Letters

I am a graduate of Annapolis, class of '56, and the son of a West Point alum. My son and daughter both served honorably in Iraq. I was disheartened by the article on Caleb Campbell (PLAYERS, March 24) and the possibility of his fulfilling his Army obligations by playing in the NFL. Yes, the rules have been changed to allow this, but what happened to the pledge of Duty, Honor, Country that all cadets are supposed to respect? And how will he look his classmates in the eye when they go off to war and he is playing special teams?
Bruce Dolph, Manhattan Beach, Calif.

Let me see if I have this straight: Pat Tillman is in his grave, hundreds of G.I.'s with combat tours are being stop-lossed, and Campbell gets a top-notch education at taxpayers' expense and a free pass to the NFL. What's wrong with this picture?
Lee DeRaud, Anaheim

I hope Campbell is drafted by the Cincinnati Bengals. Getting good players with character is just what they need.
Tino D. Thomas, Cincinnati

Dry Wit

I think Jack McCallum misunderstood the true reason the Suns brought in Shaquille O'Neal (Good News, Bad News, March 24). Sure, winning championships is nice. But in the Valley of the Sun, we pride ourselves on treating the elderly with reverence and respect, and it's no coincidence that our professional sports teams have given those in their golden years players to cheer for. Who can forget when the Arizona Cardinals signed Emmitt Smith in 2003? Four years later the Arizona Diamondbacks reacquired Randy Johnson. Now the Suns have Shaq. Next it would only make sense for the Phoenix Coyotes to announce that Wayne Gretzky will become a player-coach.
Scott Silberman, Chandler, Ariz.

Nails Mail

I am glad to see that someone is finally reaching out to professional athletes, although Lenny Dykstra (POINT AFTER, March 17) is not necessarily the person whom I would have expected. There are too many Denny McLains and Mike Tysons in this world, athletes who have too much and don't know what to do with it, so they blow it all. Dykstra should be applauded for trying to help these athletes out.
Jonathan Collar, Sterling Heights, Mich.

When I read about former athletes offering to help manage current athletes' money, I can only offer this advice: Hold on to your wallets. Buying annuities with 18.3% juice (a $550,000 fee on $3 million)? You can do better.
Scott Chambers, Encinitas, Calif.

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