Letters

All about Pokey
I applaud Michael Bamberger for his story on the Cincinnati Reds' talented scrapper, Pokey Reese (Fast and Loose, June 12). Bamberger had to have taken a great deal of time and energy to track down and interview the important people in Reese's family. He literally brought some of the family together after long droughts of contact. Reese has been through a lot, yet he's matured and come through in most areas of his life. Like all of us, he's not perfect, but he is a true inspiration. He reminds us not just to take what life gives us but also to reach for more.
ERIN SCHROEDER, Minneapolis

What is it with pro athletes having several children with several women? Poor Pokey: We should all feel sorry for him because his father wasn't always there for him, and that's why he's the absentee father that he is. Please! I'm tired of hearing people blame others for their mistakes. It doesn't take a father being at home for a son to figure out right from wrong or to figure out that if he has children, he should support them, not just with money but with attention. Pokey may be a great ballplayer, but he's a loser in life, and that's nobody's fault but his own.
GAIL STENZEL, Seattle

Pokey chose to have sex with three women, and he should live up to his responsibilities. I feel sorry for his children, and I hope they don't use him as an excuse in the future.
PETER C. STAIRIKER, Parsippany, N.J.

Reese is an exceptionally talented ballplayer. I hope my children turn out nothing like him.
KEN LEMIEUX, Warren, Mich.

If you tax Pokey's salary at 39.6%, he still takes home roughly $3,144.1C a day. He can't find more than $432 a month to pay expenses for one of his children? I wonder if these pre teams know or care whom they are employing. My guess is that they know but don't care. Sad.
ERIC RELKIN, New York City

It appears someone in the chain of command at SI got confused about assignments. Marlins second baseman Luis Castillo fines himself for failure to perform his job properly. This gets two sentences in "The Hot Corner" (INSIDE BASEBALL, June 12). Your story on absentee father Reese gets 10 pages. But as the grandfather of one of his love children says, "He's an athlete. You can't expect much from these guys."
HAROLD SIMMONS, Bigelow, Ark.

Wouldn't it have been nice for you to mention one of the reasons Pokey Reese warrants coverage—his 1999 Gold Glove?
CINDY YEAGER, Lakeside Park, Ky.

All I knew about Calvin Reese Jr. was that he was a prospect with a unique nickname in the Cincinnati organization. Bamberger's compelling article on the young second baseman not only turned me into a big Pokey fan but also amazed me with all the turmoil he has encountered. I'll be pulling for Pokey not only as a player on the field, but a father off as well.
JAYSON BORTOT, Greenwich, Conn.

Second Guessing
As a lifelong Cleveland Indians fan I was delighted by the White Sox' July 31,1997, deadline trade of three significant players to the San Francisco Giants. With the benefit of three years of hindsight we see that in the long run, this was in fact a positive trade for Chicago. However, the question still remains: Why make a trade like that in the middle of the season (and pennant race) with the team only 3� games out of first place?
BRIAN F. LOVEMAN, New York City

Back Home in Indiana
In your chart on the differences between Indiana and Southern California, you list the Chevy pickup as the vehicle for the Hoosier heartland and the Humvee for the oh-so-hip SoCal crowd (SCORECARD, June 12). In fact, the Humvee is produced in Indiana. It's just that most of the state's citizens can't afford Arnold's favorite ride.
MICHAEL KELLAMS, Evanston, Ill.