19th Hole: The Readers Take Over

DOLPHIN DUO
Sirs:
I must comment on the great work John Underwood did in his article about the Miami running duo, Larry Csonka and Jim Kiick (The Blood and Thunder Boys, Aug. 7). It reveals how these two men play the game: for laughs, thrills, glory and, more or less, for fun.

Miami is a good team, and more articles should be written on its leaders.
GREG MAHALL
Minersville, Pa.

Sirs:
John Underwood's article on Jim Kiick and Larry Csonka was excellent and I enjoyed every bit of it. I was glad to read that Kiick, like so many participants in sports at all levels, dislikes practice. It is my belief that most other pros feel the same but don't want to jeopardize their positions by admitting it. Then again, if one is as good as Kiick or Csonka, he doesn't have much to worry about, does he?
STEVE ALLEN
Jacksonville

Sirs:
Once again you have praised the Dynamic Dodos, Botch Casualty and the Some Dunce Kid, alias Larry Csonka and Jim Kiick. You spoke so highly of these two last year you had your readers believing they had some talent. But after the Super Mismatch, where Csonka and Kiick stumbled, bumbled and fumbled their way as the Miami Dolphins were totally annihilated, fans realized they were overrated and undertested against a good defense.
LEO EVANS
Tulsa

Sirs:
To whom is Larry Csonka's derisive gesture directed? As an alumnus and former athlete of Syracuse University, I want to apologize for Larry's blatant arrogance. Not all athletes from Syracuse are as childish as Larry appears to be on your Aug. 7 cover.
JAMES A. ROSELL
Tonawanda, N.Y.

ALL-STARS
Sirs:
Congratulations for a splendid article citing the origins of the All-Star football and baseball games founded by my father, Arch Ward (When the Stars Cross, Aug. 7). I disagree, however, that he would have been surprised at the reluctance of some of today's stars to play in the games. In fact, he personally recruited numerous football players during World War II when talent was scarce, and injuries always have worried rookies with futures at stake. He had to hard-sell both games at the beginning and kept selling right up to his death. I think he would be amazed at their continued success.
TOM WARD
Chicago

Sirs:
I thoroughly enjoyed the article, but I am one of those who think Mickey Lolich should have started for the American League instead of Jim Palmer. Lolich was leading the majors in wins, and he could become a 30-game winner despite the shortened season. He is also climbing on the alltime strikeout list, but he has never won the Cy Young Award. Last year it went to the fluke from Oakland, Vida Blue.
JERRY BAULDIN
McMinnville, Tenn.

AVERY'S REPLY
Sirs:
As can be easily verified upon examination, the remarks of Avery Brundage at the Amsterdam Session of the IOC had no more effect on the voting for the venue of the Games of the XXIst Olympiad than the July 24 issue of SI (Defender of the Faith). There was little in my remarks that had not been said before. They were not intended to affect the vote, nor did they influence even one vote. The members of the IOC had made up their minds which city they were going to support long before.

To say " Avery sold out the United States" is ludicrous. Such a criticism might be directed against Los Angeles, since it killed the oft-repeated invitation from Detroit by circulating reports that " Detroit is a dirty factory city." The assumption that Los Angeles is the United States is typical. I voted for Los Angeles, not because I thought it had a chance, but because I was sure that after the crude maneuvers it would be a debacle. One need only read Mr. Kilroy's description of his campaign to obtain the Games for Los Angeles to know why he did not succeed. Nothing less calculated to impress members of the IOC could very well have been devised.

The long-functioning and more sophisticated Los Angeles Committee for the Olympic Games, which operated for many years under the chairmanship of Bill Henry, the Los Angeles Times columnist, and other prominent citizens with a knowledge of Olympic procedure, was practically ignored.
AVERY BRUNDAGE
President
International Olympic Committee
Chicago