19th Hole: The Readers Take Over

SUTCLIFFE & CO.
Sir:
I enjoyed John Garrity's article on Rick Sutcliffe (The Trade That Made the Cubs, Sept. 3). Sutcliffe is a fine pitcher who'll probably lead the Cubs to the National League pennant. But after reading about his role in helping Dodger pitcher Bob Welch recover from alcoholism, I decided that Sutcliffe's value to his fellow man far outweighs his value to the Cubs.
WILLIAM S. HENRY
Gastonia, N.C.

Sir:
Here is a snapshot of the license plate on my car (above). The Cubs are answering my prayers.
JEFF BUTTIKOFER
North Hollywood, Calif.

COVER SUBJECTS
Sir:
Your Aug. 27 cover could have featured Lee Trevino or any one of a dozen American gold medal heroes. Instead you chose to return Pete Rose to the spotlight. Somebody made the right decision. Rose represents what baseball is all about, or at least what it should be about. No other cover could have been more appropriate. And as many times [11] as Rose has been on your cover, I hope that his pursuit of Ty Cobb's record total of 4,191 hits earns him at least one more appearance.
SCOTT GUTTMAN
Farmington Hills, Mich.

Sir:
I find it amazing that you deemed Joe Theismann's recent reticence to be worthy of your Sept. 3 cover story. After all, the U.S. Constitution fully entitles Theismann to be King Quote or, if he prefers, King Taciturn. The fact that Hollywood Joe is no longer loquacious might have merited a mention in Jill Lieber's EXTRA POINTS column. But a cover? Please, be serious.
JAIME HENRY BELLAND
St. Paul

Sir:
Joe Theismann has never been a favorite of mine, but I believe he's taking too much of the blame for the Redskins' loss in Super Bowl XVIII. The Raiders dominated the play at the line, first stifling John Riggins's running, then putting a good pass rush on Theismann. Having to play catch-up ball from the beginning, Theismann found his receivers covered closely by the Raider secondary and had little time to pick out his alternate receivers. Joe found out what it's like for other quarterbacks in the league who don't have the luxury of the rocking chair time Washington's Hogs usually afford him.
ROBERT WARNICK
Westminster, Md.

Sir:
We fans in Washington don't mind quarterback Joe Theismann's silence. As long as the former King Quote lets his passes do the talking, all of us Redskin followers will be quite content.
JULIE GALLOWAY
Falls Church, Va.

DR. Z'S RANKINGS
Sir:
Your 1984 College & Pro Football Spectacular (Sept. 5) was indeed spectacular. However, I believe Dr. Z blew a fuse when he ranked Joe Montana the third-best quarterback in the NFC West ( Paul Zimmerman's Scouting Reports). Come on, Z, Montana is the best in pro football, let alone in his own division.
PETER FUQUA
Davis, Calif.

?Dr. Z hasn't blown any fuses—except, perhaps, those of a few 49er fans—but, alas, he did hit a couple of wrong typewriter keys. "We're all human," he says. Z intended his NFC West quarterback rankings to read: 49ers 1, Falcons 2, Rams 3 and Saints 4.—ED.

BASKETBALL CAMPS
Sir:
After spending nearly a dozen years (nine on the Division I level) coaching college basketball, I was amazed and pleased that an "outsider," your Jack McCallum, could have been so deadly accurate in so many areas (camps, recruiting, etc.) with his article on summer basketball camps (The World According to Garf...and Others, Aug. 27). A lot that goes on in the so-called big time borders on the deranged, and McCallum has presented as truthful a picture as is possible.
C.J. WOOLLUM
Head Basketball Coach
Christopher Newport College
Newport News, Va.

Sir:
Going to the AFBE (Athletes for Better Education) camp at Princeton this summer was one of the best experiences of my life. Aside from the quality of basketball at AFBE, which was incredible, there was the experience of working in a college library, listening to some of the most distinguished lecturers in the world and meeting some great young men who'll be the next Dr. Js. I'm pleased AFBE got some of the recognition it deserves, and I hope in future years there will be kids as lucky as I was to attend AFBE.
CHARLIE WICKSTRAND
Seattle