Letters

Bowl-Bound Buckeyes
Ohio State unstoppable (Next Stop: Fiesta Bowl, Dec. 2)? Let them play Iowa and see how unstoppable they are. This Michigan fan hopes Ohio State gets run over by Miami. Either way—win or lose—their fans will probably riot again.
JULIE HESELSCHWERDT
Jackson, Mich.

Earlier this year you suggested that Ohio State might be "a year away" from winning the national championship (No. 1 Priority, Oct. 21). I now realize you meant that the Buckeyes would have to wait until a few days after the New Year to bring the title back to Columbus. Congratulations on your very astute prediction!
STEPHEN A. SILVER, Concord, Calif.

Destiny's Darling
As someone who lost his only brother in the World Trade Center attacks, I have lived with a deafening white noise of aloneness ever since. I had not identified it as such until I read Devard Darling's heroic story (Soul Survivor, Dec. 2). Darling's perseverance and SI's expert reporting have provided me with a spiritual connection back to my fallen brother.
JORDAN WALLENS, Los Angeles

Fans of Washington State football have long known that Mike Price might take a chance on a talented football player whom other schools didn't want. I'm glad Price took a chance on one who may have a medical problem. Playing football is obviously a necessary part of Devard's therapy for dealing with the loss of his brother.
JEFF APPELGATE, Prosser, Wash.

Bobby Bowden called Devaughn Darling "a role model" because he "actually worked himself to death." Clearly, Coach Bowden, you didn't learn your lesson.
JASON MAZDA, Berwyn, Pa.

I will never cheer for Florida State again. Since I am an identical twin, this story really hit home. During the Gulf War my twin brother and I were in the Navy Seabees. We often worked near the border of Iraq but rarely saw each other. During that time I was always searching for my twin. Devard, I am so sorry about what happened. I am so ashamed of the way FSU handled it that, after I read the story, I gave all of my FSU paraphernalia away.
DONNY DAMPIER
Danville, Ky.

Annika's Army
Thanks for your story on the most dominant pro athlete competing today (The Amazing Annika, Dec. 2). I have watched Sorenstam play great golf, sign countless autographs and pose for innumerable snapshots. It's clear that she—unlike Tiger Woods—is aware that a great champion is measured not only by the tournaments she wins.
ROBB VOGEL, Madison, Wis.

The box comparing Sorenstam with Tiger missed an interesting stat. You should have listed the number of pages in SI devoted to Tiger versus the number of SI pages devoted to Annika.
DAVE SHUPE, Redmond, Wash.

Gobble, Gobble
There was a glaring omission in Steve Rushin's column on competitive eating (AIR AND SPACE, Dec. 2). The proprietor of Mickey Mantle's restaurant in New York City, Bill Liederman, made his rookie appearance in the International Federation of Competitive Eating's Thanksgiving Eat-Off this year. He finished fifth, polishing off 4� plates of Thanksgiving dinner in 12 minutes, outdistancing several world eating champions. I have covered sports for more than four decades; for me, Liederman's eat-in ranks second in thrills only to a Mantle home run off the top of the Yankee Stadium facade in 1963.
MAURY ALLEN, Dobbs Ferry, N.Y.

Class Action
I really enjoyed the series on high school sports, particularly Class Straggle (Dec. 2). I was fortunate enough to coach the 1994 boys' basketball state champions, South Bend Clay. Every day I am thankful that our championship was before class—or is it classless?—basketball. Indiana still has basketball, but Indiana Basketball is gone forever.
TOM DEBAETS, South Bend