Letters

Though readers were well aware of the ending, Lee Jenkins still developed the suspense novel of the summer, plotting the perfect game by Mark Buehrle with an emotional cast of characters.
Gerald Pintar, Milwaukee

Your photo sequence showed another aspect of just how improbable Dewayne Wise's game-saving catch was in Mark Buehrle's perfect game (Miracle on the South Side, Aug. 3). Many fans sitting behind the outfield railing would have been tempted to reach for a souvenir. On this particular day, the right fans were sitting in just the right place.
Mike Evaristo, Corpus Christi, Texas

Letter Opener

I must admit to being conflicted in reading about the volume and effectiveness of paper mail in the recruitment of top high school players (You've Got Too Much Mail, Aug. 3). I can imagine something as quaint and environmentally wasteful as a letter being ignored by today's top recruits, but—for the more average recruit like me—I couldn't wait to get the mail each day back in the pre-Twitter days of the mid-1980s. I never received a scholarship from such coaches as Earle Bruce or Dennis Green, but the letters of interest they sent me have since become memorable keepsakes. You can't save an e-mail or a tweet in a trunk in the attic!
Joe Fortunato, Queen Creek, Ariz.

Beating the Heat

I agree with Kelci Stringer and Selena Roberts that we need to be rid of the General Patton complex of coaches at all levels and make sure that water is abundantly available to players (POINT AFTER, Aug. 3). I would caution that you can't minimize the parents' responsibility in this effort though. I coached youth soccer for seven years and preached constantly to my players that they always need to bring water to practices—and too many times parents sent their kids without it.
Paul Thompson, Elon, N.C.

Having coached high school football for 30 years I can confidently tell you that the draconian practices of withholding water and of excessive conditioning in heat are not common among coaches in our state, and hopefully not other places. Much education has been done and continues to be done in the area of heat-related illnesses among athletes. It is good that Selena Roberts is raising awareness, but important to know that many coaches are concerned about the welfare of their athletes and have been following these guidelines for a long time.
Terry Dosch, Aberdeen, S.D.

Mindful of the Mick

Joe Sheehan states that statistical studies going back almost 30 years show that protection in the batting order doesn't exist (INSIDE BASEBALL, Aug. 3). If Sheehan went back to 1961, he would see that Roger Maris's having a guy by the name of Mickey Mantle following him in the order likely gave him a few more good pitches than he would normally have seen.
Jerry Gilston, Lake Worth, Fla.

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