Letters

Badly Calibrated System

People seem to miss the point about Miami's "undisputed national
title" (Cane Whuppin', Jan. 7). Miami's domination of Nebraska
proved only that the Cornhuskers should not have been the
opponent. This national title will always be disputed because
Miami didn't play Oregon.
ERIK LOUIS SMITH, Columbus, Ohio

BCS stands for Better Change Soon.
RYAN R. ROBINSON, New York City

Thanks to the BCS, New Year's Day football has gone from a full
day of intrigue to six games with little meaning.
ROB BHATT, San Francisco

The All-Reprimand Team made a good point about playing by the
rules. I've got your coach: George O'Leary, late of Georgia Tech
and Notre Dame (for a week)!
GLENN JACOBS,Englewood, N.J.

Kudos for your coverage and accompanying graphics of the
so-called minor bowls. It provided an entertaining way for me to
catch up on who did what.
L. HAMPTON LOCKLEAR, Phoenix

A Son's Love

As a son and a father I was moved by the article Jeremy Schaap
wrote reflecting on his experiences with his dad (SCORECARD, Jan.
7). Not everyone enjoys the same renown as Dick Schaap, but there
are special times with a mother, father, daughter or son that any
person should cherish because they may never come again. Thanks,
Jeremy.
STEVE LUDLUM, Caledonia, N.Y.

Jeremy Schaap's touching remembrance of his dad proves that Bob
Knight was wrong. Jeremy is made of the same stuff as his father.
PATRICK SHEA, Woodbridge, Va.

I Know, I Was There

In the film Ali, among many other inaccuracies, Michael Mann
perpetuated the story about a substance being placed on Sonny
Liston's glove (SCORECARD, Jan. 7)--despite being told by me that
it was pure Stallone, a cheap Hollywood cliche. It never
happened. Liston's shoulder was hurting (the official reason he
gave for quitting), and his corner was rubbing it with oil of
wintergreen. Ali was clinching repeatedly, and in one of those
encounters a bit of it got into his eye. It burned like hell and
blurred his vision.
DR. FERDIE PACHECO, Miami

Changing Image

Rick Reilly's piece on Andre Agassi (THE LIFE OF REILLY, Jan. 7)
depicts one of the great transformations in the history of sport.
In showing how the former champion of Image Is Everything has
become a man of remarkable substance and character, Reilly has
once again demonstrated the possibility for greatness in all of
us. It is why I read the back page first.
BRENDAN McCARTHY, Marlborough, Conn.

Ricky's Wrongdoers

I've never been much of a Rick Pitino fan, but now I will root
for him every time Louisville plays Kentucky (State of Anxiety,
Jan. 7). Why? Because of all those mean-spirited and spiteful
Kentucky lunkheads who claim Pitino is as much a traitor to their
cultlike basketball program as that idiot John Walker Lindh is to
the U.S. Considering that Pitino lost friends and family in the
attack on the World Trade Center, the Wildcats fans holding up
those signs proved one thing to me: You can't spell bluegrass
without using the letters a-s-s. Go Cardinals.
TOM McCONVILLE, Cranford, N.J.

A Little Red Tape

According to the new guidelines for Little League eligibility
(SCORECARD, Jan. 14), one of my identical twin sons would be
eligible to play while the other would not. There are three dates
listed on a Pennsylvania birth certificate: birthdate, date filed
and date issued. Although the boys were born in July 1995, the
hospital filed one son's certificate within five days and the
state issued it within 30 days, while my other son's certificate
wasn't filed until more than a month later and wasn't issued
until October. Imagine my dilemma if my ineligible son becomes
the better athlete. Should I swap jerseys and substitute birth
certificates? After all, they're identical, so who would know?
Forget I said anything and kindly ignore this letter. I think
I'll forward all questions to the future head of Little
League--Scott Boras.
MARY ANN HIGGINS, Jenkintown, Pa.

As Little League seasons end each year, just give the local
winners a trophy, a cake and an ice cream party, and let it end
there. To those who benefit (sponsors, officials, etc.) from the
Little League World Series, I say, Get a life--one that does not
ride on the back of youngsters.
JIM AVANT, Minneapolis

Squeezed Out

I understand giving Miami and Oregon top billing in your Special
Bowl Edition, but couldn't you produce at least a few paragraphs
on Florida's win over Maryland (right) in the Orange Bowl? True,
you mentioned Rex Grossman's missing curfew and Taylor Jacobs's
stellar game; otherwise, you ignored one of the most complete
performances by both an offense and a defense in the bowl season.
FRANK TAYLOR, Gainesville, Fla.

COLOR PHOTO: BOB ROSATO