Letters

Your article on Sudafed opened a Pandora's box of evil medicine
and created an epidemic where none previously existed.
--STEPHEN P. FALVEY
New Rochelle, N.Y.

SUPER BOWL XXXII

No doubt, no doubt, the greatest Super Bowl ever (Seven Up, Feb.
2). No player deserved to win it more than John Elway, and no
player did more to win it.
JOHN GIANTONIO, Apopka, Fla.

Finally, a Super Bowl deserving of its title.
LAURENCE ELLIOTT, St. Louis, Mich.

Not to take anything away from John Elway, but a better story
was Terrell Davis. Here was a guy who had been selected in the
sixth round of the draft three years before, came back to his
hometown eight years after graduating from high school and led
his team to a Super Bowl championship. I was pulling for Elway,
but without Davis and that offensive line, Elway would have gone
home again without a ring.
BILL KATE, Silver Spring, Md.

The best Super Bowl ever? How can a game be considered the best
ever when it includes five turnovers? Many people enjoyed the
game for three major reasons: The score was close, Elway finally
won his ring, and the AFC ended its losing streak. I would
rather have seen one team look like the best team in the NFL, as
in previous Super Bowls, instead of two teams barely looking
like wild-card teams.
JOSH R. SLAGTER, Hopkins, Mich.

My vote for the best ever goes to Super Bowl XXV, in which the
Giants squeaked by the Bills 20-19. That game featured the
lightning-quick, no-huddle offense of the Jim Kelly-led Bills, a
devastating Giants secondary and a seesaw battle in which
neither team ever gained a clear advantage. Perhaps the most
telling statistic from that game was that Buffalo nearly won,
despite the fact that New York set a Super Bowl record for time
of possession: 40 minutes and 33 seconds.
BOB GANS, New York City

You have clearly forgotten Super Bowl V. That game boasts the
only MVP chosen from the losing team, Cowboys linebacker Chuck
Howley, who had two interceptions that day. Colts linebacker
Mike Curtis picked off a Dallas pass in the closing moments to
set up Jim O'Brien's last-gasp field goal. O'Brien's successful
kick broke a 13-13 tie and lifted Baltimore to victory.
ANTHONY KANDEL, Marion, Mass.

While I enjoyed your Super Bowl coverage, I was disappointed by
Michael Silver's references to John and Janet Elway's sex life.
The entire paragraph smacked of sensationalism and seemed out of
place and out of character for SI.
PHIL DE HAAN, Grand Rapids, Mich.

SUDAFED

Your article on the use of Sudafed in the NHL was informative
(Hockey's Little Helpers, Feb. 2), but there is always a problem
with an article like this one. I guarantee that as soon as high
school athletes read it, they thought, Hey, look at that, a
legal, inexpensive way to get a buzz before our next game.
CHARLIE SWEEN, Grand Meadow, Minn.

Contrary to your report, stimulants such as pseudoephedrine do
carry the risk of serious effects. These can include high blood
pressure, heart disease and strokes, and neither high dosage nor
long-term use is required for them to occur.
J. WARD DONOVAN, M.D.
President, American College of Medical Toxicology
Penn State University College of Medicine
Hershey, Pa.

STAMP OF DISAPPROVAL

That's one wacky batter on the new 1903 World Series postage
stamp (SCORECARD, Feb. 2). Did players at the turn of the
century really hold their bats wrong-handed? It's possible the
picture is showing a lefty finishing his swing, but it would
have been a pretty tame swing. Did the Postal Service strike out
on this one?
JANET G. MESSENGER, Evanston, Ill.

The Postal Service says that it's a lefty finishing his swing.
--ED.

COLOR PHOTO: RICHARD MACKSON [Joe Montana and others in game]

THE SUPER SUPER BOWL

The greatest ever? I beg to differ. In Super Bowl XXIII (left),
between the Bengals and the 49ers, many Super Bowl records were
tied or broken. With three minutes and 10 seconds left to play,
Joe Montana took San Francisco from its own eight-yard line to
the Cincinnati 10. Then, on the 11th play of the drive, with 34
seconds left, he hit John Taylor for the winning score.
JOHN PAIVA, Stuart, Fla.