19th Hole: The Readers Take Over

Sir:
In 1964 I was a junior in high school. Reading Frank Deford 's article was like looking through my yearbook or attending my 15th-year class reunion. Just as it is nice to hear that my classmates are doing well, it is good to read that the Bruins of '64 are also fine.
STEVE FLOYD
Fayetteville , Ark.

Sir:
I wonder, what with the pressures of big-time college athletics today and the big-dollar wonderland of the pros, if such a happy ending would befall more recent championship teams. Times have changed since 1964 and so, it is sad to say, have the athletes playing the college game.
BOB BOJDAK
Ann Arbor , Mich.

Sir:
The article pointed out the true meaning of athletics. The attitudes of these men serve as a positive reflection not only on themselves, but also on their coach, John Wooden .
GREG MCGOUGH
Columbus, Ohio

Sir:
Is it by mere chance that Jack Hirsch , the maverick of the '64 Bruins , now calls John Wooden "Mr." instead of "J.W."? I doubt it. The Wizard of Westwood has no peers—and not just because he won 10 NCAA titles.
BEN ANDERSON
Greensboro , N.C.

DR. J AND THE SIXERS
Sir:
It is ironic that in the same issue with a story on the '64 Bruins you include one on Julius Erving (Hey, What's Up with the Doc? March 26). The Bruins were an extremely well-coached team and played team offense and team defense with definite roles for the players and with definite game strategies. The 76ers , on the other hand, seem to be coached according to the talent-will-conquer-all philosophy, with no role definition for the players or any game plan for any given opponent. If the Sixers were coached—and played—more like the '64 Bruins instead of an NBA all-star squad, then Fitz Dixon's and Philadelphia 's dreams of a dynasty would become reality. There's nothing wrong with the Doctor's game that a well-coached team wouldn't cure.
KERRY H. SAHMS
Seminole, Fla.

MASCOTS
Sir:
The picture drawn of San Diego 's sports mascot in SCORECARD (March 26) was not entirely accurate. Anyone who would refer to the KGB Chicken as "Chicken Man" in San Diego would be tarred, feathered and run out of town. The thought of the Chicken being "inspired by Sesame Street 's Big Bird" is equally revolting to San Diego fans. Nor is the Chicken's appeal "non-threatening," as is that of his imitators. In fact, it is his readiness to get cocky with opposing players and flash his feathers at unappreciated officials that makes him popular. Originality is just one of the qualities that make the Chicken the favorite figure in San Diego .
JOHN FANESTIL
La Jolla , Calif.

CARTER AND WETZEL
Sir:
In her article Carter 's Little Thrills (March 5), Nancy Williamson writes that Fred Carter was the first ex-NBA player hired to direct a women's basketball program. My brother, John Wetzel, who is now coaching the Washington Lumberjacks in the WBA and who played in the NBA from 1967 to 1976 ( L.A. , Phoenix , Atlanta ) preceded Carter in that distinction by a couple of years. He was head coach of the women's program at Virginia Tech during the 1976-77 season.
KARL WETZEL
Portland, Ore.

NOT THAT FAST
Sir:
Does the New England Patriots ' Bucko Kilroy, or anyone else, really believe that Kirk Gibson or any other professional football or baseball player really runs 40 yards in 4.2 seconds (Wood Bats Drive Him Bats, March 26)? I am sick of hearing NFL propagandists and gullible TV commentators constantly make such patently absurd claims. That they are ridiculous is clearly illustrated by a report in Track & Field News, March 1979, page 40. In a "You Gotta Be a Football Hero" 60-yard dash in Los Angeles , Curtis Dickey , Johnny Lam Jones and James Owens—world-class sprinters as well as football players—were timed in 6.29, 6.32 and 6.35, respectively. This means, says Track & Field News Editor Bert Nelson, that Dickey , the winner, would have passed the 40-yard mark in about 4.7 seconds—"in track gear, with spikes, from blocks, against very fast opposition, and in a highly competitive situation."
DAN HEBERT
Salina , Kans.

MANTLE'S YANKEES
Sir:
In response to your response to Alan Rosen's letter (March 26) about Ron Patimkin's statement, "The Yankees took two." in Philip Roth 's short novel Goodbye, Columbus , you were almost right. Big Ron did love the Yankees , not the Red Sox . And. yes, he did splash up to sister Brenda to exult over a Yankee doubleheader sweep. But no, it was not the Joe DiMaggio -led Yankees that thrilled Ron. As Brenda explained to boyfriend Neil Klugman, "When the Yankees win, we set an extra place for Mickey Mantle ." At the time of Roth 's novel, 1959, Joe D. was no longer leading the Yankees , having been retired for eight years.
JOHN R. MILLS
Royal Oak , Mich.

BLACK AND BLUE
Sir:
What makes you think that you have the right to editorialize a team right out of the NHL (SCORECARD, March 19)? As a 10-year season-ticket holder of the St. Louis Blues . I can assure you that the game has been "going over" here. Since the 1967 NHL expansion, what team has done more to consistently bring out dedicated, disciplined and courteous fans?