Letters

Terrell Davis's mother should be the holder of his Super Bowl
MVP trophy.
--JEFF MARTINEZ, Pueblo, Colo.

OBJECT LESSON

I just finished reading Leigh Montville's excellent article on
Denver's Terrell Davis (Mama's Boy, Sept. 28). I find myself
torn; I don't know whether to cry or applaud. God help us when
the Kateree Davises of the world are no longer around to pick up
the broken pieces of so many urban families.
TODD HYDE, Phoenix

Though I'm only 15, I'm able to see that Davis is not just an
extraordinary athlete but an extraordinary person, too. He worked
hard and fought hard to get where he is today, and it brightens
my life to hear stories such as his.
EMILY PETROSIE
Jackson, N.J.

When Davis says an abusive father made him what he is today, a
Super Bowl MVP, it sends the message that cruelty to children is
not only acceptable but also can benefit them. How can a man who
fires bullets over the heads of his children be said to love
them? Shooting at your children isn't tough love, it's child
abuse.
MATT LARSON
Morris, Minn.

As a fan of University of Georgia athletics, I'm growing weary
of the football program being slammed each time Terrell Davis is
mentioned in your magazine. Davis led the Bulldogs in rushing
his final two years. For Davis to say that coach Ray Goff
hindered his career isn't true.
DAVID BELL, Loganville, Ga.

FLO-JO

I'm as sorry as any track and field fan about Florence Griffith
Joyner's unexpected death, but I disagree with your call to "let
the whispers fall silent" (LEADING OFF, Sept. 28). If
performance-enhancing drugs had something to do with Griffith
Joyner's heart seizure, that fact should be shouted, not
whispered. Maybe the shouting will wake up those who abuse
drugs, and Griffith Joyner's death won't have been a total waste.
DAVID OZEROFF, San Diego

That a seven-year-old child has to grow up without a mother is
exactly why questions should continue to be asked about Flo-Jo
and the possible abuse of performance-enhancing drugs.
BARB GORMAN, Newmarket, Ont.

ALL GOOD THINGS MUST END

I have to disagree with your statement that Cal Ripken Jr. ended
The Streak because he had one of the worst seasons by any third
baseman this year (LEADING OFF, Sept. 28). I would not call a
batting average in the .270s, 163 hits (the most by any third
baseman in the American League), 14 home runs and 61 RBIs all
that bad. Cal ended The Streak because too much attention was
being paid to it and not enough to the team.
SYLVIA TAYLOR, Westminster, Md.

AS WE WERE SAYING...

In describing last year's stellar performance by Tennessee
running back Jamal Lewis, Tim Layden noted that Lewis had been a
"true freshman" (Starlit Night, Sept. 28). What an unhappy
coincidence that in the SCORECARD section of the same issue, the
editors include in the Wish List an item calling for college
football broadcasters to drop that term.
MATT DOBBINS, Houston

GROUNDSKEEPERS

As a longtime subscriber to SI and fan of Gary Smith, I found
the Sept. 21 issue to be indeed special. His first two offerings
(The Race Is On and The Mother of All Pearls) were superb, as
usual. However, with his article on the Bossards (Diamond
Cutters), Smith truly shows his boundless talents. He made a
story on groundskeeping--in essence, making and watching grass
grow--fun and interesting.
MICHAEL A. PERRICONE, Copiague, N.Y.

When I was playing Little League baseball, I remember my dad
telling me that the Cleveland Indians had the best field in the
majors. I now know why that field was so special--the
dedication, pride and skill of the Bossards.
STEVE NUSSBAUM, Pickerington, Ohio

Smith's article made me realize that the Bossard family has a
harder work ethic than some of the baseball players. The
Bossards are the ones who should be making the millions of
dollars and getting all of the respect.
STEVE SHIPLEY, Tucson

B/W PHOTO: TONY TRIOLO [Hector (Toe) Blake]

BRONZED TOE

Lenny Wilkens is not in a league of his own as a Hall of Fame
player turned Hall of Fame coach (SCORECARD, Sept. 28). In 15
seasons with the Montreal Maroons and the Montreal Canadiens,
Hector (Toe) Blake (above) scored 527 points, helped his teams
win three Stanley Cups, led the league in scoring in 1938-39 and
finished in the top 10 four other times. Blake then went on to
coach the Canadiens for 13 seasons, during which he won eight
more Stanley Cups and had a .634 winning percentage. While
Wilkens is deserving of the double enshrinement, Blake is
certainly worthy of the same respect for his accomplishments.
SCOTT HOWIE, Nepean, Ont.