19th Hole: The Readers Take Over

As for Atlanta 's receivers, Alfred Jenkins is hardly "the only deep threat." Alfred Jackson, Wallace Francis and Billy Ryckman all caught touchdown passes of more than 50 yards last season, and Francis and Ryckman each had 45 receptions and averaged more than 15 yards per catch.
RANDY HART
Gainesville , Fla.

ASHE 'S HEART ATTACK
Sir:
To Arthur Ashe 's list of professional athletes suffering heart attacks in their prime (It Couldn't Be a Heart Attack—But It Was, Sept. 3) should be added the name of one of the greatest bowlers of all time. Earl Anthony . Upon returning to the 1979 winter tour after having had a heart attack in '78, Earl won one tournament and had numerous second- and third-place finishes. His comeback continued throughout the summer tour.

I hope Ashe 's recovery is as successful as Anthony 's, because Ashe 's fine demeanor and professionalism make him, like Anthony , one of the truly great men in sports today.
RICHARD E. GREENBERG
Lawrence , N.Y.

Sir:
Thank you very much for the article explaining Arthur Ashe 's recent heart attack. His condition was of great concern to me, because Ashe has long been one of my sports heroes and reports pertaining to his condition were sketchy at best.

The article shows a side of Ashe that best reflects why I admire him—his determination to come back after a misfortune that would have ended most players' careers. There are world-class athletes and world-class people. When the two come together in someone like Ashe , it is a rarity and inspiring.
ROBERT SNYDER
Dallas

BASEBALL CITY
Sir:
I especially enjoyed the piece on Conway Twitty and minor league baseball in Nashville (Another Hit Sound in Music City U.S.A. , Sept. 3), partly because I remember seeing Twitty when he was a young rock-'n'-roll (not country) singer in the early '60s, and partly because I've been a minor league buff since, as a 7-year-old, I saw my first Pacific Coast League game at Los Angeles ' Wrigley Field in 1948.

It's great to hear that minor league ball is flourishing in Nashville , but I think a check of past attendance figures will show that the Hawaii Islanders' total of 467,800 in 1970, which you cite as the alltime record, actually is far short of what many PCL teams—notably L.A. and San Francisco—drew in the 1940s. The Angels and Seals both attracted more than 600,000 fans, I believe.
JIM DAVIS
Escondido , Calif.

?Right. Minor league baseball did attract larger crowds in the years right after World War II, before TV and other factors brought about a decline in attendance. The Hawaii Islanders' 1970 record of 467,800 is the mark for recent years—or at least it was the record. During the 1979 regular season, Columbus of the Triple A International League drew 505,970, and Nashville 504,401.—ED.

Sir:
As a Nashvillian who has never been to the Grand Ole Opry and who hasn't been to Opryland for many years, I would like to thank you for your article on the Sounds. It's about time someone recognized this city for something other than country music. Maybe we can change the familiar nickname of Music City U.S.A. to Baseball City U.S.A.
MONTE BRITT
Nashville

PLAYING BOTH SIDES
Sir:
In BASEBALL'S WEEK (Sept. 3) Jim Kaplan mentioned that Mets Centerfielder Lee Mazzilli may be "the first big-leaguer to join the ranks of management while still a player." Harry Wright , one of the pioneers of organized professional baseball and a centerfielder for Cincinnati and Boston , was secretary pro tern for the National League at the time of its inception. Better yet, Bob Ferguson , an infielder with New York , Brooklyn and Hartford in the National Association, was president of the association for two of the five years it existed. Significantly, the association's full name was National Association of Professional Baseball Players (my italics); the full name of the National League has always been the National League of Professional Baseball Clubs . The distinct separation of labor (players) and capital (the clubs, or owners) was perhaps the most important event in pro sports in this country.
MARC ONIGMAN
Lincoln, Mass.