Letters

Not every bodybuilder looks at himself all day in a mirror and
pops steroids in order to bulk up his appearance.
--STEVE R. ECKES, Naperville, Ill.

BODYBUILDING

William Nack did a great job putting the sport of pro
bodybuilding into focus (The Muscle Murders, May 18). But as an
amateur bodybuilder, I have to disagree with him on one thing.
Anabolic steroids aren't the Wheaties of most bodybuilders;
they're the Wheaties of all bodybuilders.
MICHAEL LEE, West Lafayette, Ind.

I used to be a bodybuilder as well as a judge for the National
Physique Committee and the American Athletic Union, and drugs
are the reason I left the sport.
C.X. DOMINO, Houston

Every gym rat who worships these synthetic Adonises should
realize the fallacy of his thinking: You can't get there from
here without the juice! Imagine the size of the heart that
services a body with such musculature. You think that's healthy?
RON C. JOHNSON, Morristown, Tenn.

Some bad apples should not create the view that bodybuilding is
made up of a bunch of low-self-esteem losers. I have been
involved in bodybuilding for about three years, and although I
do not compete, I feel proud of my physique. The sport is not a
crutch to make me feel that I can go around thinking I am
invincible.
CHRIS STRAN, Youngstown, Ohio

I can't understand why the federal government doesn't treat
steroids in a similar fashion as heroin, cocaine and other
controlled substances. This would at least cause greater
scrutiny of how these drugs are being distributed and by whom.
DAN WILLIAMS, Tucson

PLAYING HURT

I was surprised that you did not include Michael Jordan's
performance in the fifth game of last year's NBA championship
series in your list of athletes playing despite injuries
(SCORECARD, May 18). Remember how he suffered through nausea and
diarrhea the night before the game, and how during the game he
had a fever? Still he made clutch shot after clutch shot.
ANDRE MACK, Austin

On Jan. 2, 1994, Emmitt Smith, despite a separated shoulder that
would require off-season surgery, ran for 168 yards and caught
10 passes for 61 yards in a 16-13 overtime victory over the New
York Giants.
RUSS CARDWELL, Summerville, S.C.

WE'RE NO VANDALS

In the opening paragraph of More Power to Them (May 18), you
said the hockey world is divided it two groups, "North Americans
and Europeans...those who vandalize their Olympic dorms and
those who don't." In case you don't remember, the U.S. hockey
team destroyed its rooms and fled Nagano as soon as it could.
The other team from North America, from the country that
invented hockey, Canada, bowed out quietly and stayed in Nagano
to enjoy the Olympic experience to the fullest.
MICHAEL PACI, Dundas, Ont.

B/W PHOTO: AP [Doak Walker in football game]

DOAK WALKER

Rick Reilly's tribute to Doak Walker moved me to tears (The Life
of Reilly, May 18). I was a student at SMU during Walker's
All-America years there, and I attended all the home football
games. The Doaker (left, running the ball for the Detroit Lions)
was the best athlete I've seen in more than six decades of
observing sports. About the only thing Reilly omitted was that
Walker was also outstanding on the Mustangs' baseball and
basketball teams, and had there been a ski team, he would have
excelled on it, too.
LANNY R. MIDDINGS, San Ramon, Calif.

Please extend our deepest gratitude and heartfelt thanks to the
thousands who responded to Rick Reilly's article and sent
messages via fax to Doak Walker. It will take us a while to read
them all, but we have laughed and cried as we shared each fax
with him.

Of course he has always been our hero, but now we have a clearer
picture of what the word means. As we watch his daily struggle
against all odds, his sense of humor, undaunted spirit and
immeasurable heart are constant reminders of the values that
define the man we call husband, dad and grandfather.
THE DOAK WALKER FAMILY, Dallas