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19TH HOLE: THE READERS TAKE OVER

FAR-OUT FANS
Sirs:
Congratulations! At least you are consistent. For years you have been alternately roasting or ignoring the Los Angeles Dodgers. Now you have started in on the Los Angeles Angels (SI, Feb. 20). How about a break for the loyal West Coast fans who are glad to have so much exciting baseball to choose from?
Mrs. PATRICK A. LEJEUNE
South Pasadena, Calif.

Sirs:
How about it? Let's stop knocking the new Los Angeles Angels. The Angels, although not contenders this year, have some fine talent in Eddie Yost, Ken Aspromonte, Bob Cerv and, of course, big Ted Kluszewski. I wouldn't be surprised if some Angelenos discarded the colorless Dodgers and traveled to tiny Wrigley Field to watch the Angels and the American League.
PETE LENGSFELDER
Scarsdale, N.Y.

Sirs:
Your pictures and captions of the baseball hopefuls trying out for the Angels were hilarious (Far-out Band of Angels, Feb. 27), but maybe not too far from the truth.
JOE JAHODA
Decatur, Ill.

SPINK PIECE
Sirs:
There is such a thing as common decency in the ethics of the average reporter assigned to do a story pertaining to a highly respected 72-year-old baseball celebrity. But it is sadly lacking in Gerald Holland's picture of Taylor Spink ("Taylor Spink Is First-class," Feb. 27).

The name of Taylor Spink will be known to baseball fame long after your writer and his story are forgotten.
ARTHUR MACOSKEY
New York City

Sirs:
The Sporting News has done more for baseball, for the fan and for the fine elements of the game than any other source. I don't care if you think Mr. Spink personally is an ogre, nor do I care if he really is, for the record of his paper speaks for itself. Your article on him is a blow to the integrity of your magazine.
JOHN NASH
Chicago

Sirs:
Our relationship with J.G.T.S. here at Hillerich & Bradsby goes back a half century, and it has been a close and intimate one. That means, of course, we are one of those who can always be depended upon to slug it out when any of the dozen battle fronts he keeps going at all times becomes too quiet. And it means also delightful camaraderie between attacks, like the boy who kept knocking his head against the stone wall—it felt so good when he stopped.
JACK McGRATH
Louisville

Sirs:
As one who has known Taylor Spink for a third of a century both as a friend and an employee, I was happy to see your colorful article. It was a fine tribute to a man who, in my opinion, has no equal when it comes to original journalism.
IRVING I. POZNAN
St. Louis

Sirs:
Everyone who knows Dad enjoyed "Taylor Spink Is First-class" and that includes his "mild-mannered" son.
JOHNSON SPINK
St. Louis

SIRS:
TRIED TO GET YOU ON PHONE THIS MORNING TO THANK YOU FOR YOUR NICE TRIBUTE AND WELL-EXECUTED PIECE OF JOURNALISM. SWELL STORY. GREATLY APPRECIATED.
TAYLOR SPINK
ST. LOUIS

BEDEVILED BLUE DEVIL
Sirs:
Until recently my opinion of your staff writers was most favorable. However, my opinion has been changed by Ray Cave's unrealistic job of reporting (Duke's Red-hot and Blue Devil, Feb. 27). If, as Mr. Cave implies, Art Heyman had been the victim of an unmitigated attack by two North Carolina players, then the conference would not have suspended him. I would suggest that Mr. Cave avail himself of the report of the conference ruling and see why Heyman was given a suspension.
RICHARD M. AUSTIN
Chapel Hill, N.C.

•In his official ruling Atlantic Coast Conference Commissioner Jim Weaver stated: "I do not hold Heyman altogether to blame for striking Brown, for this retaliatory action was almost instinctive."

However, Commissioner Weaver suspended Heyman for a "subsequent attack" on another North Carolina player who, after Brown's attack, had "forcibly shoved Heyman into Brown" and then retreated.—ED.

Sirs:
Many thanks for Ray Cave's really terrific article on Duke's great basketball star. Art (The Pest) Heyman is one of the finest college players in many years. ACC Commissioner Jim Weaver's ruling in the Heyman case was ridiculous.
JOHN LOTTICH
Dover, Del.

MEMORIAL
Sirs:
Practically the only gold medals won by the U.S. at the Winter Olympics last year were won by our figure skaters. Now that the best of them are gone, it will take us a long time to get back to the top. I am enclosing a small contribution in memory of Laurence Owen and her teammates in the hope that you can send it on to some group who can help their cause.
JAMES CHARNLEY
Fairfax, Va.

•Mr. Charnley's contribution, along with those of many like-minded readers, has been forwarded to the U.S. Figure Skating Association (30 Huntington Ave., Boston), which is helping to establish a memorial fund in honor of the 1961 team. Its primary aim is to provide more facilities and instruction for young skaters.—ED.

RABBIT STEW
Sirs:
Congratulations to Emily Hahn on her very enlightening article John Peel and Peter Rabbit (Feb. 20). I never realized that there were such preposterous organizations as the Association for the Abolition of Cruel Sports anywhere in the world. I'm willing to wager that not many of these English hunting abolitionists pity the slaughtered steer which they eat for dinner. Of course, they weren't in on the kill.
TIM EYTH
Mount Clemens, Mich.

STRONGER BY THE DOZEN
Sirs:
If you are on the "inside track" concerning the Big Ten swim meet (SCORECARD, Feb. 27), then I must say that you are running a bad race. Indiana, if it has any weaknesses—and anyone whom the Hoosiers defeat doubts that it does—is short of manpower. However, this is certainly not the reason for the decision to award points for 12 instead of six places. And it is not likely that the Hoosiers would use this as a basis for complaint if they should be defeated.

Following last year's championship meet, in which Michigan defeated Indiana 155-130, conference coaches were faced with a serious problem. The last six finishers, Iowa, Minnesota, Illinois, Wisconsin, Northwestern and Purdue scored 28.5 points among them. These six teams, which had brought over 50 men to Ann Arbor for the meet, were having difficulty in justifying expenditures for travel to meets in which they had finished more than 125 points behind the leader.

A suggestion to alleviate this problem was to limit each school to two entries in each individual event. But the strong teams were unalterably opposed to such a proposition. The resultant compromise, the 12-place system, was then adopted by the coaches as the method by which the weaker teams could increase their scoring potential, not as a restraint on Indiana and Michigan.
HAROLD APPLEBAUM
Ann Arbor, Mich.

INCORRIGIBLE
Sirs:
Five minutes after reading Billy Casper's article (My Secrets of Putting, Feb. 20), I was eagerly copying the great master's style in the fond hope that someone at last had found a right way to putt.

I took my clubs to a nearby course and proceeded to prove beyond any shadow of a doubt that neither Billy Casper nor you, nor anyone else could correct my putting.

However, it was an interesting article.
RICK RAZNIKOV
San Rafael, Calif.