Letters
Who Is That Man?
In the SCORECARD section of your Sept. 30 issue, you listed the 12 American League and 14 National League pitchers with the fastest fastballs. No Dodger pitcher was mentioned, but at Dodger home games there's a guy behind home plate with a radar gun on every pitch. Who is this man?
ANDY ODUM
Birmingham
•He's Mike Brito, a Dodger scout since 1978. One of his discoveries was Fernando Valenzuela, whom he signed in Mexico in 1980.—ED.
U.S. Olympic Basketball Team
I don't think the committee that selected the 1992 U.S. Olympic basketball team (A World of Their Own, Sept. 30) could have done a better job. Every man on this team can create his own shot, run the court and play defense. The team boasts players with some of the best attitudes in the NBA; putting Isiah Thomas on it would have been a move in the other direction.
VAN THORPE
Siler City, N.C.
Do people really believe that individual talent is all it takes to win the gold? Basketball is a team sport, and no matter how great our players are, they will still be a pickup team playing against outfits that have been together as units for years. Our "can't-lose" team is going to consist of many tired men; what with the playoffs lasting well into June, some of them will have played close to 100 games. In short, I'm not expecting the walkover that many are.
MARYLAINE BLOCK
Davenport, Iowa
How can Isiah Thomas and Dennis Rodman have expected to be selected after their classless performance in the NBA playoffs last season? Their early exit and crybaby attitudes were an insult to the word professional. I would have been embarrassed to have had them represent us in Barcelona.
ZENE GURLEY
Colorado Springs
So what if the U.S. dominates the rest of the world in 1992? It's obvious that the USOC, USA Basketball and the NBA have gotten so caught up in the winning-is-everything philosophy that they had to change the rules. In doing so, they may have done irreparable harm to amateur sports in this country.
STEPHEN M. SCHECHTER
New York City
High School Athletic Programs
You hit the nail on the head with your article about high school athletic programs (Why Johnny Can't Play, Sept. 23). One benefit not mentioned is that these programs often bond students, parents and communities in spite of differing backgrounds and cultures.
As a high school athletic director, I am fortunate to have excellent parental, administrative and school board support. Even so, there are problems that make an athletic director's job nearly impossible. We have 30 athletic squads involving 44 coaching positions, yet I am required to teach two classes, have only a part-time secretary and am on only an 11-month contract.
The days are long, the phone rings nightly, and at least every third Saturday I have to put in several hours. In addition to the roughly 250 regular-season contests, we direct many district, regional and state competitions. We are in charge of finances, scheduling, transportation, site rentals, preparation and purchasing. Where can one find the time and energy to continue at this pace for more than a few years?
Perhaps your informative article will enlighten people about the financial strains being placed on athletic programs and will help them to see the importance of athletics as it relates to academics, self-esteem and school discipline.
FRANK MURRAY
E.C. Glass High School
Lynchburg, Va.
Eric Lindros
I read with disgust the story about Eric Lindros (Young Gun, Sept. 23). While it is true that during the Canada Cup tournament Lindros demonstrated that he is an outstanding talent, who does this 18-year-old kid think he is, demanding to enter the NHL on his terms? What would happen if every new player said he wasn't going to play for the team that drafted him? How would poorer teams ever improve if they were not able to sign the young talent they draft? For his mother to say that Quebec is "not the environment we want for him" just proves that Eric is a spoiled brat who will cry until he gets what he wants.
It's a shame that NHL rules say that if the Nordiques can't sign Lindros within two years, he'll go back into the draft pool. It seems to me he should either have to play in Quebec or never play in the NHL. Then maybe he would think twice about signing that contract. As it says in your article, professional hockey is a game played by men. Maybe it's time Lindros grew up.
MARK A. ALFIERI
Upper Darby, Pa.
You're right, Bonnie Lindros. Who would want to be an 18-year-old hockey star in Quebec—beautiful town, good educational facilities, low crime rate, clean as a whistle. And yes, Carl Lindros, a lot of stuff is going to happen there in the next 10 years—with the Nordiques' young talent (with or without Lindros), I'd say about four Stanley Cups.
MILES TOMPKINS
Antigonish, Nova Scotia
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ALLSPORT
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.