19TH HOLE: THE READERS TAKE OVER

MISSISSIPPI'S MANNING
Sir:
I enjoyed Paul Zimmerman's intimate report on one of my favorite people: Archie Manning, New Orleans Saints quarterback (The Patience of a Saint, June 8). I'm an avid San Francisco 49er fan, and I always look forward to the Saints' annual appearance here because of Archie's gutty, never-say-die attitude. His athletic talent is obvious, but I also admire Manning because he's such a low-key, unassuming guy, which is refreshing in this era of grossly overpaid athletes, the size of some of whose salaries is surpassed only by the immensity of their egos.
HAROLD O. CHRISTENSEN
San Francisco

Sir:
Having had an aunt and uncle whom I visited in Drew, Miss, during Manning's boyhood, I've been aware of the legend of Archie Who? since his youth baseball days. As a 6-year-old "star gazer," my only goal was to be a Yankee. A Drew Yankee, of course.

Why a Yankee? Because Manning, a gangly, freckle-faced righthander for the Yanks, was baffling opposing batters in a Drew youth league with his exploding fastball and keeping the girls blushing with his disarming Wally Cleaver personality.

Thanks to Paul Zimmerman for a class article about a class gentleman.
NASH NUNNERY
Jackson, Miss.

Sir:
The honor of being named valedictorian traditionally goes to the best student in the graduating class. Now we hear Archie Manning recount how he outfoxed his perhaps more scholarly classmates by using "planning" to avoid challenging courses like physics and solid geometry and thereby become valedictorian of his high school class. I would say that, rather than going for it, Archie went around it. I also wonder if there is any connection between this attitude and Manning's feeling that he had his best year ever while the Saints went a miserable 1-15. Once more, Archie got his numbers.

That's not exactly my concept of leadership.
BILL PINE
Physics Teacher
Chaffey High School
Ontario, Calif.

Sir:
Paul Zimmerman was correct in calling Archie Manning "one of the finest quarterbacks ever to come out of the deep South." However, "the most famous athlete ever produced by the state of Mississippi" may just be Walter Payton, a fair football player for the Chicago Bears, or Charlie Conerly, former New York Giant quarterback.
STANLEY LEWIS PARKER
Iowa City, Iowa

CHI'S SOX
Sir:
Thanks for your piece on the White Sox (Catch Chicago's New Act, June 8). They have received my manic devotion for the past 20 years. In fact, you've inspired me so much that in a few minutes I'll be rushing home to pick up one of my many White Sox shirts to wear to my company's softball league season opener. Being a "rowdy, but good-time breed" fan, I hope that the sight of my Sox shirt thoroughly disgusts all the Dodger and Angel fans who'll be there.

There is no other park like the character-filled Comiskey, no other fan like the Sox fan, and most certainly no other team of announcers like Harry Caray and Jimmy Piersall.
KEITH D. SPEAKS
Pasadena

Sir:
Finally White Sox fans, who have long been frustrated, can be boastful. However, I hope the Sox won't give up their present uniforms for any of those horrid-looking fan-submitted duds! All the Sox need do is tuck in their shirts. Their uniforms are the nicest in the league, but the shirt makes them look bad.
GARY K. BOYCE
Pomona, N.Y.

Sir:
Hmmm. There's an interesting case of dèjà vu in your article on the White Sox. Look closely at the bottom of the center picture of proposed White Sox uniforms on page 24 and then think back to the 1970 World Series (Flying Start for the Big, Bad Birds, Oct. 19, 1970). Sure enough, that sketch looks very much like a photograph of Ellie Hendricks missing a tag on Bernie Carbo, who missed home plate. I can't remember the name of the ump who missed the play, though.
SCOTT J. HAJJAR
El Cajon, Calif.

•For a comparison of the uniform designer's sketch and SI Photographer Tony Triolo's photograph of that memorable play, see above. The ump, who called Carbo out, was Ken Burkhart.—ED.

PHILOSOPHER-HOME RUN KING
Sir:
As a college philosophy major and an eternal baseball addict, I was overjoyed by your insightful article on Spiderman-philosopher Ben Oglivie of the Brewers (Swingo, Ergo Sum, June 8). You combined, with unparalleled wit, intellect and style, my two passions in a way I never thought possible.

As for Gentle Ben's success, it was to be expected, because as Plato said, "The philosopher's soul is ahead of all the rest."
PETE CRINO
Ardsley, N.Y.

Sir:
So you accept Cecil Cooper's assertion that Ben Oglivie does The New York Times crossword puzzle in "about two minutes," do you?

That's impossible. I happen to be one of the world's best amateur crossword-puzzle solvers. I have never been beaten in a race. I do the Times' daily puzzle regularly and would be surprised if I could ever finish one in less than four or five minutes.

There are about 175 letters in a Times daily puzzle. Just writing them down at random, without attempting to make words out of them, could, I suppose, be done in two minutes, but that would be sort of like playing tennis without a net.
E.J. KAHN JR.
New York City

HOT STREAK
Sir:
At the risk of offending Phillies' fans, I disagree with your choice of Gary Matthews as Player of the Week (BASEBALL'S WEEK, June 8). From May 23 to May 30, the Orioles' Doug DeCinces scored 10 runs, including seven homers, drove in 15 runs and had a .375 average. When you're hot, you're hot.
CHRIS BAUERMANN
Towson, Md.

•As noted at the beginning of each column, SI's BASEBALL'S WEEK usually covers a Monday-through-Sunday period. For May 25-31, DeCinces had five homers, 11 RBIs and a .353 average. Matthews had four doubles, seven RBIs and a .600 average.—ED.

LACROSSE LESSONS
Sir:
Congratulations to Coach Willie Scroggs and the University of North Carolina lacrosse team (The Heels Get Their Feet in the Door, June 8). When an upstart such as North Carolina can knock off a perennial powerhouse like Johns Hopkins, it can only help to increase the popularity of the game.
GLEN M. VOGT
Clayton, N.Y.

Sir:
Having played lacrosse and being a member of the New England Lacrosse Officials Association, I was interested in the picture of North Carolina Midfielder Doug Hall. The fingers of his right hand are out of his glove. This is a violation of the equipment rule stating that a player may not alter his equipment in a way that could cause injury to himself or another player. Young players, take note.
DAVID M. BENNETT
Waterbury, Conn.

PHOTO

ILLUSTRATION

Address editorial mail to SPORTS ILLUSTRATED, Time & Life Building, Rockefeller Center, New York, New York, 10020.