Letters

Sooner or Gator

You state that "Oklahoma looked like an NFL squad against the Red Raiders" (Take That, Texas!, Dec. 1). That is absurd. The Sooners didn't even belong in the Big 12 championship game. I can't wait for the BCS championship game so Florida can put Oklahoma in its place.
Gustavo A. Ruiz de Chavez
Baton Rouge

Rolle Model

It was great to read about Myron Rolle, who earned a Rhodes Scholarship and contributed to a win for Florida State on the same Saturday (PLAYERS, Dec. 1). He breaks the stereotype that college athletes, especially football players, are in college for no other reason than to win games. I hope more athletes show the drive to be like Rolle.
Justin Peledge, Wakefield, Mass.

In your article about Myron Rolle, you wrote that he was flown to the FSU game in a jet provided by Outback cofounder Bob Basham—who happened to be a 1970 graduate of FSU's opponent that night, Maryland. Talk about sportsmanship!
Dan Murphey, North Port, Fla.

Lost in Translation

What a priceless irony in your photo of Yao Ming driving around Robert Swift (LEADING OFF, Dec. 1). Swift is tattooed with at least a half-dozen Chinese characters, but I guess none warn him to watch out for Yao's spin move.
Rich Fong, Seattle

Moose vs. Bert

Tom Verducci argues that the retiring Mike Mussina belongs in the Hall of Fame (PLAYERS, Dec. 1). To vote Mussina in and to continue to keep Bert Blyleven out is just plain wrong. Blyleven, with 287 wins, has 17 more than Mussina, and he won World Series titles in Pittsburgh and Minnesota. (The 1987 Twins would not have won without him.) The Hall for Mussina? Not until Blyleven is in there waiting for him.
Ron Pishtek, Brocket, N.D.

Single Wing and Lovin' It

I enjoyed Tim Layden's article on the return of single wing (Old Is New, New Is Old, Dec. 1) in the form of the Wildcat formation. It's worth noting the formation's singular disadvantage and one of the reasons teams dropped it in the 1950s and '60s: Offensive linemen had to hold their blocks for a much longer time than in the T or split T, which most often replaced the single wing. Holding the blocks was necessary to provide time for all the spinning and faking that was going on in the backfield.
Richard O. Jones, Madison, Conn.

As a player at Baldwin-Wallace College in the 1940s, Keith Piper learned the single wing from coaches Ray Watts and Eddie Finnigan, and he kept the offense alive when he became the coach at Denison. One of Piper's teammates at Baldwin-Wallace was fullback Lee Tressel, father of Ohio State coach Jim Tressel. Maybe Jim should peruse one of his papa's old playbooks.
Bud Collins, Brookline, Mass.

I'll concede that no one covers nipples with paint like you do, but if you really want to captivate readers, keep doing pieces like the ones on the single wing and on Derrick Brooks (What the 'Backer Sees, Dec. 1).
Justin Sloss, Babylon, N.Y.

Future of Hunting

I was disappointed that Matthew Teague's story on hunting (A More Dangerous Game, Nov. 24), which discussed the death of my son Kenton, contained information that was simply not true. Teague described a phone call between mother and son and included supposed quotes from that conversation without first verifying their accuracy with me. He tarnished a treasured memory of the last conversation I shared with my son.
Lori Carnegie, Oshawa, Ont.

Correction

In the Dec. 8 tribute to Special Olympics founder Eunice Kennedy Shriver, Sara Rosati (below) of Hamilton Township, N.J., was misidentified in a photo caption. SI regrets the error.

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PHOTO

BOB ROSATO (COVER)

PHOTO

LYNN JOHNSON