Letters
ON WISCONSIN
As a proud Wisconsinite, I read the June 11 issue with great interest. I can't remember ever seeing three stories about the athletes of our state in the same week.
Your stories on the Milwaukee Brewers (Big Brew Ha-Ha) and the Green Bay Packers' Don Majkowski (The Majik Touch) were excellent. But as a University of Wisconsin alumnus, I most enjoyed Richard O'Brien's account of the NCAA track meet (A Favor Well Bestowed), which was dominated by a Wisconsin native, Suzy Favor. For good measure, LSU track star Esther Jones is a Milwaukee native.
Thank you for letting America know that Wisconsin is a major league state and that we're not just a bunch of cheeseheads.
DAVID A. CULLEN
State Representative
14th Assembly District
Milwaukee
UNSUNG HEROINES
You reported that Suzy Favor's magnificent double in the 800 and 1,500 meters in the NCAA track and field championships was unprecedented. This is technically true but only because the NCAA doesn't recognize records set at meets run under the auspices of the Association for Intercollegiate Athletics for Women (AIAW).
On a hot, humid May day at the University of Texas in 1981, I watched Leann Warren of the University of Oregon win intercollegiate championships in the 800 and 1,500 meters in the space of one hour. You won't find her name in the NCAA books, though, because the meet, which was conducted by the AIAW, predated the NCAA's sponsorship of women's championships, which began in the spring of '82.
With a boost from Title IX, the AIAW gave women the framework they deserved for intercollegiate sports. The NCAA should give credit where credit is due.
JANET HEINONEN
Eugene, Ore.
TOUCHED BY MAJIK
Sure, Packer quarterback Don Majkowski is arrogant on the field. Clutch performers have to believe in themselves. But he appreciates the gifts with which he has been blessed, and off the field he is also a winner, showing genuine concern for others. We don't hear much about that anymore in professional sports. I am sure young "date," Tanya Krueger, would be happy to give testimony.
RICHARD MACDONALD
South Egremont, Mass.
Oh, please, who does Majkowski think he's fooling? If the poor guy is finding it so hard to find privacy in Green Bay's "fishbowl," maybe he should try driving around the city in something other than a Mercedes with MAJIK 7 license plates.
PETER RUDY
Madison, Wis.
CAL RIPKEN'S STREAK
It never ceases to amaze me when so-called experts and spoiled fans make such a big deal about a ballplayer's playing ball (A Monumental Streak, June 18). In these days of high-priced prima donnas who miss games because they hurt themselves pulling up their socks the wrong way, we should admire a player like Baltimore shortstop Cal Ripken Jr., who simply loves to play the game. Any player with this competitive drive—from the majors to Little League—would play every day of the year, given the chance. As for taking a sick day every now and then, I don't know many people in other occupations who would do so in good conscience if they could look forward to an October-to-February vacation.
TERRY RUDOLPH
Chapel Hill, N.C.
As with all controversies, those who are satisfied with the status quo do not speak up as loudly as those who are dissatisfied. Most baseball fans appreciate Cal Ripken for his many accomplishments. Ripken is to be commended for the Streak and, more important, for his professionalism and sense of values.
NEIL EPSTEIN
Abingdon, Md.
You might be interested to know that not only did Babe Ruth play ball in the neighborhood where the Orioles' new stadium will be built, as Ralph Wiley notes at the beginning of his story about Ripkin, but also that Ruth's father ran a saloon near what will be centerfield.
The saloon was one of several run by George Herman Ruth Sr. around Camden Yards. Ruth and his wife, Kate, opened their cafe in 1906, when Babe was 11, and ran it until 1912. His sister, Mary (Mamie) Ruth Moberly, now 89 and living in Hagerstown, Md., said that her mother served lunch to factory workers at this establishment.
JIM GWINN JR.
Parsippany, N.J.
DISSERVICE?
Your June 18 cover was creative, but you did tennis star Monica Seles a great disservice. Surely you could have found a more suitable and attractive photograph of her. Have a heart and some consideration for this 16-year-old young lady.
EUGENE G. HERMAN
Rockville Centre, N.Y.
•Our cover shot of Seles conveyed her intense concentration, one of the hallmarks of the superb athlete she is. Here's another view of Seles.—ED.
PHOTO
YOU MAGAZINE/SIPA
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.
