Letters

Sweet Deal
How happy did it make me to read that my Indians offered Alfonso Soriano $1.6 million, and then the Yankees came in and almost doubled it (He's Arrived, Aug. 26)? About as happy as I am watching my team go from perennial contenders to also-rans in one year as the Yanks roll on. Go get 'em, Alfonso, all the ice cream you can eat, baby.
Marc Nichol, Youngstown, Ohio

On the Beem
Congratulations to Rich Beem for becoming an American success story and coming across as a likable guy (Tiger Tamer, Aug. 26). I hope his father can finally acknowledge he has amounted to something.
Brad D. Bianucci, Rockwall, Texas

First an exciting Tour win at the International on Aug. 4 that gets him an invitation to the PGA, and then—in your own words—a win at "the most exciting major of the year." So what does Beem have to do to get on SI's cover?
Adele L. Reester, Longmont, Colo.

Hazeltine won, the PGA won, the spectators won, Rich Beem won, and Tiger didn't lose—he just got beat.
Gary Jennings, Rochester, Minn.

Terrorism Then and Now
As a 26-year-old journalist I had the good fortune of covering the Munich Olympics for my hometown newspaper. With the tragic events of Sept. 5, 1972 (When the Terror Began, Aug. 26), I matured both in the profession and as a person. Every now and then I have flashbacks to the awful events of that day. Alexander Wolff's article made me reflect, and cry, one more time.
O.K. Davis Ruston, La.

It's interesting that the only victim you chose to profile in your excellent article about Munich was the American. Don't the Israeli victims deserve profiles? The attack was against them, after all, not America. The least you can do, if you publish an interview with the mastermind of this horrible event, is provide equal time to all the victims, not just the one who happened to be an American.
Paul DeBruler, Hartford

Your in-depth retrospective on the Munich massacre was an important reminder that terrorism thrives on media attention. The attack was seen by the Palestinians as a media coup that put them on the map. Media focus should be on the victims of terrorism to avoid giving terrorists victories on the p.r. battlefield. That is one of the important lessons of the horrible events 30 years ago that is still to be learned.
Samuel M. Ehrenhalt, Brooklyn

Although I was only 12 years old at the time, the horror of the 1972 Olympics is still vivid in my mind. I agree with Ankie Spitzer. Why has no one ever sat in court for the internationally televised murder of 11 innocent Olympians?
Perry Mark Williams, El Dorado, Ark.

Remote Possibility
Though I love ESPN, John Walsh's denial that TV has hurt sportsmanship is pure rubbish (SCORECARD, Aug. 26). As a basketball coach I know the well-executed pass, screen, mid-range jump shot or box out are rarely shown on the highlights. What we get are the dunks, trifectas and celebratory woofing. Kids know what will be rewarded with a few seconds of televised fame and emulate that behavior. Television doesn't necessarily dictate behavior, but it certainly does influence it.
Richard Sotiros, Lakewood, Colo.

Ultimate Insult
I was quite pleased to see the SCORECARD item on Ed Headrick and Ultimate Frisbee (Aug. 26), but it was with great disappointment that I read, "Ultimate is about the only sport you can play well stoned." I am not going to deny there are Ultimate Frisbee players who use illegal drugs, just as do some professional and college athletes. Ultimate, however, is far from a casual sport for drug-using college kids. The Ultimate Players Association has over 13,000 members of all ages in the United States, and is both a college and postcollege sport played widely on recreational and competitive levels. The assertion that it is a game better played stoned paints it as a joke instead of a sport.
Bill McNary, Washington, D.C