19TH HOLE: THE READERS TAKE OVER

GOPHERS, BADGERS AND RABBITS
Sirs:
I would like to suggest that Gwilym S. Brown remove his head from the sand and start reading some newspapers published west of The Bronx (Two Goofs Kill the Gophers, Dec. 3). By stating that Minnesota was unjustly penalized, Mr. Brown proves that he is not like the "rabbit-eared" official he mentions in his article but that he does resemble another equally familiar animal with long ears.

It should be obvious to everyone that when rules are set forth, whether it be in football or any other region of our social system, infractions of same must result in punishment. Where the official did err was in not adding 15 yards for every shake he received.
E. J. SCHNEIDERS
Milwaukee

Sirs:
The Minnesota penalty did not present Wisconsin's Badgers with a touchdown. They were still 13 yards away from the promised land. Wisconsin ran three plays right into the best defensive team against rushing in the country before it chalked up six points.

Mr. Brown also failed to report that on the ensuing kickoff Minnesota had a fair runback and, with the help of two pass interference penalties (one of which may be called questionable, if the Minnesota penalty was questionable), made it to Wisconsin's 14-yard line. This put them in the same situation that Wisconsin was in a few seconds before. A touchdown here meant victory for the Gophers. But here Minnesota, which had been eating up huge chunks of yardage on an option-type play all afternoon, decided not to run but pass. This was their Waterloo. The rest is history.
JIM LAMAIS
Madison, Wis.

Sirs:
It is ridiculous to place Wisconsin above Minnesota in the top three ratings in the Midwest when Minnesota beat Wisconsin and the refs beat Minnesota. In fact, the refs gained almost as much yardage as Wisconsin—218 vs. 219 yards. Minnesota is the better team!
RICHARD R. HOESCHEN
Minneapolis

Sirs:
Brown's story was an honest account. The men in stripes turned a hard-fought encounter between two fine teams into a fiasco of whistles. A tremendous amount of sweat and desire went all for nought. After that flagrantly unjustified penalty against Bell, Wisconsin could take little satisfaction from their win and Minnesota was left feeling resentful and betrayed.
T. C. EID, M.D.
Minneapolis

Sirs:
As you can see (below), several chaps up here at the Minneapolis office of Campbell-Mithun took the results of the Minnesota-Wisconsin game very seriously.
R. B. PILE
Vice-President
Minneapolis

IVY KING
Sirs:
We at Cornell choked on your article about the Dartmouth football team (Ivy's Den, Dec. 3). In particular, such comments about Bill King as "fine quarterback" followed closely by "better than Gary Wood of Cornell" are nonsense and you know it. Had Wood had the blocking that King had, his season total might well have become his one-game average. It might be pointed out in passing that Wood's two-year career totals in Ivy League play exceed King's three-year output.
STEVEN N. WEISBART
STEPHEN E. GREENE
Ithaca, N.Y.

Sirs:
Bill King is not the best quarterback in the Ivy League.
D. V. SWARTZ
Head Line Coach, Cornell 150-pound team
Ithaca, N.Y.

Sirs:
If Bill King is to be compared with Terry Baker, George Mira and Tom Myers, then Gary Wood would have to be compared with Y.A. Tittle, Johnny Unitas and Norm Van Brocklin.
BROTHERS OF DELTA UPSILON
Ithaca, N.Y.

DODGED RIDGE
Sirs:
Congratulations on the fine article on skiing in the West in your December 3 issue. But I do feel that we must present you with a few facts on Dodge Ridge. Although Mr. Bowen apparently does not consider us a major resort, we like to think that we are and can assure you that a great many skiers do. Last year we spent approximately $250,000 on a completely new ski-bowl development and 3,300-foot-long Riblet double chair lift. In fact, we have a pretty sizable capital investment, with 15 lifts, including two double chair lifts, two Poma lifts, two Alpine platter lifts and nine rope tows; paved parking facilities for more than 2,000 automobiles; and a complete ski-center operation, exclusive of lodging facilities.

Ezra Bowen states that "only Aspen among major U.S. ski resorts has ever paid a dividend to its stockholders." Dodge Ridge started operation in November 1950. It has been a profitable enterprise continuously since that date. Several seasons ago it was rated as one of the top money-makers in the U.S. It has paid a dividend to its stockholders for the past three years.
HAL ROBERTS
San Mateo, Calif.

Sirs:
As you know, skiing has just recently become a big industry here. Your fine article will certainly go a long way toward helping this industry continue to grow.
JACK LACY
Director, Department of Development
Santa Fe, N. Mex.

GLUE BOWL
Sirs:
I would like to comment about the forthcoming bowl situation. Penn State, which quite possibly has the best team in the country, is being denied a chance to prove itself against a top-ranking team.

I always thought the purpose of a bowl game was to bring together outstanding teams from different sections of the country (one reason for the Rose Bowl's perennial success) but down there in Sugar and Cotton Bowl land we have the Southeastern and Southwest conference all stuck together like glue.

Arkansas, which didn't even win the Southwest Conference, gets to go to the Sugar Bowl, while also-ran LSU goes to the Cotton Bowl. These contests might intrigue the fans down there, but for nationally televised games I don't think they hold much interest.

I suggest they put aside their sibling rivalry and prove to the rest of the country just how good they are.
ROBERT P. HUNDLEY
Bala-Cynwyd, Pa.

BEAR AT THE BALL
Sirs:
Hurrah for Bear Bryant, and for your astute editors (A Rough Day for the Bear, Nov. 26). It certainly was nice of the Bear to order his team to play a good, clean football game against Georgia Tech. I am sure the fact that a record number of photographers (25) was present had nothing to do with the Bear's reformation. For you to give him credit for changing his style in one game out of the hundreds he has coached, and under those conditions, is like praising Sonny Liston for behaving himself at the policemen's ball. The Bear sure pulled the wool over your eyes. From now on you ought to call him the Fox.
JERRY RASCOE
Mt. Lebanon, Pa.

Sirs:
I respectfully submit that you lay off Coach Bryant. He is the best in the country, so let's admit it. He is also a perfect gentleman and has the respect of his players.
MRS. L. C. HARDY JR.
Tuscaloosa, Ala.

BITTER END
Sirs:
When you round up your hockey scores each week in FOR THE RECORD please try and refrain from those snide remarks about the Boston Bruins at the tail end of the hockey standings!

As a Bruin fan, I am fed up to the teeth with cute little remarks. All week long I have to put up with them at work. They are fired at me like a two-barrel shotgun from the Boston sportswriters each and every day, twice a day, in three different newspapers.

Radio and TV commentators are on the cute-remark bandwagon, too. This is done with a large sigh or one of those "what else?" looks. And so, I beg of you! Just the scores please. Nothing else. No "huzzahs," no cracks about "coaches going into limbo." Just plain scores: "Boston 7-Chicago 0." Period.

Well? It could happen.
DENISE ABBADESSA
Sharon, Mass.

•Could it?—ED.

ILLUSTRATION