Letters

The Case Against Kobe
A hearty thank you for putting Kobe Bryant's mug shot on the cover of SI (The Dark Side of a Star, July 28). It's maddening enough that many people think he's as good a basketball player as Michael Jordan used to be, but I'm also tired of hearing that he is a better man off the court than MJ. I'll put this issue next to all the classy Jordan SI covers I have framed and hanging on my walls.
RYAN GLAB
McHenry, Ill.

As soon as I heard the news about Kobe, I thought, He's a target as an acclaimed athlete. I'll be pulling for him during his games and in the courtroom.
BENNETT ROTH-NEWELL
Redwood City, Calif.

If Kobe is convicted, I think the minimum sentence should be four years of college and no basketball.
LARRY T. MALINOWSKI, Warren, Mich.

Try explaining to an eight-year-old that Kobe is on the cover because he is a loser, not a winner.
SPENCER E. HELMUTH, Downingtown, Pa.

Shockey Value
After reading S.L. Price's article The Revenge of Jeremy Shockey (July 28), I couldn't believe the adversity Shockey had to overcome to get where he is today. He has been able to rise above these obstacles and use his wrath in a positive way, on the football field.
RICHARD KUBERSKI, Staten Island, N.Y.

Thanks so much for the in-depth portrait of yet another violent, classless, clueless, self-impressed jock. We haven't had enough of that lately.
MARK E. SQUIRES, Philadelphia

Was I the only New York Giants fan who noticed that Shockey was happy to boast of his penchant for partying and avenging slights but didn't talk about leading the Giants to a Super Bowl championship? Mark Bavaro's legacy is secure as the Giants' greatest tight end ever.
J.P. FRIEDMAN, New York City

Imagine the player Shockey could be if his shoulders weren't carrying the weight of that sizable chip.
JODIE McAFEE, Denver

Curtis's Cup
Rick Reilly can attack the sometimes questionable rules of golf, but he should leave Ben Curtis out of it (THE LIFE OF REILLY, July 28). Curtis earned his claret jug by playing four consistent rounds of golf. He did not hit back-to-back drives into the rough off the 1st tee, and he did not make sloppy shots getting out of a bunker on the 16th hole, like some better-known golfers. Arcane rules had nothing to do with Ben's worthy win.
NINA SALZWEDEL, Stevens Point, Wis.

Ninety years! That's how long it had been since any man won one of golf's major tournaments in his first appearance in a major 04 Major Major Upset, July 28). You missed a historic moment when you failed to honor British Open winner Ben Curtis on your cover.
J.T. GALL, West Allis, Wis.