19th Hole: The Readers Take Over

TATUM'S TURN
Sir:
Being a resident of North Carolina and a student at Marquette, I have had several opportunities to watch David Thompson and Earl Tatum in action. Marquette Coach Al McGuire has made some fancy statements in his day, but saying that Tatum is better than Thompson (Watched Pot That Finally Boiled, Feb. 2) takes the cake. Tatum has finally put together a string of more than a dozen well-played games while Thompson had a string that spanned an entire college career.
DICK HILLMANN
Milwaukee

Sir:
Marquette lost to North Carolina State 76-64 in the NCAA final on March 25, 1974. Where was "the black Jerry West" on that night as David Thompson plied the friendly skies of the Greensboro Coliseum for 21 points? How can Al McGuire even think of mentioning Tatum and Thompson in the same sentence?
GENE O. CARMACK II
Harvey, Ill.

Sir:
Earl Tatum has it together, as does Marquette. Al McGuire knows it and so do all Warrior fans across the nation.
SCOT LADE
Waukesha, Wis.

BULLISH IN CHICAGO
Sir:
Curry Kirkpatrick's article (Choice Seats at the Bull Ring, Feb. 2) was almost too painful for a Chicago Bulls fan to read. He touched on every facet of a team for which only people who are a bit masochistic can continue to root—from the miserly ownership to the perpetually disgruntled players to Dick Motta, a coach with all the tact of Attila the Hun.

The saddest part of the entire Bulls story, though, is the shameful treatment accorded Chet Walker, a man who exudes class. If basketball fans never see Chet the Jet's magic again, they will remember his class. The Bulls would do well to remember it, too.
JIM EPSTEIN
Evanston, Ill.

Sir:
It is always a pleasure to read about such a happy and contented team as the Chicago Bulls. There is obviously nothing wrong with the Bulls that a new coach, a new city and a new team would not cure.
DAVID R. CASPER
Hanover, N.H.

FOREMAN'S DUES
Sir:
Thank you for publishing the pictures of the Foreman-Lyle match (Sweet Science, Indeed, Feb. 2). This was by far the best fight since Ali-Frazier. Four knockdowns (two by each fighter, including the final knockout) is a lot more exciting than watching Ali doing his "rope a dope" act, clowning around and fighting opponents not even ranked.
TIM BURGESS
Keyser, W. Va.

Sir:
The photos of the Lyle-Foreman fight were great. But where was the article?
MICHAEL LYNCH
Madison, N.J.

Sir:
No, the fight "did not set boxing back 25 years." It was more like 50. The only thing that George Foreman proved by beating up Ron Lyle, and being beaten up by Lyle, was that he can be a punching bag and also use one. To call what happened in Las Vegas a boxing match would only disgrace boxing as a sport. To see one man corner another and beat him unmercifully, as Foreman did to Lyle, was sickening. (Perhaps more sickening was the fact that the referee never made a move to stop the brawl when it was evident that the only way Lyle could fall was for Foreman to stand back and let him.) It is surprising that SI deemed the event worthy of mention.

If Foreman is ever unlucky enough to fight Ali again, his one consolation may be the knowledge that Ali will ask the referee to stop the fight before it becomes a slaughter, as he has done in the past. George has paid his dues, but the championship doesn't come that cheap.
MARK B. STAUFFER
Williamstown, W. Va.