Letters

What happened on the 17th green that Sunday afternoon is called home field advantage.
—JERRY LESAK, Ambridge, Pa.

Manny's Not the Man
I take exception to Tom Verducci's choice of Indians rightfielder Manny Ramirez as American League MVP (Photo Finish, Oct. 11). With all its firepower and its placement in the mediocre Central Division, the Tribe could have substituted Mario Mendoza for Ramirez and still cruised to another division title. Verducci's runner-up choice, Yankee Derek Jeter, better fulfills the MVP criteria.
MARK PASQUINELLI, Danville, Pa.

Interesting that Verducci spends about three paragraphs on trying to persuade us that Ramirez should be the AL MVP and about three pages on why Pedro Martinez shouldn't be. Perhaps it wasn't the reader Verducci was trying to convince but himself.
ERIC ABROMSON, MARINA DEL REY, Calif.

The award should go to Jeter, and this is from a guy who hates, really hates the Yankees.
SPENCER FLEURY, Palmetto, Fla.

If Ivan Rodriguez does not get the MVP, they should stop giving the award. No fielder has as much influence as he does. Just ask one of the 53% of base runners he threw out. Combine that with his offensive numbers, it's a no-brainer.
STEVEN BATSON, El Centro, Calif.

III-Chosen Comments
If the remarks made by umpire John Shulock about Devil Rays pitcher Wilson Alvarez are accurate, then Shulock should be dismissed (SCORECARD, Oct. 4). The last thing baseball needs is an umpire with a vendetta toward a player. If Alvarez did intentionally hit Shulock, then his actions are inexcusable. That, though, would in no way excuse Shulock.
PAUL SMITH, Indian Trail, N.C.

Shulock was the impartial arbiter put in place to enforce the rules? What an arrogant attitude! Do you think Major League Baseball could consider one more resignation letter?
SKIP LADNIER, Powder Springs, Ga.

You do an injustice to Shulock by suggesting that his objectivity would be compromised the next time Alvarez pitches and he is behind the plate. While Shulock's swagger may put critics off, he approaches each game as if it were the seventh game of the World Series. John Hirschbeck and Roberto Alomar's confrontation was much more severe than this incident.
BRIAN E. BUTTERLY, Alameda, Calif.

Clarifying a Point
It was disappointing to read the SCORECARD item in the Oct. 4 issue that attributed the design of the new Pittsburgh Steelers stadium to the Rockwell Group. HOK Sport is the design firm and the architect of record. The Rockwell Group was retained by the Steelers to provide early theming suggestions and possible add-on components to the architecture.
BEN B. BARNERT, ALA, NCARB
Senior Vice President
HOK Sports Facilities Group
Kansas City, Mo.

Mulligan Stew
I applaud your coverage of the Ryder Cup, mainly for not overemphasizing the celebration on the 17th green after Justin Leonard's improbable putt (Moment of Truth, Oct. 4). If enthusiasm and the will to win are characteristics of poor sportsmanship, then proper golf etiquette was compromised by both sides.
MICHAEL A. DANAY, North Mankato, Minn.