Letters
Living History
All of us shouldenjoy—to a certain extent—Bonds's journey to 756 (He's Barry, But He's OurBarry, May 21) and realize what a once-in-a-lifetime talent he is. Let timevindicate or vilify Bonds; the truth will surface eventually. One thing we canall agree on: We're witnessing something historic.
Phil McRae, Redondo Beach, Calif.
I've been readingSI since I played Little League in the '60s, and this was the first issue I'vethrown away without reading. Barry Bonds is a cheater, and there's nothingabout him that deserves a place on the cover of your magazine.
Barry McCormick, Powder Springs, Ga.
Thank you forincluding an image of the Golden Gate Bridge as a scale to give the reader atrue perspective as to how much Bonds's head has grown as a result of hissteroid use.
Jim Zealor, New York City
Giants executivevice president Larry Baer says Barry Bonds shares the club's "sense offamily" and has a "loyalty" to the organization that"overshadows all else." The "all else" presumably includesBarry's failure year after year to join the rest of the "family" forteam photos.
Richard Boyce, San Francisco
Whatever advantageBarry Bonds may have derived from a possible use of legal or illegalsubstances, it could not compare with the advantages preintegration white majorleaguers received by never having to compete against a player of color.Consider that in 1936 the greatest athlete in the world, Jesse Owens, could nothave even tried out for a big league club. I do not believe this journalisticassault on Barry Bonds would be occurring if he were white.
Wade A. Welch, Phoenix
Fans in opposingcities don't boycott the Giants when they come to town, they turn out in drovesjust to boo him. When the gate is counted, MLB will laugh all the way to thebank.
Matt Kuehl, Milwaukee
Playing forKeepsakes
You can't blameRickey Henderson for keeping his first foul ball (PLAYERS, May 21), which hecaught last month at a Giants game. I attended my first baseball game at thePolo Grounds as a seven-year-old in 1963 and caught my first foul ball atYankee Stadium as a 39-year-old in 1995. It is sitting on a shelf in a ballholder. I'd probably give another to a little kid if I got one, but the firstone—no way.
Richard Weksberg, Brooklyn
Coaches'Cradle
In Peter King'sstory on Steelers coach Mike Tomlin (Third Man In, May 21), he says,"William & Mary ... not many NFL success stories start there." MarvLevy, the Bills' general manager and former coach, was head coach at W&M.Former NFL coach Dan Henning played quarterback at W&M. Bobby Ross and LouHoltz coached the Tribe early in their careers—Ross as an assistant, Holtz ashead coach. Last season there were 11 position coaches in the NFL who eitherplayed for or coached at William & Mary.
Dave Gildea, Washington, D.C.
They Said It
After noticingthree full-page ads featuring Derek Jeter in the May 21 issue, I read RickReilly's The Unspoken Truth (LIFE OF REILLY), about sentences he would bet hadnever been spoken. Here's another: "No one knows who the Yankees' shortstopis or what he looks like."
Jerry Chaplin, Mechanicsburg, Pa.
I am almostpositive that the phrase "Darn, there are no tickets available fortonight's Atlanta Hawks game" was uttered on March 27, 1998. That night Isaw the Hawks play the Bulls in the Georgia Dome, in what was expected to beMichael Jordan's final game in Atlanta. The game set the NBA attendance recordof 62,046.
Josh Pearson, Bainbridge, Ga.
The phrase"Hi, Mr. Amaechi, welcome to Hooters" has been heard by me. I worked inthe Orlando Magic ticket department in 1999 when John was with the team. John,I and several other players went to a Hooters after a game. It was the onlyplace serving food that late.
Robb T. Falana II, Vero Beach, Fla.
One and Done
The sentence"Shaq, you shoot the technical" has in fact been spoken. During a 2001playoff game against Portland, when the Lakers were pulling away in the fourthquarter, Phil Jackson sent Shaq to the line. Shaq made the free throw, and theStaples Center went nuts.
Charles B. Gassner, Valencia, Calif.
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PHOTO
ROBERT BECK (BONDS)
PHOTO
KEVORK DJANSEZIAN/AP (SHAQ)
TO THE LINE Shaq got to shoot a technical in a 2001 L.A. blowout.