19th HOLE: THE READERS TAKE OVER

PLEASE TELLME...
Sirs:
Will you tell a bewildered subscriber—and there must be scores of your readerssimilarly puzzled—why no mention is ever made of a bout between Floyd Pattersonand Archie Moore, or a match between Patterson and Hurricane Jackson? Archiecan get down to 175 for a light-heavyweight championship match and Floyd cantake off less than ten pounds. Let Patterson win the light-heavyweightchampionship first before taking on the Rock. If Patterson's present weight ishis trained poundage and there is not much left to take off, what is wrong withan overweight match with Moore?

If enough validreasons for not fighting Moore under any circumstances can be advanced, then aPatterson-Jackson fight is in order. I admit Patterson is good, but he has yetto prove himself good enough for a heavyweight championship fight withMarciano. And most assuredly so must that clowning nature boy, HurricaneJackson. One of them should eliminate the other.

I do not thinkthe boxing writers on our Los Angeles papers have any superiors anywhere, andour radio announcers are tops in the country. Yet none of them have eversuggested, to my knowledge, elimination fights between Patterson, Moore andJackson.

What's all theconspiracy of silence for? Hasn't SI something to say?
FRANK W. SIMCOE
Torrance, Calif.

SIRS:
LAST PARAGRAPH "THE CASE AGAINST THE IBC" [SI, April 23] ANSWERS MYLETTER. VERY GLAD TO SEE YOU PIONEER JACKSON-PATTERSON-MOORE ELIMINATION FIGHTSFOR HEAVYWEIGHT CHALLENGER TO MARCIANO. KEEP PUNCHING.
FRANK W. SIMCOE
TORRANCE, CALIF.

THIS IS BEYONDME
Sirs:
The Olympic basketball team that will represent the United States at Melbournethis winter is not made up of the 12 best men at the tryouts held in KansasCity two weeks ago. Missing is the second best basketball player in the nation,UCLA's Willie Naulls.

How Carl Cain ofIowa could be selected over Naulls is beyond me. Naulls out-scored him 42-14and outrebounded him at a six-to-one ratio. Cain didn't score one point in thefinal game in which the College All-Stars lost to the Phillips Oilers.

I don't know ifthere is any connection in the fact that Cain's coach, Bucky O'Conner of Iowa,was one of the men on the board that made the final selections.
JERRY MEASER
Los Angeles

•We don't knowof any nefarious connection, but we'll take Naulls any day.—ED.

NAME DROPPER
Sirs:
The selection of Olympic squad members with Willie Naulls left out has beennamed the Great Daylight Robbery.
LARRY DOUGHARTY
Charter Oak, Calif.

YOU MISSED THEBOAT
Sirs:
I, as well as millions of other sports fans throughout the country, have cometo accept SI as the "sports bible," the true publication of Americanand world sports.

However, all myadmiration and respect for your magazine was shattered last week when I foundthat the complete extent of your coverage of the World Series of basketballconsisted of one small photograph of Paul Arizin and about 30 words to go withit (SCOREBOARD, April 16). Is this the reward coming to the PhiladelphiaWarriors after winning one of the most fiercely contested playoffs in thehistory of the league? Even though I am a Philadelphian and a Warriors fan, Icertainly believe that the NBA championship interests sports enthusiasts allover the country. SI completely missed the boat last week.
NEAL R. CAPELMAN
Elkins Park, Pa.

•Miss we did.For the latest installment in the Philadelphia story, see page 15.—ED.

CONVERT
Sirs:
I thought you might be interested in knowing that SI just turned me into anavid fan of our national sport.

I was annoyedwith letters against baseball (19TH HOLE, April 23). I wouldn't have been aweek ago, though.

When my fathergave me your special baseball issue, I laid it aside with a groan. I keptnoticing your magazine, so I reluctantly looked through it.

Now I'm reallyintrigued by baseball and thanks for getting me interested.
MARY ANN SCHAFFER
Bethlehem, Pa.

TAKE A STAND
Sirs:
I would like to ask SI a question.

Which was thegreatest major league baseball team of all time?
JOHNNY HINES
Clinton, Okla.

•For a startersee page 62, but we would like to hear other nominations.—ED.

MUSICALCHAIRS
Sirs:
Can a pitcher leave the mound and play another part of the field for just onebatter and then go back to pitching? For example, the pitcher moves toshortstop and the shortstop pitches to one or more batters and then both returnto their previous positions.

