Letters

Although a Giants follower, I've also been a Pats fan and now
proudly wear my Jets sweatshirt. Why? Because of Bill Parcells.
--PATTY KONCELIK, Batavia, Ill.

TAKE A BITE OF TUNA

Bill Parcells exemplifies pure coaching: He wins, and he has the
full attention of his players (Hard Man, Hard Job, Dec. 14).
Today that's rare.
BARRY MARTIN, Roxboro, Que.

Parcells speaks highly of Buddy Ryan, the master of bluntness and
bluster and hot air. Ryan and his hard-nosed approach are long
gone from the professional football scene. Watch out, Parcells!
What goes around comes around.
RICHARD D. GROO, Newark, Del.

Parcells is arrogant, nasty and egocentric. In other circles,
people like him start wars. And how does anyone know he wouldn't
have won more games if he were a nice guy?
HARRY XANTHAKOS, New York City

Hey, Bill, how about a reality check? Losing a football game
isn't the end of the world.
JEFFREY DUNN, Salt Lake City

I have been a New York Giants fan since 1946 and have watched
some of the great and innovative coaches. I would rate Parcells
as good, but not in the class of Bill Walsh or Joe Gibbs. If
Parcells is a Hall of Fame coach, it is not as a result of his
tenure with the Giants. It should be remembered that he won one
Super Bowl outright--the other was a gift.
RODGER L. RITTER, Raleigh

DOUBLE TROUBLE

I liked your article about the terrific young tandems in the NFL
(Big Wheels, Dec. 14). However, you omitted a very good twosome:
Mike Alstott and Warrick Dunn of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
Whether Alstott is blocking for Dunn or they are running solo,
every play has a chance to make a highlight show.
BRIAN LONGLY, Libertyville, Ill.

I was disappointed to see no mention of Wayne Chrebet and
Keyshawn Johnson of the New York Jets. They both finished in the
top 10 in the AFC for receptions, receiving yards and receiving
touchdowns. They also combined for more receptions (158) and
receiving yards (2,214) than your tip-top tandem of the 49ers'
Terrell Owens and J.J. Stokes (130 and 1,867).
ERIC TU, Robbinsville, N.J.

HOOPS HEAVEN

Thanks for your feature on the Maryland men's basketball team
(Coming Out Party, Dec. 14). Although the team plays in a
conference known for highly competitive recruiting, coach Gary
Williams has managed to upgrade the team's talent level each
year. He landed a gamebreaker in guard Steve Francis, who may be
the final piece of Maryland's Final Four puzzle.
KEVIN COLLERAN, Hoboken, N.J.

Tim Crothers stated that forward Laron Profit was recruited out
of Dover, Del., "hardly a basketball hotbed." In the same issue
Kelli Anderson mentioned three key players at Xavier (Gary
Lumpkin, Lenny Brown and Lloyd Price) who also come from little
ol' Delaware (INSIDE COLLEGE BASKETBALL). Maybe not yet a hotbed,
but it's getting warmer here.
GUIDO SCHIAVI, Wilmington, Del.

IF THERE WAS ANY JUSTICE

An addition to Rick Reilly's reincarnation column (LIFE OF
REILLY, Dec. 7): All major league baseball umpires will be
arrested for speeding every time they drive past cops who have
their own version of the speed limit.
BOB CAYNE, Scottsdale, Ariz.

The Cubs and Red Sox will be in the Fall Classic, where Bill
Buckner will be World Series MVP. The NBA players will be single
parents just barely getting by while working the night shift to
feed three kids and pay the rent.
DAN PURSCHWITZ, Stoughton, Wis.

The Lug Nut Tech starting quarterback under Lou Holtz will be
Steve Spurrier, who will go on to coach Widget University, the
only school Lug Nut manages to beat every season.
MIKE KENNEDY, Hawthorne, N.J.

Ernie Banks will have three World Series MVPs. Bill McCartney
will come back as a poor, pregnant, unwed teenage girl. Bill
Bradley will have a personality. Joe Paterno, Dean Smith and John
Wooden will come back as saints. And Rick Reilly will come back
as a 98-pound teenager who flunks English, doesn't get the girl
and has to drop out of Fairview High.
REV. DR. MARK W. JENNINGS, Augusta, Mich.

COLOR PHOTO: AL TIELEMANS [Randy Johnson pitching]

A LIVING WAGE

How outrageous pro sports salaries have become was brought into
focus for me when I read in your GO FIGURE column that Randy
Johnson makes the same amount of money for pitching one inning
as I do in one year as a special education teacher with 20 years
experience (SCORECARD, Dec. 14).
LARRY KRAUSS, Sangerfield, N.Y.