Letters

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Thank you for finally putting NASCAR on the cover (Feb. 28) again. Four covers in the last 10 years for the second most watched sport in America--that's unacceptable. --Michael LaZinsk, Longwood, Fla.

Congratulations to Jeff Gordon and the Hendrick Team on their Daytona 500 win (Bang-up Finish, Feb. 28). Their ability to overcome the tragic deaths of Ricky Hendrick and nine others in the Martinsville plane crash is a testament to the character and resiliency of the Hendrick organization. --Anthony Riggs, Timberlake, N.C.

Paul Barers

Your portrayal of Wake Forest point guard Chris Paul as a saintly superstar does not seem fitting (The Rise of Saint Paul, Feb. 28). As a big fan of ACC basketball, I fell in love with the kid immediately. He appeared to have it all--the complete game, the heart of a champion and a million-dollar smile--but the more I watched, the more I became disenchanted with his on-court behavior. Elbowing an opponent to the floor while chasing after a loose ball and shoving the ball into another player's face after a foul earned Paul technical fouls in two games against Duke this year. --Chuck Carver, Rutherfordton, N.C.

I was shocked on March 6 to watch on a nationally broadcast game as Chris Paul hit Julius Hodge of N.C. State in the groin with a closed fist. Wake Forest should be commended for suspending him for one game even though the referees either missed the cowardly act or chose to ignore it. In the future let's just refer to him not as Saint Paul but as plain old Chris Paul and hope that he conducts himself more appropriately both on and off the court. --W. Benjamin Hatcher, Fayetteville, N.C.

Germ Warfare

MRSA is a serious infection that is affecting more than just athletes (A Menace in the Locker Room, Feb. 28). Regular childhood infections are becoming resistant to multiple antibiotics at an alarming rate. I am a pediatrician, and many of the medicines we have often prescribed in the recent past are no longer effective against these mutating strains. Parents and patients need to become more educated about medicine-resistant bacteria and stop requesting antibiotics when they are not necessary. Physicians, in turn, need to become far more judicious in the use of these drugs. Only then can we stop driving the bacteria toward a future where no antibiotic will be effective in fighting them. --Dr. Jeffrey Bobrowitz, Chester, Va.

I am the head football coach at California Lutheran University, and a couple of years ago I was on the receiving end of a staph infection. In a matter of hours the infected area grew and grew and spread throughout my arm. I am lucky to only have lost a bursa sac. Thanks for publishing the story and helping me get a better understanding of what happened to me. Keep up the great work. Now go wash your hands. --Scott Squires, Thousand Oaks, Calif.

Dead, Again

After reading Michael Farber's article on the second demise of hockey's 2005 season (Scorecard, Feb. 28), it occurred to me that sending in Wayne Gretzky and Mario Lemieux was a nice try, but to resurrect something after three days, you really need God's help. --Christopher DuPré, Franklin, Tenn.

Pond Trader

Thanks for writing about the World Pond Hockey Championships in Plaster Rock, New Brunswick (Scorecard, Feb. 28). My friends and I don't get the chance to have our own pond-hockey tournament--but knowing that it exists, and that there is still a passion for real hockey somewhere, makes me miss the NHL a little bit less. --Jonathan Silkowitz, Great Neck, N.Y.

Bling Thing

I believe most SI readers drive something economical like a Toyota Corolla, wear windbreakers and drink beer. Limousines, fur coats and $800 bottles of champagne do not fit our lifestyles (Life of Reilly, Feb. 28). Maybe Rick Reilly should have found a human interest story at the self-indulgent, three-day sleepover better known as the NBA All-Star weekend. --Bill Sullivan, Arlington, Va.

Last Laughs

Once again Bill Scheft had me laughing out loud (The Show, Feb. 28). But talk about shooting fish in a barrel. Could there be any easier subject matter for a joke writer than the current state of professional sports? --Andy Vogt, Stratham, N.H.

I was absolutely disgusted by the biased way Scheft chose to satirize Reggie Fowler's bio embellishment: "There has never been a CFL team called the Ottawa Froghaters." As a bilingual Canadian, I find that insulting. I imagine your readers wouldn't appreciate it if you were making up a name like, oh, the Detroit Arabhaters. --Michael Delli Colli, Montreal

Congratulations to Bill Scheft for performing an instant sex-change operation on this year's Westminster Kennel Club best-in-show winner. Imagine the shock to Champion Kan-Point's VJK Autumn Roses's owners when they go to breed her to some suitable male German shorthaired pointer and discover that Bill has turned Carlee into a he. --Kate Lalone, Bridgewater, Maine

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FRED VUICH