- Publish date:
19TH HOLE: THE READERS TAKE OVER
MUTINY
Sirs:
I don't know how long it has been since the U.S. Navy changed an admiral because a few seamen rocked the boat, but from last week's evidence it will be a long time before the Navy does it again. The mutineers' choice, Paul Quinn (Rousing Day for U.S. Rowing, June 19), and his formidable crew looked pretty poor in their sixth-place finish at Saturday's IRA compared to Lou Lindsey's 1960 Navy boat, which finished second and later won the Olympic trials. Whoever directs Naval Academy athletics should tell "soft-spoken faultfinder" Quinn to goad his men a little harder, or better yet just tell him to go.
FRANK RYAN
Iowa City, Iowa
NAVY'S NEW WAY TO SOLVE MUTINY PAID OFF HANDSOMELY. SELDOM BEFORE IN ENTIRE HISTORY OF IRA REGATTA HAS NAVY DONE SO BADLY.
RICHARD ECKHART
ALHAMBRA, CALIF.
NOMINEE
Sirs:
For the greatness of his audacity and for the greatness of the deeds which have backed up that audacity through three decades of competition, I nominate Archie Moore as Sportsman of the Year.
EDWARD FINNER
Bogotà, Colombia
STAR DUST
Sirs:
In your June 19 issue (SCORECARD), you give your choices for the American League All-Star team. I agree with all your selections—but how can you possibly leave the great Yankee Center Fielder Mickey Mantle off the team? How can you pick Rocky Colavito over Mantle as your third outfielder along with Roger Maris and Jim Piersall?
BEN SCARAMUZZA
Alhambra, Calif.
Sirs:
Brooks Robinson doesn't have a chance at third base against Harmon Killebrew.
DENNIS D. JOHNSON
Greenville, S.C.
Sirs:
I can't see Sandy Koufax as the pitcher. I could name 10 better.
IRA RITTER
Los Angeles
SEEING RED
Sirs:
As I read your selections for the All-Star teams for both the American and National leagues, I began wondering if you gentlemen have ever heard of a team by the name of the Cincinnati Reds which is fighting to stay in first place in the National League and if you have ever heard of the following players: Vada Pinson, Don Blasingame and Pitcher Joey Jay.
DONALD FLUGEL
Cincinnati
Sirs:
As a Red fan of 16 years' standing, I was quite glad to see your recent and modest article on the Cincinnati club (The Odds-Go Down on Cincy, June 12). It does my heart good to find the most underpublicized team in baseball finally receiving the publicity it deserves.
WILLIAM J. DOWELL
Falls Church, Va.
YOUNG ENOUGH
Sirs:
Roy Terrell's article on that great young track star Earl Young (Another Fast Christian from Abilene, June 19) was a tremendous story of desire fulfilled by hard work. Keep those articles coming about that wonderful sport, track.
EMMETT MAHLE
Hampton, S.C.
Sirs:
Writer Roy Terrell outdid himself this time. Earl Young managed to gain only a second place in the 440-yard dash. Give credit where credit is due. The East's wonder boy Frank Budd was the only double winner of the meet. Let Mr. Terrell redeem himself by doing an article on Frank Budd.
GUY HODGE
Philadelphia
•See page 10.—ED.
Sirs:
Rex Cawley, not Young, is the brightest U.S. Olympic hope for the future.
PHIL GAROFALO
Hollywood
Sirs:
You picked a real winner when you wrote about Earl Young. Your article gives him credit he deserves and will live up to.
LAURENCE R. MANSUR
Tulsa
TIME TO AUTOMATE
Sirs:
When 4:15 was spectacular time for the mile, hand-timing may have been good enough. And tape measures may have sufficed to decide the high jump at six feet. The time has now come to turn to electronic recordings. When the hundred is run in 9.2 seconds the record should not have to depend upon the amount of flesh on the watch finger of each timer and the speed of his reactions. The electric eye could as satisfactorily record the exact height attained by a jumper or a vaulter rather than to limit the performance of the athlete to the measured height of the crossbar.
Further, in fairness to potential record breakers, major tracks should be allowed to reverse the direction of sprints and hurdle races to eliminate the frustration that accompanies having one's new record disallowed because of a following wind.
F. P. SHERRY
San Rafae Calif.
A.C—D.C.
Sirs:
The Americans have consistently (past six years) been beaten at the bridge table in international competition (Heavy Thought and Agony, May 1), yet U.S. tournament officials bar the very system of Italian bidding which has defeated them in four of the last five years. This would be like General Electric confidently building D.C. (direct current) generators when Nikola Tesla had already proved the fact that A.C. (alternating current) generators were more efficient, reliable and accurate. The Italians have proved beyond all question that the standard American bidding is inefficient, unreliable and inaccurate.
G. A. HOBBS
R. G. NETTLEBLAD
Denver
MASTER PUTTER
Sirs:
You say that "Billy Casper, 1959 U.S. Open champion, needs only to regain his putting touch to be a major contender" (A Real Monster of a Golf Course, June 12). But back in February you had a huge article on My Secrets of Putting by Bill Casper.
Explanation?
TED McNEILL
Palo Alto, Calif.
•When Billy Casper's putting is bad, it's pretty good; when it's good, it's terrific—ED.
ON TO OBSCURITY
Sirs:
The lead paragraph of the Cookie Lavagetto story in the May 15 issue of SPORTS ILLUSTRATED reads as follows: "It is typical of Cookie Lavagetto that he should not want his story written. 'I prefer to remain in obscurity,' he says."
Aside from being a man of warmth, humor and honesty, as your story points out, is it also possible in view of more recent developments that he may be a prophet?
ROBERT B. HARDENBERGH
Arlington, Va.
PHOTO
SPORTSMAN OF THREE DECADES
