Letters

IRISH ECHOES
I can't think of any better way to wake up the echoes of Notre Dame football than to feature a current Irish player, wide receiver Tim Brown, on the cover of your college issue and a former one, Giants tight end Mark Bavaro, on the cover of your pro issue (College Football '87, Aug. 31, and Pro Football Spectacular '87, Sept. 9).
JOHN W. GOETZ
Essex Junction, Vt.

I enjoyed the story about Mark Bavaro (Legend in the Making, Sept. 9). Coincidentally, the article on Mark Malone (Open Season in Pittsburgh) in the same issue includes, on page 100, a photograph of another outstanding Irish end, Don Gmitter. Now an architect in Pittsburgh, Gmitter played defensive end opposite Alan Page for Notre Dame in 1964 and 1965 before moving to tight end for the 1966 national champions.
MATT BREGENZER
Arlington Heights, Ill.

PREDICTIONS
Dr. Z hardly went out on a limb with this season's NFL predictions (Dr. Z's Scouting Reports, Sept. 9). He forecast 12 teams to duplicate their '86 records, and only four teams to win or lose more than one game more than they did last year. Furthermore, he anticipates just four standings changes—position flip-flops of Dallas-Philadelphia, Seattle-Denver and Miami-Jets, and Green Bay to join Tampa Bay in last place in the NFC Central. It would appear that he employed last year's crystal ball. Then again, he could be right.
KEITH THOMSON
Greenwich, Conn.

BOO-BOO
As a devout Big Ten football fan, I did a double take when I saw the photograph of Cris Carter catching a pass against Texas A & M and the caption "Carter caught this pass in the Rose Bowl, then got caught" (SCORECARD, Aug. 31). Texas A & M in the Rose Bowl? Cotton blooms on shoulder pads? I believe SPORTS ILLUSTRATED committed a boo-boo and got caught too.
KENNETH R. BASS
Greensburg, Ind.

•We sure did. It was, of course, the Cotton Bowl.—ED.

BRIGHT ONES (CONT.)
As a high school English teacher, I was delighted to read your article The Best and the Brightest (Aug. 31). In these days of academic apathy it is comforting to know that some young men are striving to achieve in a number of areas, not just on the gridiron.

I was particularly delighted to see that a former student of mine, Mike Greenfield, was featured in your story. A singular incident comes to mind when I think about Mike. One afternoon when he was a freshman at Northwestern, I looked up to find him at the door of my high school classroom. It was the middle of a busy school day, so I didn't recognize him right away. He said, "I just stopped by to thank you for my education." Then he left to visit each of his other teachers to tell them the same thing.
ANNETTE A. TEROVOLAS
Elmwood Park (Ill.) High School

Thank you for finally recognizing some deserving student-athletes. I played football at a Division III school (Macalester College). In fact, our team was cited in SI (The Scots Get Scotched, Nov. 13, 1978) as the unfortunate holder of the nation's longest collegiate losing streak (it eventually extended to 50 games). Since then, the Scots have become perhaps the most respected team in the Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference, being one of only three to have a winning record in each of the past four years.

I think it is also noteworthy that every senior offensive lineman in the 1984 season graduated with academic distinction. Center Mark Fitzgerald, guard Rich Galvin and tackle David Stephenson were elected to Omicron Delta Epsilon, the economics honor society; guard Mike Tremblay received a number of academic honors and graduated magna cum laude; and I, the other tackle, was elected to Alpha Kappa Delta, the sociology honor society. This should dispel any belief that athletics and academics don't mix, and it should clear up some popular myths about linemen as well.
JONAS BROMBERG
Somerville, Mass.

STREAKBUSTERS
The Aug. 3 issue contained a four-page article (Streak City) about the Salt Lake Trappers of the Pioneer League and their record-setting 28-game winning streak. However, I have seen no follow-up story about our Billings Mustangs beating the Trappers on July 27 to end the streak at 29 games. The people of Billings are proud of the Mustangs (a Cincinnati Reds affiliate), not only because they ended the Trappers' streak but also because they have a good record almost every year.
P.G. MUELLER
Billings, Mont.

HEAD LINES
In his article O.K., Drop That Emery Board (Aug. 10), Peter Gammons referred to the old line about Yogi Berra's head, "The X-rays revealed nothing."

If Gammons will check his history books, he will find that the line was used earlier in connection with Dizzy Dean, after he was hit in the head by a batted ball during the 1934 World Series.
BRUCE E. BLACKMORE
Traverse City, Mich.

If Yogi Berra's head were X-rayed, it would probably reveal one of the finer baseball minds around.
RICHARD G. GOLD
Atlanta

SUPER TROTTER
There has not been a trotting horse as dominant as Mack Lobell since Nevele Pride a generation ago (Here's to Mack the Knife, Aug. 17). He is truly a super horse. However, the photograph showing Mack after he crossed the finish line in the Hambletonian reveals that he had broken from a trot into a gallop. Since this break in stride had absolutely no bearing on the outcome of the race, Mack was not penalized. That is as it should be.

John Campbell, Mack's driver, whom you call "the best in the business," is one of two superdrivers in harness racing—the other being Bill O'Donnell. Based on records of the past decade, I think it is impossible to say which one is better.
JAMES E. BENNETT, M.D.
Indianapolis

•Here's a shot of Mack Lobell in proper stride.—ED.

PHOTO

GEORGE TIEDEMANN

Letters to SPORTS ILLUSTRATED should include the name, address and home telephone number of the writer and should be addressed to The Editor, SPORTS ILLUSTRATED, Time & Life Building, Rockefeller Center, New York, N.Y. 10020-1393.