LETTERS
• Great coaches are like great musical conductors: They have to set the tempo, unify their performers and bring the best out of each section of the orchestra for a brilliant performance. Pat Summitt and Mike Krzyzewski continue to do all of this on the court, year after year, with every member of their ensemble.
Evan Dale Santos, Adelanto, Calif.
The moment I pulled your recent issue featuring Coach Krzyzewski and Coach Summitt (Sportsman of the Year, Sportswoman of the Year, Dec. 12) out of my mailbox, my eyes filled with tears. Some may think that you chose Summitt because of her illness and Coach K because he recently broke the career-wins record. However, in a year in which college athletics has been severely harmed by painful scandals, I don't think you could have selected two individuals whose discipline, passion, skill, sacrifice and class personify the idea of a sportsman more.
Holley Bennett Faulkner
Fairmont, W.Va.
With all due respect to Krzyzewski and Summitt, I thought the Sportsman of the Year was Novak Djokovic. He lost only two tennis matches all year before winning the U.S. Open, his third Grand Slam title in 2011, and finished the season with a 70--6 record. That kind of consistency and stellar play is commendable at the highest level.
Charles J. Kovalchick
Hanover, Pa.
Stomp 'n' Go
When I watched Ndamukong Suh stomp the Packers' Evan Dietrich-Smith (INSIDE THE NFL, Dec. 12), I flashed backed to sitting in Cleveland Municipal Stadium in the mid-1970s and watching the Steelers' Mean Joe Greene do the exact same thing in a game against the Browns. There was no penalty on the play, let alone an ejection or suspension. Guys who played like Greene got away with it because this was what we knew as smashmouth football. My, how things have changed.
Bill Henry, Greer, S.C.
One Wild Night
Lee Jenkins is dead-on in his story about baseball's magical night of Sept. 28, 2011 (Best. Night. Ever., Dec. 12). Regardless of which team you were rooting for, the night was simply electric, and Jenkins was able to capture all the games' subplots and key moments, allowing the reader to relive every at bat.
Ross Moskowitz, New York City
Heisman Bias
One look at the actual Heisman Trophy should be enough for anyone to understand why a lineman would hardly ever be considered for the award (POINT AFTER, Dec. 12). The trophy is modeled after running back Ed Smith, who played for New York University in 1934. Linebackers, cornerbacks and safeties don't get their hands on the ball often enough to strike the pose. Until the trophy is changed to something more generic, it will most certainly be awarded to an offensive player.
Jim Coyle, Moberly, Mo.
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FEEDBACK
What is your bold sports prediction for 2012?
Ben Williams (@B_Will45): Andy Dalton and the Bengals will beat the Texans and win their first playoff game in 21 years.
Joanne R. Pacicca: The Texas Rangers will lose the World Series for the third year in a row, making them the 21st-century version of the Buffalo Bills.
Matthew James Drzik: Peyton Manning will not be playing for the Colts next year.
Tony Koch: Dwight Howard will get his wish and finally be traded to the Lakers.
Grant Weaver: All four major sports teams in New England—the Bruins, Celtics, Patriots and Red Sox—will win their respective championships.
John Baldassari: Floyd Mayweather Jr. and Manny Pacquiao will finally give the people what they want: a fight.
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SIMON BRUTY (COVER)
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CARLOS M. SAAVEDRA (DALTON)