Letters

Funny, you use the word sleazy on your cover regarding the XFL. In what league do Rae Carruth, Ray Lewis and Mark Chmura play?
—GREG GOTWALT, York, Pa.

Football in February
Obviously the XFL has kinks to work out, but it was nice to watch games without hearing about poor, mistreated multimillionaire players (The X Factor, Feb. 12). If NFL players made money based on wins and losses, they probably wouldn't wait until their free-agency year to turn it up a notch.
J. TIMMER, Wichita, Kans.

This Week's Sign of the Apocalypse: There's something called the XFL on the cover of the SI that showed up in my mailbox.
PHIL GLENN, Wichita, Kans.

So glad you're addressing the issue of the XFL using sleaze to help sell itself. Would that in any way be comparable to your swimsuit issue?
LIZ DUGGAN, Budd Lake, N.J.

No Mercy
Please spare me Mark Chmura's religious fervor (Jury's Out, Feb. 12). As a practicing Catholic, I'm offended by his using the church as a cloak. In Catholicism the "trials" Chmura refers to are those endured by saintly people unjustly accused. I don't believe God views a drunken professional athlete in a hot tub with teenage girls as someone whose faith is being tested.
MICHAEL MURPHY, San Carlos, Calif.

If I (or any guy I know) were in the situation Chmura put himself in—underwear-clad, liquored up, hot-tubbing with high school girls—there would be one thing on my mind: scoring. And I'm not talking touchdowns.
LELAND CUMMINGS, Murray, Utah

I can't believe Chmura still calls himself "a role model." What's his message? I am a hypocrite with enough money to do what I want?
STEPHEN E. COHEN, Alexandria, Va.

The Baltimoron
The story of Peter Angelos had a familiar ring to it (Birdbrained, Feb. 12). I wonder if he has ever met Donald Sterling, inept owner of the Los Angeles Clippers (Up and Down in Beverly Hills, April 17, 2000)?
STUART WEISS, Los Angeles

As a Red Sox and a Yankees fan (don't ask), all I have to say is, Keep it up, Mr. Angelos.
ANDREW TURNBULL, Epsom, N.H.

All about Perspective
I've never been a Miami Hurricanes fan. That's changed (Butch League, Feb. 12). What Butch Davis did to his players was despicable. He then cries about how hard this has been for him? The man who brought character back to Miami football has none himself.
MARY PARENTEAU, Lancaster, Mass.