If he can dothat, how many times during the game can he do it?
M. D. GUSTINA JR.
Syracuse, N.Y.

•Such changescan be made any number of times as long as the players involved do not leavethe game.—ED.

KEEP OUT
Sirs:
After studying the diagrams of the various baseball parks which you featured inyour baseball issue (April 9) I would like to know if anyone has ever hit aball into the center-field bleachers of Cleveland Municipal Stadium or clearout of the park.
MAXIE SEARCY
Enterprise, Ala.

•Never.—ED.

HORSES ANDJOURNALISTS
Sirs:
Like most sport enthusiasts I am particularly interested in one field ofsports. For me, it is riding. I have been associated with horses, horse owners,exhibitors, trainers and the whole horsy retinue all my life, and I feel that Iknow enough about it to be able to judge fairly the authority of articlesconcerning it.

Until SI enteredthe field, those of us interested in horses were the victims of two kinds ofjournalism—first, publications intended for the general public, such asnewspapers and national magazines. Usually in these publications horse articlesare written as "features" by reporters who know nothing about what theyare writing but are assigned the job. They make many mistakes innocently andanyone who knows horses knows that the writer did not. Second, publicationsintended especially for horse owners, breeders or any participants of theriding sport. These magazines usually have writers who know their subjects butare hampered by the restriction of having to say only nice things, because theyare completely dependent upon these people for circulation and advertising. Idon't want to imply that it is necessary to make offensive statements, butsometimes honest and complete reporting demands that someone have his feathersruffled.

This is why weare particularly pleased to see SI start out to do the job it can do. You havewriters that are experts and you have no axes to grind or personalities to fearoffending in order to give the reader an honest picture. You have theopportunity to do a lot of good for the sport of riding. Like most sports itwould benefit by correction and enlightenment in many areas.

I and all myfriends feel that Miss Higgins and Mr. Tower are very well qualified. We hopethat SI will give them all the support they may need and stand behind them,even when they stick their necks out.

(This is thefirst letter I have written to any editor of any publication so you may guesshow strongly I feel on the subject.)
ANNE LAMONTE
St. Louis

BEYOND THE $2BET
Sirs:
The article Spring in Kentucky (SI, April 16) and the beautiful photographs incolor that accompanied it were superb. This feature, together with GeraldHolland's CONVERSATION PIECE with Phil Chinn, was not only interesting butoffers eloquent proof that Thoroughbred racing is far more than merely a $2bet.
J. SAMUEL PERLMAN
Editor and Publisher
The Morning Telegraph and Daily Racing Form
New York

THE TRUTH MUSTOUT
Sirs:
I cannot restrain myself from congratulating you on your stand in defense ofthe AAU in "The Poor Old AAU" article (SI, March 5). To rationalize asituation like this with such weak arguments as have been offered by ShirleyPovich and Senator Carlson (both of whom should be ashamed of themselves) is tomiss the issue completely because they have argued that two wrongs make aright.

Wes Santeeshould have been penalized long ago and it is too bad that it wasn't donebefore people had a chance to play on the perhaps emotional fact that he is nowa lieutenant in the Marine Corps.

This may tie inwith the unfortunate situation at the University of Washington, of which I am aproud alumnus. I was amazed that the situation there had deteriorated to suchan extent that "amateur" football players had the gall to criticizeJohnny Cherberg for being too tough on them. That is a penalty which they mustexpect to pay if they are to accept money from any outside source.

I wish the bestof luck to both the AAU and the University of Washington's new staff. I havemixed emotions on the Washington affair because I know Torchy Torrance, HarveyCassill and some of the other principals and I like and admire them a lot. I'msorry things ended in this messy way, but the truth must come out sometime.
HERBERT T. CONDON JR.
Lieut. Colonel, Infantry
Rome, Italy

THE GREEKS HADWORDS FOR IT
Sirs:
The excellent article "Lesson on a Grecian Urn" (E & D, April 2)handled the subject [of amateur athletics] so well that I have taken theliberty to have a number of copies made, and I would like to have the privilegeof reprinting it in our Olympic Bulletin, giving due credit, of course, toSI.

With mycompliments on the high standards of your publication.
AVERY BRUNDAGE
President
Comité International Olympique
Chicago

•Permissiongranted.—ED.

