19th Hole: The Readers Take Over

DR. J
Sir:
Pat Putnam and John Papanek did an excellent job in their articles on the ABA championship and the game's most exciting—and greatest—player: Julius Erving (The Doctor Opens Up His Medicine Bag, May 17). New York and Denver played a superb series, and although no one got to see them on national TV, you exposed them to everyone through your cover story.
JEROME KOTECKI
Thorp, Wis.

Sir:
About that cover jinx of yours. Both times Julius Erving has appeared on your cover he has gone on to win the MVP award, and the Nets have won the ABA championship. It looks as though SI's cover is the right medicine for the Doctor and his teammates.
HARVEY FEIN
Oneonta, N.Y.

Sir:
Your May 17 cover shows something I have never seen before. Julius Erving's feet do touch the ground once in a while, don't they?
DANA FRESA
Bridgeport, W. Va.

Sir:
Pat Putnam restored my faith in the now-ailing ABA with his account of Dr. J and the championship series. I am all for a merger between the ABA and NBA if that is the only way we will be able to see such an exceptional player on TV.
STEVE SIMON
Rockville, Md.

Sir:
Remember Julius Erving come Sportsman of the Year award time.
MICHAEL ANTHONY BAILEY
Bronx, N.Y.

Sir:
John Papanek informed readers that when "ABA publicist Jim Bukata said someone had written that high school star Darrell Griffith and [David] Thompson were the only two humans who could execute a midair 360-degree turn and slam dunk," Dr. J "considered the question...took three steps, flew into the air, spun 360 degrees" and dunked, making it three.

Two years ago we had on our team a young man named Carlos Mina (currently playing professional ball in Italy) who performed the "Mina 360" with regularity. So please add a fourth.
JERRY CHANDLER
Assistant Basketball Coach
Long Beach State
Long Beach, Calif.

ALI-YOUNG (CONT.)
Sir:
In regard to your article concerning the Muhammad Ali-Jimmy Young heavyweight title bout (The Champ Looked Like a Chump, May 10), Young definitely won the fight and therefore should have been awarded the championship of the world. Nowhere does it say that a challenger has to knock the champ down or out; all he has to do is defeat him, which Young obviously did.
RICKY ARCENEAUX
Jennings, La.

Sir:
I thoroughly enjoyed Mark Kram's article on the Ali-Young fight. However, I honestly think Young should now be world heavyweight champion. I hope he gets another shot at the title.
JOHN L. SHUSTER
Flat Rock, Ala.

SCIENTIFIC TENNIS
Sir:
My compliments on your article about Vic Braden ("Tennis Is in the Stone Age," May 10). Indeed, tennis and most other sports are in the Stone Age regarding application of scientific methods. Tennis magazines tend to reject concepts derived from objective data analysis because these concepts have not come from within the professional tennis ranks. Therefore no new concept can be introduced until it has been adopted by a professional—about a decade after the original synthesis of the idea.