Letters

Maybe now people will stop mentioning Peyton Manning and Ryan Leaf in the same sentence. Lord knows, neither of them deserves it.
—DAVE SABAINI, Terre Haute, Ind.

Peyton's Place
Great job putting Peyton Manning on your cover and writing about his lifestyle and dining habits (Thoroughbred, Nov. 22). It's obvious to this fellow Tennessee alumnus that Manning did not take home economics while earning his degree in speech communications, with honors, in just three years. He probably focused on geography, geometry, transportation and strategic planning, based on the skills he displays in leading the Colts on the field.
GARY MANN, Farmington, Conn.

While many may find Manning's lack of common sense and clumsiness endearing, I find it rather disturbing. This is a man who holds a degree from an institution of higher learning and does not know how to use a can opener or plug in cable television. I am not certain who should be more ashamed: his parents, for failing to teach him the basic skills of self-reliance, or the University of Tennessee, for teaching him little else than football.
JEFF HANTEN, Arlington, Va.

Who cares that Peyton Manning does not know how to open a can of soup? He knows what it takes to find Marvin Harrison in the end zone and to win.
DERON K. MANWARING, Warsaw, Ind.

I find it very curious that the person who is overseeing Manning's progress was not mentioned once. He's coach Jim Mora, and he has done a heck of a job in turning Indianapolis from an also-ran into a first-place team.
JACK RANKIN, La Canada, Calif.

Slippery Subject
Discounted (Nov. 22) is a brilliant rubric for the Peter Warrick escapade. The clothes were deeply discounted, his career was deeply discounted, his sentence was conveniently discounted, and Florida State's institutional integrity is permanently discounted.
CHUCK YOOS, Durango, Colo.

Between Warrick's mother, minister stepfather, high school coaches and college coaches, he has been well schooled in how to become an outstanding football player. He now has a child out of wedlock and a criminal record. Too bad none of those people took the time to teach him right from wrong.
TERRY GRINER, Spokane

Our Faithful Readers
When someone on your wonderful Athletes of the Century television show said that SI began publishing 45 years ago [the premier issue was Aug. 16, 1954], my husband and I couldn't believe it. He is a charter subscriber and has never missed an issue. Do you know how many of your charter subscribers still get the magazine?
JEANNE R. SHANK, Sun Lakes, Ariz.

? SI had 381,458 charter subscribers, of whom 10,621 are still receiving the magazine.—ED.

Young and Gifted
How could a list of the top 10 freshmen not include Pitt wide receiver Antonio Bryant (INSIDE COLLEGE FOOTBALL, Nov. 22)? Bryant caught 51 passes for 844 yards, and his six touchdowns were more than those of any of the three receivers you mentioned.
DAVID HEIDISH, Pittsburgh