Letters

Thorns in His Side
As a lifelong Reds fan, I have always been a fan of Pete Rose (Pete Rose's Confession, Jan. 12). However, I found one of the statements in his book excerpt to be particularly telling. Rose writes, "[Paul] Janszen turned stool pigeon---the worst kind of scum," for cooperating with "the Feds." I think most of us would consider cooperating with law enforcement to be our civic duty. Only a thug would condemn someone for being truthful with the police.
KYLE E. HANRAHAN New Orleans

When my wife brought in the mail, I wondered aloud why SI would put Rose on the cover. She pointed out that it's your way of jinxing his entry into the Hall of Fame.
DAVID C. Higgins Houston

Rose's accomplishments should be acknowledged in Cooperstown. I'd just forget to send him an invitation to the induction ceremony.
PAUL FEIDEN, Morris, Ill.

It is time that we all realize that this story is about our inability to admit that our heroes are human. Pete Rose is a human being. He has faults, like all of us, and as such deserves another chance to be part of a game that he loves and in many ways helped to define. Do I think that Pete learned his lesson and can be counted on to not bet on baseball again? Yes, I do. Baseball needs to forgive and forget and wholly embrace him, not only because of his many records but also because of his many flaws.
LILY J. FIELD, Chicago

What part of "permanently ineligible" does Pete Rose not understand?
ROB SIMONS, San Antonio

Rose's excuses for betting on baseball sound like one of my high school students' justifications for cheating. Rose admitted to a lack of integrity, but that doesn't mean he shouldn't face the penalty. Here's a chance to show that integrity matters, that there are consequences for breaking the rules.
JAMIE ALLEN, Dearborn, Mich.

Who's No. 1?
Thanks for making LSU the Rodney Dangerfield of college football (Splitsville, Jan. 12). Based on your coverage, people would think LSU played a team from the Pee Wee Football League instead of the (one-loss Oklahoma) Sooners. Here's a score even AP sports-writers can understand: LSU 13 (games won), USC 12.
JERI ROSIER ALEXANDRIA, La.

Al Gore got a majority of votes for president, but is not a copresident, nor is USC a co-national champion because it got the votes of a bunch of sportswriters. Rules made before the season started should be honored. By devoting a cover to USC on the West Coast rather than LSU, SI may have been economically smart but editorially disingenuous. There's one crystal football, and it resides in Baton Rouge.
BILLY COENEN, Rayville, La.

Let's see. Austin Murphy writes about the Rose Bowl and praises USC, and Tim Layden writes about the Sugar Bowl and praises USC. Now that's what I call even-handed reporting.
RICHARD J. MCGINITY, Metairie, La.

As a USC alum and die-hard Trojans football fan, I am ecstatic at this year's title. If there is something to complain about, it is the BCS and not the LSU Tigers. I am proud to share our ninth national championship with a great team like Louisiana State.
SCOTT DURRETT, Redondo Beach, Calif.