Letters

Walking Tall

This is perhaps your best cover ever, showing five men walking together with a common purpose. Your photo of San Antonio 's starting five should be hanging on the wall in every company's board room and meeting room as a symbol of teamwork and the success that can result from selflessness.
Bob Koprivica, Las Vegas

Can sports fans please put the idea to rest that the Spurs are boring (Super Model, June 25)? Every feeder league and high school program stresses teamwork, team defense, rebounding and assists. San Antonio has managed to put team first, and that is a huge reason why the Spurs win consistently, while flashier players have nice long summers to spend their ridiculous, unearned salaries.
J.D. Williams, Fort Collins , Colo.

I was surprised that Robert Horry was not the fifth Spur to grace your cover instead of Fabricio Oberto . How could the player who made the playoff's biggest "shot"—his knockdown of Steve Nash—not be included? Maybe David Stern and Stu Jackson , who handed down suspensions of the Suns for Game 5 of Phoenix 's playoff series against San Antonio , should also have been included for their contribution to the championship run.
Michael Deardoff, Peoria , Ariz.

Jack McCallum wrote that the Spurs, with their key players returning, "are heavy favorites to win the 2008 NBA title as well." But it shows how underappreciated this dynasty is that, according to the Las Vegas Hilton oddsmakers, San Antonio is actually only the third choice (at 5 to 1) to win next year's championship, behind both Dallas and Phoenix , which are each priced at 7 to 2. I'm sure that Gregg Popovich & Co. wouldn't have it any other way.
Al McMordie, Los Angeles

Viva Argentina

With Open champion Angel Cabrera and the Spurs' Manu Gin�bili and Fabricio Oberto , you had three Argentineans on the cover of SPORTS ILLUSTRATED ! �Vamos todav�a!
Agustina Lodoen, Portola Valley , Calif.

For the Birds

Wow! Seamus Murphy's incredible image (LEADING OFF, June 25) of Bodahna bird fighting in Afghanistan captures the essence of the Middle East . I felt like I was right in the middle of this scene with all its sights, sounds and smells.
Bob Casey , Western Springs, Ill.

C'mon, SI, just because a culture thinks it is acceptable for birds to peck at each other so that men with nothing better to do can make money off of them, it doesn't make it right. You know better than that!
Maks Schneider, Madison , N.J.