Letters

Advanced Placement

While it may be tempting to criticize Brandon Hancock's vanity
for his beefcake pose, can one really blame him (Blue-Chip Diary,
June 10)? His build is fantastic, and he's an 18-year-old with a
4.0 high school GPA who graduated early so he could begin his
college career. We should instead praise his maturity. While many
of his peers concern themselves with cool clothes, fast cars and
hanging out at the mall, Hancock is fulfilling his academic and
athletic potential.
TED QUINN, Nyack, N.Y.

Please tell me Hancock wrote this article with tongue in cheek.
Tell me it was a creative assignment for his Writing 140 class.
Tell me he is Sidd Finch's brother. Tell me this is a late April
Fool's joke. Or just assure me that no one on the planet can
possibly be that conceited.
MICKEY CARLTON, Longwood, Fla.

By the time I neared the end of Hancock's narcissistic drivel, I
fully expected him to ditch his date and invite himself to the
prom. I gave the article to my eighth-grader as an example of how
not to carry himself should he achieve athletic success.
GLENN HOLCOMBE, Coos Bay, Ore.

The Hawk Has Landed

Tony Hawk (Making Millions, June 10) is not only old and a
dinosaur, but he is also a sellout. Skateboarding has always been
a sport for the rebellious or socially challenged, but now it has
become a sport for little kids whose parents buy them the "cool"
skate stuff from corporations that care only about image and
cash, not the true spirit of the sport. You may have made
millions at 34, Tony, but you ruined the sport in doing so.
STEVEN SCHEIBLE, Spencerport, N.Y.

As a 37-year-old on a skateboard I receive some disbelieving
looks from kids in the neighborhood, but they don't realize I'm
exactly like them: just trying to "be like Tony."
FREDERICK C. FAHRBACH
Castro Valley, Calif.

Hawk inspires beyond his athletic feats. Here is a man who is a
good father and husband, has been an unmitigated success in
business and still rips on a skateboard. Tony is more of an
inspiration to me than any big-time pro athlete could ever be. He
represents the hope that I can be for my son everything my father
was for me--without ever having to grow up.
MICHAEL HARVEY
Salida, Colo.

You missed the point of skateboarding. Would Ken Caminiti take
steroids if it wasn't for the money? Would Mike Tyson fight if
there were no payday? Would anyone care how fast a horse was if
they didn't have 100 bucks riding on his nose? No. No. No. Would
Tony Hawk skateboard if he didn't make millions? Yes. Yes. Yes.
Please do all us skater punks a favor. Stick to sports that you
know, the ones that are dominated by money and greed.
Skateboarding has a purity that you couldn't even begin to
imagine. LIVE TO SKATE, SKATE OR DIE!
PAUL PUCCIO, Albany, N.Y.

Best of Enemies

While it may be the fans, not the players, who keep the
Yankees-Red Sox rivalry alive (19 Games, June 10), isn't that the
way it should be? I went to Fenway two years ago for a series
against New York, and I'll never forget listening to Sox fans
chant, "Yankees suck! Yankees suck!" Thing was, it was an
interleague series. The Red Sox were playing the Mets.
JASEN CORNS, Tulsa

Freedom to Heckle

Frank Deford's article on heckling (SCORECARD, June 10) was right
on. Some fans may cross the line, but most are there to have fun.
Heckling is and always will be a part of sports.
MICHAEL TISO, Clarence, N.Y.

Wouldn't it be interesting if players could go to the fans'
workplaces and yell and throw things at them?
BARRY ULRICH, Claremont, Calif.

At least you are allowed to heckle in Boston and New Jersey. At
the SkyDome for a Blue Jays game, if you get too loud, security
tells you to be quiet. And the Jays wonder why they have lost so
many fans!
DAMIAN FORD, Mississauga, Ont.

Playing in Pain

I read in amazement Rick Reilly's account of Jocelyn Forest's
performance in the women's College World Series after her sister
was murdered (THE LIFE OF REILLY, June 10). I don't think it's
easy to define courage, however you always know it when you see
it. I hope Forest can find some solace in the fact that her story
will undoubtedly inspire others to do courageous things.
WILLIAM LANZANA, Mahopac, N.Y.

A Vote for Scotty

I know it's only June, but I have a nomination for SI's Sportsman
of the Year. How about Scotty Bowman? That seems to be a suitable
way to recognize the man, the coach, his 46-year career and his
records that will never be broken.
STEVEN J. FIGIEL
Royal Palm Beach, Fla.

COLOR PHOTO: MANNY MILLAN (KIDD); JOHN W. MCDONOUGH