Letters

Let all of my friends make fun of me, but Where Are They Now? is my favorite issue year in and year out. (Sorry, Swimsuit Issue!)
Tim Shaw, Stamford, Conn.

Superb article on the 1969 Miracle Mets (Where Are They Now?, July 13--20) and the excitement they ignited. What's telling is that in the photo of Game 5 on page 71 you can see Joe DiMaggio at the far right, witnessing the frenzy from the front row. Paul Simon's song of that time asked, "Where have you gone, Joe DiMaggio?" The answer: "Joltin' Joe has left and gone to Shea ... hey, hey, hey."
R.J. Croce, Wethersfield, Conn.

I could not help but chuckle at the irony of your Where Are They Now? issue including a feature on Earl Weaver and also the '69 Mets and members of the '79 Pirates. Weaver's Orioles fell to both teams in the World Series. Maybe there is something to be said for team speed and the five-man rotation.
Michael Ritz, New York City

Many thanks to Tom Verducci for capturing what the film Field of Dreams means to so many baseball fans. In 2002, while driving from Nebraska to Pennsylvania, I talked my business partner into taking a six-hour detour to Dyersville, Iowa, to see the Field of Dreams location. There I bought a souvenir kid's T-shirt with the words, HEY DAD, WANT TO HAVE A CATCH? My wife pinned our sons' Little League baseball cards from the early '90s onto the shirt and mounted it. I have more sports mementos and trophies than I can count, but that is my most prized sports possession.
Marc Patient, Auburn, Wash.

Peerless Pujols

Your discussion of Albert Pujols's greatness (Maybe, Just Maybe, the Most Perfect Player Who Ever Did Live, July 13--20) was limited to his batting, but it could have gone into other facets of his game. While he is by no means the fastest base runner, Pujols is one of the smartest. And his defense is tremendous—not only with his glove but also in how he reacts instinctively and positions his teammates.
Karl Kime, Springfield, Mo.

Pujols is the most perfect player playing today. But Willie Mays is the most perfect player who ever did live.
Bill Nelson, Newcastle, Wyo.

Wheel Deal

As a middle-class American who fell in love with bicycle racing and now lives (and still rides) in Europe, I can confirm Alexander Wolff's view of the working class versus middle class divide between European and American attitudes toward cycling (SCORECARD, July 13--20). But I disagree with him about European attitudes toward drug use by the riders. In France and Italy, as well as other European countries, drug abuse in sports is a criminal offense and in recent years has been pursued aggressively by police and prosecutors. At the same time, roadside crowds and media interest in the Tour de France have dwindled noticeably; people have had enough and are tuning out.
Dan Thisdell, Egham, England

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