Letters

Hot Cole

When I saw your Cole Hamels cover touting his fabulous new life, I was worried. That's not the Phillies—they're never the glamour team, they're always the gritty guys. Then, with some trepidation, I read the story, and it turned out better than I thought it would. Even though Cole has gone Hollywood, he's still hardworking and gritty.
Jeff Gove, New Smyrna Beach, Fla.

The best thing about Cole Hamels (The Fabulous New Life of Cole Hamels, Feb. 23) is that he loves Philly and loves playing here. Take that, Scott Rolen.
Jim Duffy, Newark, Del.

Playing Favorites

Imagine my shock when I saw your declaration (Stimulus Needed, Feb. 23), in reference to Sidney Crosby, that "the Penguins have the best player in hockey." Had I missed the Washington Capitals' trading Alexander Ovechkin to the Penguins?
Steve Davidson, Washington, D.C.

Crosby is not even the best player on his own team; Evgeni Malkin is.
Sam Rosen, Arlington, Va.

Group Thinking

I question your choice of the Big East as the best conference in college basketball (The Big Brutal, Feb. 23). The Big East has cupcake teams like DePaul, which is winless in the conference, and Rutgers, which had only beaten DePaul at the time of your story. In the ACC, last-place Georgia Tech has a win over formerly top-ranked Wake Forest, and second-to-last-place Virginia beat a ranked Clemson team and a very good Virginia Tech squad. Plus, the ACC is 10-6 against Big East foes this season.
Tony Pardo, Weymouth, Mass.

I disagree that the Big East and the ACC are clearly the top two conferences (ACC: Also Crushingly Competitive, Feb. 23). The Big East is indeed a monster, but you mention that the ACC has seven teams in the RPI's top 50. That's great, but the Big Ten has seven in the top 47, and five of those teams have a strength of schedule no worse than 29th. Yes, the Big Ten has only three in the top 25, but of its 11 teams, nine have winning records.
Dave Robach, Rockford, Mich.

Favre Forever