19th Hole: The Readers Take Over

JOAN BENOIT
Sir:
My appreciation to Kenny Moore for as well-crafted an article as has been my pleasure to read (Her Life Is In Apple Pie Order, March 4). The qualities exemplified by Joan Benoit as a person and a competitor are among the special traits that I find in many New Englanders.
BOB COAN
Cambridge, Mass.

Sir:
Kenny Moore's story is a deftly descriptive profile of Joan Benoit. I have been waiting since her memorable marathons of 1984 to read just such an insightful account of the woman behind the outstanding athletic accomplishments. Moore continues to translate clearly the awesome dimensions of elite athletes to the rest of us who can only begin to imagine the inner strength of a Joan Benoit. His articles are welcome studies in style, and his perceptive treatment of the world's best woman marathoner is one of his most effective. My respect for Joan Benoit grows; long may she thrive.
BILL GUERRANT JR.
Afton, Va.

Sir:
I compliment SI for balance in the March 4 issue. After reading about the skyrocketing salaries of major league baseball players, it was a pleasure to discover that success can still be kept in perspective. Joan Benoit is as refreshing as the Maine shoreline.
RICK HARTFIEL
Amherst, Mass.

Sir:
I've just finished one of the finest articles I've seen in your magazine during the almost 20 years I've been a subscriber. Joan Benoit epitomizes the definition of "sportswoman"—she takes pride in her efforts while maintaining a high degree of integrity.
RICHARD A. MORIN
Westboro, Mass.

Sir:
As Joan Benoit won the first women's Olympic marathon I felt I was watching the whole women's athletic movement come of age. Here was this fragile and yet sturdy woman not running away from her femininity but simply competing—getting to know herself a little better through the sport of her choice.

Kenny Moore's article allows us to see that Benoit's athletic endeavors do not fragment or narrowly focus her being. Her running is a part of her completeness, and to that extent is also a partial source of her overall charm. If I am ever blessed with a daughter, I would have her aspire to the femininity of a Joan Benoit.
CRAIG R. WRIGHT
Arlington, Texas

BASEBALL'S MILLIONAIRES
Sir:
Re Ball Park Figures? Better Believe It (March 4). You bet I believe it! Any person who can put his body and mind through what a major league baseball player does deserves any amount of money he can get.
LOUIS A. RIGGIONE
Laguna Hills, Calif.

Sir:
Your article on "moneyball" was well done, but it's getting disgusting to continually read about contract squabbles, players involved with drugs, etc. Athletes used to be my heroes. No longer. It's hard to look up to someone who makes in excess of a million dollars per year to play a kid's game. I can't understand the mentality of someone who doesn't feel that $800,000 is enough for his services. I think that, as time goes on, professional athletes will be looked at with more and more contempt. By then, however, they might be able to purchase nobility.
DAVID SHEVSKY
St. Clair Shores, Mich.

Sir:
SPORTS ILLUSTRATED'S list of 36 millionaires illustrates one interesting point by omission. No player on the world champion Detroit Tigers made it. Perhaps this demonstrates that initiative survives in a sport when the team concept, not individual statistics, is the bottom line between the chalk lines.
JOHN L. NEWSOME
Ahoskie, N.C.

Sir:
I looked over the list and couldn't believe Reggie Jackson wasn't included. Doesn't he make over a million a year?
LENNY SISILLI
Union Bridge, Md.