Letters

Winning or losing when you give your best effort is admirable. It shows class. Quitting while you struggle is pathetic.
—LOUIS PATTON, Los Angeles

Off to the Glue Factory
It's obvious that more than Terrell Davis and John Elway is missing from the Broncos lineup (Going Nowhere, Oct. 11). That Denver players laughed about their 0-4 start and subsequently wrote off the season was insulting to Broncos fans everywhere. Team leaders like Elway, Davis and Steve Atwater would never have allowed teammates to give up, much less publicly make light of Denver's woes. It wasn't talent alone that made the Broncos champions, it was leadership, determination and pride that carried them through the past two Super Bowl-winning seasons.
PATRICK LEON, Green Bay

First, Michael Silver interviewed players after they lost one of the best running backs in the NFL, Davis, to a knee injury. Second, he interviewed players after a tough loss to the Jets. Third, and probably worst, he interviewed players at a bar-restaurant after they probably had had a few drinks.
MICHAEL FOEGEN, Aurora, Colo.

Blow Bobby a Kiss
What a marvelous story on Bobby Valentine (Happy Valentine's Day, Oct. 11). Now there's a lovable, salty manager. Apparently his critics choose not to recognize the passion, refreshing honesty and humor Bobby brings to the game.
LESLIE HOFER, Port Angeles, Wash.

As a Stamfordite who as a boy asked his father to slow the car down so that we could gaze at the "baseball lights" in front of Valentine's house, I am glad to see that Bobby has retained the characteristics so many of us admired: perseverance and loyalty. In an age of instant gratification, our hometown boy continues to make us proud.
JOHN F. LEYDON JR., Stamford, Conn.

Hot-button Subject
As the only young woman in my high school's class of 1985 who refused to take home economics and become a Cougarette, let me give three cheers for Rick Reilly (THE LIFE OF REILLY, Oct. 18). Reilly will be pleased to know that, when asked what she would most like to be when she grows up, my four-year-old daughter announced, "a Lady Techster or a New York Yankee." I hope I can keep her on the straight and narrow—and off the top of a giant pyramid.
MICHELLE GREEN JIMMERSON, Ruston, La.

For years, as a high school coach and teacher, I have been ambivalent about cheerleading. Finally, Reilly provides clarity and perspective. It is a dumb activity. I have watched hundreds of games and have always been amazed to note how disconnected cheerleaders are from the action. I'm happy that the traditions at the school where I teach discourage cheerleading and encourage athletic participation by all students. I am even more delighted that my daughter practices her jump shot rather than pom-pom waving.
BRUCE V. BAILEY, Seattle

Thank god that my parents encouraged my sister and me to get on the field like our five brothers, rather than to put on ridiculous outfits and cheer for them from the sideline. I would not have achieved half the things that I have so far were it not for the lessons I learned in sports.
CELESTE M. MELLET, New York City

Two-four-six-eight,
Reilly's article was great!
Goooooo, Reilly!!!
MEREDITH NAHRA, Kansas City, Mo.

I'd be more interested in what Reilly's little girl or some of her girlfriends have to say about cheerleading. I'm sure it would be much more insightful and a whole lot less mean-spirited.
JOE SCLAFANI, Reading, Pa.