Letters

A Toast to Towny

Lee Jenkins's story about the many major league players who have come from youth leagues in the southeast corner of our state (Virginia's Boy Wonders, Sept. 29) captured the spirit of Marvin (Towny) Townsend, the coach who launched the area's first AAU program. In 2006 I had the honor of working as Towny's assistant coach with the Ruffner Middle School baseball team in the Norfolk RBI league. Cancer was already tearing Towny apart, but that didn't stop him from working six days a week (unpaid, of course). Towny believed that inner-city kids could learn lessons from baseball that would make a difference in their lives and give them hope for the future. We can see some of the kids he coached here playing in high school now, and dreaming of bigger things than they once ever thought possible. Oh, yeah, his last team finished 6--0 and won a championship.
Don Lloyd, Chesapeake, Va.

Last off-season the six major league stars from your story—Michael Cuddyer, David Wright, Ryan Zimmerman, B.J. Upton, Justin Upton and Mark Reynolds—came back to the community and participated in a home run derby at a new high school to help raise money for its athletics programs. (Cuddyer won handily, topping Wright in the final.) Fans in the Hampton Roads area have a lot to be proud of.
Tina Marino, Virginia Beach

Money Players

In his column on refunds that should be available in sports (POINT AFTER, Sept. 29), Chris Ballard tries to imagine Andruw Jones, the nonperforming Dodgers outfielder, offering to return his salary. It would not be without precedent, as something like that actually happened once. In 1978 Lyman Bostock of the California Angels, after playing below what he considered to be his level in April, asked owner Gene Autry to take back that month's salary. The team refused, so Bostock donated the money to charity.
Skip Nevell, Los Angeles

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