IF BRITAIN RULEDTHE EMPAH
Sirs:
If Colonel Blimp really existed, he would no doubt, in your words, find"attitudes in the colonies beyond any gentleman's power of description"and might be inspired to write of the maltreatment by English cricketers ofUmpire Begh of Pakistan (E & D, March 26) in this strain:

The incidentmakes crystal clah
What long has been a rumour:
The Pakistanis do not shah
The British sense of humour.

Why should alittle ragging, sir,
Produce a blaze of tempah?
Egad, such things could not occur
If we still ruled the Empah.

Too soon weraised our friendly yoke
And yielded our ascendance,
For chaps who cannot take a joke
Aren't fit for independence.

Actually thePresident of the Marylebone Club, Lord Alexander, telephoned immediateapologies to Pakistan.
H.L.R.C.
Chevy Chase, Md.

HE NEVER LET YOUDOWN
Sirs:
In his article on the Basilio-Saxton affair (SI, March 26), Martin Kane'sreference to Harry Balogh, the famous referee, gave me a nostalgic chuckle. Mr.Balogh introduced the comparative degree into prizefight lingo. His wonderfulmonstrosities in his variations of "may the best man win" were aloneworth the price of admission. I bet he had fun making them up. One time, Iremember, he went so far as to use a negative. The introduction ran about likethis:

"In thiscorner, wearing purple trunks, and weighing 145 pounds, the courageous,colorful, clean-living contender, and a credit to his race.... And in thiscorner, wearing black trunks, and weighing 145 and a [broad A] half, thepopular, promising pugilist, and pride of Perth Amboy.... Both boys will comeout fighting, will break clean at the command of the referee, and may the lessable adversary NOT emerge victorious."

After two hamshad bulled their way through 12 stupid rounds it was difficult to tell whichone was the less able. The fights may have been lousy but Harry Balogh neverlet you down.
ROBERT W. WOOD JR.
Princeton, N.J.

NOT ME
Sirs:
I am sick and tired of reading about the Saxton-Basilio fight and how Basilio"won" the fight. I have followed boxing for many years and am an avidtelevision fight fan. Saxton clearly won the fight. Saxton fought a very smartfight. He had, I believe, a reach advantage of four or five inches. With thatadvantage, why should Saxton try infighting when Basilio is known as a"swarmer" and fights best at close quarters?

An intelligentperson cannot help but note in Mr. Kane's article the statement "He[Saxton] had been first in the ring to little applause. There had beentremendous cheers for Basilio." Now in view of the obvious partisan crowdis it surprising that when a close decision went against their boy they shouldboo that decision? And are we now going to have aspersions cast on the judgesand the referees every time some flannel-mouth reporter loses a two-bit bet ona fight? It is very popular right now to attack boxing, boxing promoters andthe boxers themselves, and it is interesting to note how many of these"small men" of the press enjoy tearing apart the profession that givesthem their living.

Keep in mindthat intelligent people watch the fights and read SPORTS ILLUSTRATED. We don'tneed you to tell us what we saw. There are a lot of "me toos" who readSI also, and when a popular movement comes along like "Basilio wasrobbed" they all chorus "me too."
DR. D. B. MILLER
San Diego, Calif.

•SI'seye-witness report appeared March 22, eight days after the fight. Before itsaccount was published SI heard from over 100 readers from every part of thecountry to which the fight was televised, protesting the decision. Indeed, todate, five weeks after the Basilio-Saxton fight only four readers have writtenin upholding the decision, and one of these four came from the chairman of theIllinois State Athletic Commission. For latest Chicago "robbery" seepage 36.—ED.

THAT VILECREW
Sirs:
An excerpt from the novel Rodney Stone by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle (firstpublished in 1896) describes boxing as it was practiced around 1850 in England.It seems to suggest that the "dirty business" in boxing which you soably are fighting today seems to have been always part of the game. Here is thequotation:

"I say againthat, if the Ring has fallen low, it is not in the main the fault of the menwho have done the fighting, but it lies at the door of the vile crew ofring-side parasites and ruffians, who are as far below the honest pugilist asthe welsher and the blackleg are below the noble racehorse which serves them asa pretext for their villainies."
HAROLD V. SHAW
Leaside, Ontario

THREE ILLUSTRATIONS

© AJAY

MR.CAPER

ILLUSTRATION

'Shall we call the archbishop?"