19th Hole: The Readers Take Over

MUSBURGER & CO.
Sir:
It was good to finally learn that overwork is the villain in what I consider to be one of the most dull, imprecise and disorganized sports commentaries currently on the airwaves (TV/RADIO, NOV. 15). Your article about Brent Musburger and other pro football commentators was aptly named (They Know What the Score Is), for the score is generally all they know. On CBS's NFL Today, Phyllis George adds a new dimension in slapstick reporting, Musburger is hurried, careless and inarticulate, and Irv Cross (possibly the best of the three) gets only crumbs. I'm glad to read that the work schedule is at fault. It's sad, however, that the network is force-feeding us this bland, and often inaccurate,' TV journalism as professional reporting. I took your article as an endorsement and am disappointed.
STEVE KENDALL
Dunwoody, Ga.

Sir:
Brent Musburger has a pleasant personality, has done a good job on the NBA telecasts and I am sure is quite capable of all types of play-by-play. As an anchorman, however, he just doesn't fill the bill. Most of the time on NFL Today he sounds more like the morning deejay on the local bubble-gum rock station than a sportscaster.
CHARLEY HALL
Dayton

Sir:
It was a pleasure to read William Leggett's article on pro football announcers. Praise for the likes of Brent Musburger and Jack Whitaker was long overdue. These men add an extra dimension to the game.
ARTY SUTCLIFFE
Jersey City

Sir:
Brent Musburger was the best in Chicago, and now he is the best everywhere.
LEWIS SOUTHALL
Wilmette, Ill.

IN THE DRIVER'S SEAT
Sir:
Accolades to Sam Posey, a driver par excellence, for his superb article on Le Mans (Down a Dark Hall at 185 mph, Nov. 15). The Manufacturers Championship is a difficult and most demanding series, taxing the talents of the major sports car/GT designers and the drivers. The 24-Hours of Le Mans is the epitome of this mental and physical struggle, and Posey has brought to light the inner fears and complexities of competing in that race.
CAROLINO CENTENO JR.
Boston

GROWTH OF BOWLS
Sir:
As a subscriber since the first issue, I was particularly pleased to see an article on lawn bowling in your Nov. 8 issue (The Bowl Doth Run in Biasse Wales ). Rose Mary Mechem was well informed. While the growth of bowls in the U.S. and Canada has been disappointing, we hope that the changes that are taking place will make the game more popular, with more and more young people finding out that as much skill, precision and coordination are required in bowls as in many other sports. Professor Ezra Wyeth of California State University-Northridge, a champion bowler himself, is doing his best to destroy the image that only old people play the game. Through his efforts and coaching, the university now has a credit course in bowls.

There are 22 countries affiliated with the International Bowling Board, including Western Samoa, and in these countries there are more than 8,000 clubs with nearly 600,000 members. Last February at Johannesburg more than 100,000 spectators watched world championship games between 16 countries over 18 days, and on the final day many people could not buy tickets, as the stands held only 10,000.
JOHN HENDERSON
President
International Bowling Board
Vancouver, British Columbia

IOWA GIRLS' BASKETBALL
Sir:
In SCORECARD (Nov. 8) you referred to six-person basketball for girls as being old-fashioned and a static form of the game.

As you well know, here in Iowa girls still play the six-on-a-side game. As you are also aware, this so-called static form attracts 80,000 to 90,000 people annually to our state tournament, not to mention the many people who view the final two nights of action on a multi-state television network. Not too bad for being old-fashioned and static!

Our game allows more girls to participate at one time and lets them perform at a level of ability best suited to them. It seems to me that one of the prime aims of high school athletics should be not to produce Olympic, college or AAU players, but to give competitors the greatest chance to participate. I have had many girls play guard for me who would never have been able to play the five-on-five game.
LYNN D. PHILLIBER
Girls Basketball Coach
Postville, Iowa