Letters

Reilly hit the nail on the head, but it was only one nail. What about coaches who promise a student-athlete that he is entering a clean program and then leave him, the school and the community to suffer the consequences when the program is put on probation? Maybe these coaches should be banned from coaching for the same period that the school is on probation. Coaches teach through their actions more than by their words. "Think lips" is only half the problem. "Think values" is the core issue.
MICHAEL J. OTTO
Rosemount, Minn.

Perhaps it's time for Reilly to come down from his ivory tower to the real world. Did Reilly really expect Jimmy Johnson to tell a high school student that he might soon be coaching the Dallas Cowboys? How long would that have stayed a secret. As an employee of the University of Miami, Johnson was obligated to recruit football players for the school, and he did the job he was paid to do. If he had been more honest with the recruit, he wouldn't have been loyal to his employer. You can't have it both ways.

Until the NCAA makes the rule change Reilly suggests, forbidding the hiring of coaches until the season's end, coaches have to protect themselves. Considering the rash of recent firings, who can blame a coach for bettering himself before disgruntled alumni get to him?
ROGER SETZKE
Wyandotte, Mich.

SPRING TRAINING
As a resident of Winter Haven, the spring training home of the Boston Red Sox, I can remember some 10 years ago when my dad and I could head to exhibition games without worrying about being able to purchase tickets. Now tickets are few and far between, and the teams are demanding—and getting—bigger fields and better facilities (The Selling of Spring, March 27). I think Florida has proven that an expansion team in the state would be successful. If only the owners would agree.
GARY WILLIAMS
Winter Haven, Fla.

Along with the less-than-desirable features of the ultramodern ballparks, spring training is beset by another new unsavory phenomenon: the rabid fan. Time was when you could stroll into the park, watch coaches hit fungoes and then take in four or five innings before leaving. Only the most unsophisticated spectator would cheer for his team. Now you see standing ovations for routine plays and actual disappointment when the "home" team loses. All this for nothing more than a limbering-up exercise.
BILL BRAVICK
North Port, Fla.

STATE CHAMPS
This letter is a follow-up to your Jan. 16 story (Gold Amid the Coal) by Nicholas Dawidoff on my father, coach Joe Cesari, and his North Schuylkill Area High wrestling team. On March 18, North Schuylkill won the Pennsylvania Class AA championship. The Spartans set a state scoring record with 111.5 team points, and Dad won Coach of the Year honors. He will retire with a 27-season record of 357-31-2.

North Schuylkill also had three individual champions: Chris Rickard at 103 pounds, Randy Reidler at 112 and my brother Mark Cesari at 145.
LISA CESARI MCDONNELL
Kulpmont, Pa.

THRICE RICE
Maybe twice was merely a coincidence, but three times? A Rice appeared on your Jan. 9 cover, after Notre Dame beat West Virginia to win the national crown in football, and again on Jan. 30, after the San Francisco 49ers won the Super Bowl. The first Rice was Irish quarterback Tony; the second, 49er wideout Jerry. So who was featured on your April 10 cover celebrating Michigan's NCAA basketball championship? Glen Rice! Now that's a unique triple crown!
FRANK MURTAUGH
Medford, Mass.