Letters

The Name Game

Reilly's column could be a warm-up for one dealing with
Corpo-Name Bowl disease.
--BILL JENKINS, Hamilton, Ohio

I agree with Rick Reilly regarding the tragedy of giving sports
venues corporate names (THE LIFE OF REILLY, Jan. 15). What if
owners took the next logical step? How about the NASDAQ Yankees
or the Clairol Bears or the AOL Lakers or...?
ROSS T. JAMISON, Tampa

As a long-suffering Cincinnati Bengals fan, there is one thing
for which I'm grateful to team president Mike Brown: He didn't
sell out our new stadium's name to some corporate giant. Paul
Brown Stadium lives up to its namesake, and I'm thankful for that.
JEANNE RUTER, Cincinnati

Rick's hex is working fine. The Rams play at the TWA Dome. That
airline has just flown into bankruptcy. We in the St. Louis area
wonder if that stadium might be renamed the Chapter 11 Dome.
JOHN J. REKOWSKI, Glen Carbon, Ill.

Excuse me, but doesn't your fine magazine use advertising as a
moneymaker?
JOHN THORPE JR., Nashville

You could have mentioned Edison International Field in Anaheim,
home of the Angels. With the energy crisis in California, Edison
International's stock has taken a tumble, and its subsidiary,
Southern California Edison, is on the verge of bankruptcy.
GARY KOGER, Brea, Calif.

Lords of the Ring

Steve Rushin's article on the Nurburgring brought back fond
memories of my lap with the other tourists on the 'Ring seven
years ago ('Ring Tossed, Jan. 15). His description of the German
drivers as speed lovers is right on, and his description of
photographer Bob Martin's vomiting had my wife and me laughing
till tears came.
CARL STEVENS, Winston-Salem, N.C.

As an auto enthusiast and a part-time racer, I was disappointed
by Rushin's article. He took a great opportunity and used it to
belittle people he obviously doesn't understand. Send me. I'll be
glad to drive the 'Ring at speed and write about the euphoria
that occurs when man and machine are one.
DAVE BECK, Springfield, Ill.

For those of us who spend our weekends trying to shave .1 of a
second off a lap instead of a stroke from our golf game, the
'Ring is our Mecca. Fortunately, few people in this country know
of it, or should I say, knew of it before Rushin produced his
story. Thanks for making my proposed pilgrimage that much more
difficult to accomplish (my wife has read the article) and, if I
do get there, that much more crowded.
MIKE OUELLETTE, Seymour, Conn.

Not a Cooper Booster

The real reasons John Cooper was terminated as football coach at
Ohio State were obvious to anyone who follows the Buckeyes
(SCORECARD, Jan. 15). It had nothing to do with Michigan. It had
everything to do with the steady deterioration of one of the most
storied programs in college football. That wide receiver Reggie
Germany finished the fall quarter with a 0.0 academic average is
Germany's fault. That Cooper didn't know about it before the end
of the quarter is a reflection of how out of touch he was.
DANIEL K. WEST, South Padre Island, Texas

Cruel Practice

Tyronne Wheatley's glorification of the world of pit bull
fighting is appalling (Sittin' Pretty, Jan. 15). I hope your
readers recognize the significant difference between football
and one of the cruelest activities that people can inflict on
animals. Football players make the choice to play football. Dogs
placed in the ring to fight are there not by choice but at the
pleasure of humans who derive enjoyment and gain from the
suffering that results.
KATHLEEN E. GRADY
Acting Director, Louisiana Society for the
Prevention of Cruelty to Animals
New Orleans