Letters

Ladies First

Men's sports are definitely my favorites to watch, and I am no
feminist, but it was sweet to see Serena Williams and Annika
Sorenstam, two superb female athletes, on the cover of the May 26
issue. Thanks for giving recognition where recognition is due.
Kathy Kaihoi
Montevideo, Minn.

Alien Autos?

I was disturbed to read in the story A Yen for Speed (SCORECARD,
May 26) that some NASCAR fans want to ban Toyota. Why not allow a
car from a different country to compete in the "last purely
American sport"? People need to realize that being American is
more than what you look like and where your name is from. If a
Toyota is 100% made in the U.S.A., I believe it is an
American-made car, and therefore qualifies under the rules. So
the next time I, an Asian-American, turn on the TV and see
NASCAR, I'll be rooting for the hated "rice rocket," just as the
black community did for Jackie Robinson.
Ben Choi, St. Louis

Remembering Dave

Nice going, Bill Bradley. Not many others could have written such
a moving tribute to Dave DeBusschere in so few words (SCORECARD,
May 26). I'm sure Dave was very proud to have been your teammate.
Gerald L. Guindon, Escanaba, Mich.

The Unreal Deal

In their impressive piece of investigative journalism on
counterfeit and knockoff golf clubs (Pssst...Wanna Buy Some
Clubs?, May 26), E.M. Swift and Don Yaeger not only took the time
to understand the legal concepts of intellectual property but
also reported them accurately, an accomplishment I have rarely
seen in nearly 20 years as an intellectual-property attorney.
What may not have come across in the article is how consumers,
companies and governments suffer far more than pure economic harm
from fake products. Counterfeit medications, baby formula,
airplane and motor vehicle parts have caused serious injury,
illness and death. That organized crime also trades in
counterfeits to launder funds from other illicit activities is
also well known. Thank you for drawing your readers' attention to
this serious problem.
Curt Krechevsky
Wellesley, Mass.

First, the golf club manufacturers eliminate American jobs by
sending the work to "cheap skilled labor" in China--not to pass
on the savings to the U.S. consumer but to increase their
profits. Next, they become upset when those same laborers start
making copies and selling directly to the U.S. markets. Am I the
only one who sees the irony in this? What infuriated me was
reading that they're wasting the time of our law enforcement
officials by having them try to catch the "bad guys." The
clubmakers can catch them by looking in the mirror.
Mike Ligon, Kent, Wash.

Different Strokes

Albert Chen reports that Tampa Bay Devil Rays owner Vince Naimoli
called Rocco Baldelli a "young DiMaggio" (Five At Bats, 18
Pitches, 10 Swings, Two Hits, Two Runs...and No Walks, May 26).
Yeah, sure! By mid-May of this year, Baldelli had whiffed 37
times and had a strikeout-to-walk ratio of 6.21 to 1. In
DiMaggio's rookie season he struck out 39 times, and his
strikeout-to-walk ratio was 1.63--the only time in his career
that this number exceeded one. (In 1941, his sixth season,
DiMaggio struck out 13 times in 139 games with a
strikeout-to-walk ratio of 0.17.) A player such as DiMaggio with
a lifetime strikeout-to-walk ratio of 0.47 and a free swinger
such as Baldelli seem to be alike only in that they are both
baseball players.
Bob Woodside, Greenville, N.C.

Colonial Era

I don't care whether Annika Sorenstam plays in a men's tournament
or not (From the Back Tees, May 26), but if you let women play in
men's sports, what rationale can you use to keep men from
participating in women's sports? This is what's going on in high
school girls' field hockey, and many of the parents are in an
uproar. Although Sorenstam's participation is widely seen as a
step forward for women's sports, it's really just a step onto the
slippery slope that leads to women not being able to compete in
their own games.
Lee Shaw Morrison, Gainesville, Fla.

Vijay Singh is a great golfer, but I now have to say how
disappointed I am in him. He spouts off about Annika playing in
the Colonial and then doesn't have the guts to even play in the
tournament. He should grow up and quit his whining.
Mike Butterfield, Wauwatosa, Wis.

The only reason the PGA Tour is on television is because it sells
advertising time. If letting women compete for the cut on the PGA
Tour will sell more advertising time, they're going to play.
Money is what really levels the playing field.
Kathy Pezdek, Claremont, Calif.

Red Sox, Green Card

As a longtime member of Red Sox Nation who has lived through the
eras of Black Label, Gansett and Schaefer beers, I must correct
one thing in Steve Rushin's column (AIR AND SPACE, May 26). The
morse code on the Wall--never the Green Monster--does not stand
for Red Sox Nation but rather the initials of late owners Tom and
Jean Yawkey. Oh, yeah, one other thing: As any Saachs fan knows,
Bucky Dent's middle name is "bleepin'".
Michael Sergi, Newburyport, Mass.

Steve, you deserve two Tommy Points for Resident Alien in Red Sox
Nation. It was great and I'm sure Tommy would agree!
Jamie Carlen, Amherst, N.H.

COLOR PHOTO: PHOTO ILLUSTRATION BY WALTER IOOSS JR.

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