19th Hole: The Readers Take Over

TALE OF ONE CITY
Sirs:
My sincerest thanks for Richard W. Johnston's article about San Diego (A Playground Divided, Nov. 8). It was the first honest and fair description of this city's sports scene I have read. The San Diego Union and Evening Tribune (the only major newspapers in San Diego) failed as usual to give a completely objective report on the subject.

San Diego, its people—most certainly, Mr. Breitbard—and its sports are not bush. The city council, Walter Hahn and Mayor Curran definitely are bush. And Peter Graham? He's the superstar of the bush league.
DAVID P. YARUSS
San Diego

Sirs:
I compliment you on your timing. Here I am in college, fresh out of San Diego, homesick for its weather and my friends, and you print that fantastic article. Thank you so much. However, the article did fan a flame of resentment within me. By printing it, you have furthered the efforts of the "Dutch uncles" to stuff San Diego down the throats of America. Currently, the phrase on the lips of almost every city official is "San Diego—City in Motion." I have reservations as to where this motion is taking the city.

I am sure that most San Diego residents dislike the sad disfigurement of Mission Valley caused by Stonehenge West, the monstrous interstate highway overpass. A thousand years from now people will think we used it to calculate the starting time of Charger games. We have minimal air pollution (what little we have is brought in by jet from L.A.), and San Diego Bay is remarkably clean. Your article brought this out most effectively. However, I can just see some corporate head now reading SPORTS ILLUSTRATED and thinking of ways to defile San Diego's air and water. The reason San Diego's businessmen and officials want the Republican National Convention is the money, publicity and growth it will bring to the city. It is that kind of growth and publicity that is turning San Diego into another Los Angeles.

You did an excellent job of showing how wonderful San Diego is. I just hope that people will realize what a good thing we have and that they will help us to keep it.
DOUG HANTHORN
Clayton, Mo.

Sirs:
Numerous aspects of our diversified community drew nice mentions. But there was one line that hurt a considerable segment. Del Mar racing, credited with having "its best meeting," scarcely is "minor" league, as was indicated in the paragraph embracing brief mention of the track in the same sentence with the WHL Gulls. With an average daily attendance of 12,169 for its 43-day season, Del Mar Turf Club exceeded every other sports draw in this area with the exception of the Chargers, who play a home schedule of only 11 games. Del Mar, which has developed such nationally ranked horses as Cougar II, Kentucky Derby champion Tomy Lee and Your Host (the disappointing Derby favorite who sired Kelso), has been major league for years.
NELSON FISHER
Turf Editor
The San Diego Union
San Diego

Sirs:
Was that a sports story or an annual report?
JOHN W. DUCH
Pittsburgh

Sirs:
Congratulations on your article chronicling the development of one of America's most complete sporting communities, San Diego. As a recent visitor to this sports haven I have had the chance to witness firsthand the capabilities of man in providing an ecologically sound and incomparably diverse mecca for sports.
PAUL M. SOLENICK
Syracuse, N.Y.

BALTIMORE VS. MIAMI
Sirs:
I am sick and tired of all this jazz about Boo Bulaich and how great the Colts are (They Had Better Be Super, Nov. 8). No true Miami Dolphin fan would trade Mr. Everything, Jim Kiick, for Bulaich, unless the Colts included Bubba Smith and their first and second draft choices for next year.

Larry Csonka leads the AFC in rushing, not Boo. In case you've forgotten, the Dolphins are in first place in the AFC East, not Baltimore. Your Tex Maule, expert that he isn't, seems to think that the Colts have the next Super Bowl aready won.
HARVEY SLAVIN
Miami