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Letters
I had the opportunity to meet Mickey Mantle at a book signing. When I told him that my father had seen him hit a grand slam against Brooklyn in the 1953 World Series, Mantle grinned and said, "That was fun." As for Frank Gifford's comments in The Mick (Oct. 11) that Mantle did little to help society, I'll settle for that moment and memories of him patrolling centerfield at Yankee Stadium.
James F. Pearn Jr., Dayton
It was interesting to read about Mantle and the Yankees of 1957 and how the media turned their backs on his indiscretions and those of many of his famous teammates. Didn't the same thing happen during major league baseball's steroid era? Isn't it happening now with the use of HGH?
Rob Picciotto, Brooklyn
After reading The Mick, I can't help but compare Mickey Mantle and Tiger Woods. While Mantle is fondly remembered as "the Last Boy in the last decade ruled by boys," Woods is seen as a sex addict. While I in no way condone the choices that Tiger has made, I find the discrepancy in how they are perceived and portrayed intriguing.
Dave Kirk, Toronto
Déj√† Vu
The cover picture of David Price blowing an oversized pink bubble seemed very familiar to me (Turn Up the Heat, Oct. 11). I rummaged through my childhood collection and quickly found Ken Griffey Jr.'s 1995 Pinnacle baseball card. The similarities between the pictures go beyond their love of gum: In homage to a style Griffey made popular, Price is also wearing his hat backward. I hope that Price continues to blossom as a player and continues to get kids excited about the game for which Griffey served as an ambassador during his 20-year career.
Akiva Wolk, Teaneck, N.J.
I enjoyed the article on Price and also the companion piece on Aroldis Chapman, the Reds' rookie pitcher from Cuba. What caught my eye was the huge difference in the amount of money each player signed for. Price's deal is worth $11.25 million over six years, while Chapman, as an international free agent, got $30 million for six years. Chapman's contract is even more than Stephen Strasburg's "record" $15 million deal for four years that created such a stir in Washington. That doesn't seem fair.
Tracy Johnson, Joplin, Mo.
No sooner had I arrived home to see Price on the cover than I turned on the TV and saw him getting pasted by the Rangers in Game 1 of the AL Division Series. Looks like that bubble didn't last too long!
Eric Rosen, Great Neck, N.Y.
Sound Judgment
SI stated that it was a Sign of the Apocalypse that the town of Foxborough rescheduled trick-or-treating this year because the Patriots' home game against the Vikings is on Halloween (Scorecard, Oct. 11). This sounds more like common sense to me. As a father and police officer I ask you, Would you want your children walking around with 70,000 people, many of them impaired by alcohol after leaving the stadium that evening? I think not.
Doug LaValley
Westfield, Mass.
Jumping the Gun
Time for a reality check. Yes, Oregon looked unstoppable against Stanford (The Green Machine, Oct. 11). The Ducks did many times last season, too, playing in the Pac-10, where defense often seems an afterthought. But before we give them the mantle of "the best team this side of Tuscaloosa," let's remember this is mostly the same team, using the same scheme, that was shellacked in the 2009 season opener by essentially the same Boise State squad that Oregon jumped in the polls after the Stanford game.
Gene Harbrecht
Santa Ana, Calif.
Mama's Boy
I was delighted to read Phil Taylor's column on Tyler Summitt (POINT AFTER, Oct. 11). His mother, Tennessee Hall of Fame coach Pat Summitt, is the class of college basketball. She is a proven winner and the best possible role model. We in Tennessee have loved Tyler from the moment his mom, in labor and returning home from a recruiting trip in Macungie, Pa., in 1990, told the pilots of her plane not to stop, because her child had to be born in Tennessee. He has been at his mother's side every season since. I think Tyler will be a great coach and inspire in his players the love and loyalty his mom has inspired in hers.
Doris Stickley, Bristol, Tenn.
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