Letters

Nobody Likes Mike

For the first time in all the years I've read SI, an issue, the
one featuring Mike Tyson on the cover (Monster's Ball, May 20),
found its way, nonstop and unread, from the mailbox to the trash
can.
FRANK VOJIK, Glen Burnie, Md.

If you insist on putting an animal on your cover, why not the
late, great Seattle Slew?
JERRY PAYNE, Tampa

A face only a mother could love, and then only after a DNA test
to be sure.
DAVE LEEMAN, Wakefield, R.I.

After reading All the Rage by Richard Hoffer (May 20), I
wondered what will happen to Tyson when he is no longer able to
box? For Mr. Tyson's own good, I truly hope that his perverse
ramblings are part of his self-promotion and that he is, at
least, smart enough to have planned for a secure retirement. If
not, please spare your readers future stories about Tyson's
being down and out. I do not believe I could stand to read
anything more about the Tyson philosophy of life.
RICHARD J. KELLY
Austin

I want O.J. Simpson to find the real killer, I cheer for Ray
Lewis on the field and in the courtroom, and I think Pete Rose
should be in the Hall of Fame. However, the next time you put
Mike Tyson on the cover, cancel my subscription.
FRANKLYN S. MICHAELSON
Santa Barbara, Calif.

It seems to me that you should have regarded the words of
Shakespeare, the man Tyson called a literary "impostor," in
considering the story on His Mikeness: "It is a tale told by an
idiot, full of sound and fury, signifying nothing."
JOHN P. HEGARTY, Downingtown, Pa.

I know the letters will pour in about how terrible SI has become
because you have sunk so low as to put a convicted rapist on your
cover. My response to the irate letter writers is ... get over
it. I don't like the guy either, but it all comes down to freedom
of the press. Any reader can respond by not buying the magazine.
SHANE MCCARTHY, Tucson

Is Tyson crazy or shrewd? I can't tell either. But if he actually
spent more money on his pets ($411,777) than on his children
($228,821 in child support), then one thing he's not is a father.
RICK VENATTA, Robinson, Ill.

Which is worse: that Mike Tyson spends more on pigeons and lawn
care than he does on child support or that society continues to
shell out millions to watch this thug disgrace a sport once made
proud by the likes of Dempsey and Ali? Talk about your signs of
the apocalypse.
NICK EHLI, Bozeman, Mont.

Thank God the Army took out a full-page ad on the back of your
May 20 issue. I can lay my copy with Tyson's face down and see a
real hero.
GARRETT KNOTH
Holland, Mich.

Please do not waste any more space on Mike Tyson. Stories about
this convicted felon who spews expletives are not suitable
reading for my children, nor beneficial for anyone. The arena of
sport is better served by your articles concerning actual
sportsmen, such as Priest Holmes (A Small Miracle, May 20) and
Bora Milutinovic (Soccer's Sorcerer, May 20).
CLIFF MILLER, Clarence, N.Y.

Leveling the Playing Field

I find it interesting that even with the choice of letters you
run (May 20), you continue to report just one side of the
contraction issue: the anti-Bud Selig side. What you consistently
fail to point out is that the only reason the Minnesota Twins
were suggested for contraction is that their owner was going to
move the franchise. Now even Twins fans are jumping on the
anti-Brewers-Selig bandwagon. One reader stated that the Brewers
are what is wrong with baseball. How laughable. What is wrong
with baseball is that Minnesota can do everything right, and it
still has little hope of winning the World Series. Selig has made
several missteps--contraction is one of them--but what he is trying
to do is again make winning the World Series a realistic goal for
teams like the Brewers and the Twins.
KENNETH BROWN, Dubuque, Iowa

A Coach's Legacy

Thank you for remembering my uncle Dan Devine (SCORECARD, May
20). Since his death I have read many articles about his coaching
career, some kind, some not so kind. I am very proud of his
accomplishments on the field--conference titles, bowl victories
and the national championship in 1977--but I am most proud of the
impact he had on the lives of Dave Duerson, Terry McMillan, Steve
Orsini and Johnny Roland, to name a few of his players. It's a
shame many will remember him only as the fictionalized, rigid
coach in the movie Rudy. Those who knew him, know better.
TIM DEVINE, Eau Claire, Wis.

Nack's Knack

There was little doubt in my mind that William Nack would capture
the essence of Seattle Slew (SCORECARD, May 20). I have a
lithograph of Personal Ensign and Winning Colors in my living
room. A folder nearby contains an article written by Nack about
the 1988 Breeders' Cup Distaff (Dark Victory, Nov. 14, 1988), in
which those two great fillies competed. Friends and family enjoy
the lithograph. Those who read Nack's article take a second look
at the lithograph, smile and reread the article. Mr. Nack, thanks
for allowing readers to feel the emotion of horse racing.
BILL RAUSCHER, Hanover Park, Ill.

COLOR PHOTO: MICHAEL O'NEILL