Letters

Brady's Bunch
Thank you, SPORTS ILLUSTRATED, for the splendid cover shot of Tom Brady's post-Super Bowl jubilation (Feb. 9). You captured the joyous, youthful exuberance of Brady, who seemed not to care if he won the MVP, as long as his team got to enjoy another title. Even though I am a Carolina Panthers fan, I can rest easy knowing my favorite team fell to such a deserving opponent.
ANDY ROBERTS, Mishawaka, Ind.

While Brady is the best thing to happen to Boston sports since Larry Bird, the headline is overstated. Let's reserve the title of hero for people like Pat Tillman, who sacrificed his NFL career to serve his country as an Army Ranger. Tillman's heroics now take place on a much more important field. They just aren't as glamorous as Brady's.
FRANK JONES, Marlborough, Mass.

Thanks for a Super Bowl story that covered the game (Fight to the Finish, Feb. 9) and featured barely a splash or dash of the trash that was the half-time flash.
JEFF LARSEN, Grand Rapids

Michael Silver says Brady may be the Patriots' lone star, but they also have Ty Law. If you need to check Law's references, just call Peyton Manning.
SANDY BUCKNAM, Hudson, N.H.

The Patriots are immensely appealing and successful because they are a great team, not a collection of individual superstars. They remind fans of what they were taught as kids about team play, sportsmanship and humility.
JAMES BATH, Charlestown, Mass.

Delhomme Run
Thanks, Rick Reilly, for recognizing that Jake Delhomme could have been forgotten far too quickly (THE LIFE OF REILLY, Feb. 9). While Brady's team prevailed on Super Bowl Sunday, Delhomme was the better overall quarterback, playing well under far more defensive pressure than Brady faced. His effort deserved more than a few lines in your Super Bowl coverage.
MICHAEL KIDWELL Madison Heights, Mich.

Do You Believe?
I agree with E.M. Swift's review of the movie Miracle and the man it was about, Herb Brooks (Miracle, the Sequel, Feb. 9). During the 1980 Olympics, I was a Boston University freshman, and the victory over the Soviets remains the single greatest moment I've experienced as a sports fan. It's remarkable to remember that the U.S.- U.S.S.R. game was not shown live on American television but was tape-delayed for prime-time broadcast. We already knew the outcome, but it did not diminish the experience.
MICHAEL RITZ, New York City

In 1980 my husband and I were stationed in West Berlin. I was more than a little perturbed when I found him messing with the rabbit ears on our black-and-white TV one evening. He figured he could pick up the end of the U.S.- U.S.S.R. hockey game on one of the German stations. When he stumbled across it, it became my job to translate. There were only a few minutes left, and I was certain that the U.S. was ahead, but I was confused by the announcers' distinctly morbid tone of voice. As the game ended and the Americans swarmed the ice, we quickly figured out the reason for the announcer's depressed tone: We had managed to find the only East German station in Berlin.
DEB PATYRAK, San Angelo, Texas

Fair-Weather Fan
Thank you for running the story by John Schulian (I'm Mad As Hell, Feb. 9). I've never actually met a bandwagon fan, so his column provided an interesting insight into the causes behind shifting loyalties. I look forward to his next installment, when he switches his allegiance to the Giants, then maybe the A's, or whichever other team strikes him as his best chance to back a winner.
ROGER FRIEDMAN, Annandale, Va.

As a lifelong Dodgers fan, I feel Schulian's pain. With Frank McCourt hinting at selling the stadium naming rights while bankrolling his purchase with a large loan from News Corp.—the Fox network's corporate parent—I fear the worst: My Big Fat Obnoxious Fianc� Dodger Stadium.
STUART WEISS, Los Angeles