentrated wall of student hecklers to swarm the area directly behind the goalpost. It was outrageous and entirely wrong to witness a large group of all-male hecklers, dressed in black, being allowed to run and scream right along the goal sideline while live plays were still actively running. To make matters worse, visiting fans were strictly told that no cowbells or noisemakers were allowed in the stadium, yet De La Salle spectators were permitted to use them throughout the game without any administrative intervention.
The halftime presentation only amplified this lack of class; a disorganized Hall of Fame ceremony abruptly ended, leaving the inductee confused while unmonitored children threw footballs across the turf mid-ceremony. Coupled with a 56–7 blowout win for De La Salle orchestrated by a heavily stacked roster, the evening felt entirely detached from the values high-school sports are meant to instill. I do not seek an explanation. I simply want it known that the environment permitted last night was a distasteful display of hostile behavior and poor sportsmanship.
— Stephanie Kalowski
Corporate vets prioritize profit
An article in the June/July 2026 issue of Readers Digest, “The Business of Big Vet,” notes that 25%-30% of local veterinarian clinics are now under a corporate umbrella, up from 8% just a decade ago. Mars Inc. candy company is the largest owner of stand-alone clinics.
After three dogs and 40 years of having Town & Country Veterinary Hospital in Pleasanton care for our pets, we have noticed the difference in the quality of care and costs involved in the last two years.
When our 6-year-old lab/golden went into Town & Country two years ago for an allergy shot because she was biting her paws and skin, they noticed some tooth decay that required 12 teeth to be removed. When she returned two additional times for the same injection, the shot was given by a technician, and nobody checked her teeth (yes, infection spreads to the teeth when a dog bites their skin). On the next visit, the veterinarian noted further tooth decay and referred us to VCA in Walnut Creek.
Upon the first visit there, the vet noted, “This should never have happened.” If I refer the situation to ChatGPT, it notes that “an allergy shot after tooth removal should include a tooth inspection by the actual veterinarian, not a technician.” Labs have 42 teeth, and after three different surgeries to remove 35 teeth, ours now has seven teeth left. Medical bills have exceeded $12,000, and her quality of life has deteriorated.
The Readers Digest article also notes that serious medical errors occur more frequently after private equity buys the clinic and that fewer than 15% of corporate-owned practices slap their own brand identity on their veterinary acquisitions. Also, veterinarians working for a large corporation reported more pressure to generate revenue.
— TJ McGrath
