Letters

I am a senior at Cal State--Fullerton and a lifelong Angels and Dodgers fan. Some friends of mine knew Courtney Stewart [who died in the crash with Adenhart and Henry Pearson], and I have seen how hard losing her has been on them. I can't imagine what the Angels must have gone through having to play baseball days after losing a member of their clubhouse. I am rehabbing a broken right ankle and torn ligaments suffered while sliding back into first base in a rec-league game. Although nothing in my experience compares to what Jon Wilhite dealt with, it makes you take a step back, look at your life and really value the simple things. It also reminds us that even though there is more to life than the game of baseball, sometimes the game is what helps us get through unexpected tragedies.

Ben Green, Tustin, Calif.

A Life Lesson

I am a teacher at an inner-city school, and Selena Roberts's article on Kaleb Eulls, The Ride of His Life (POINT AFTER, Sept. 14), really hit home for me. Every week, after I've read SI, I give my magazine to a deserving student. This reward encourages them to read more and to develop an interest in sports that they might not be exposed to. This week they will all get a chance to learn about more than sports—what it's like being a real hero!

Mary Ogburn, Richmond

Another issue raised by the story may be not so much Eulls's heroism but what caused the situation on the school bus: Why does a 14-year-old child, in the face of peer abuse and bullying, feel so helpless that she must pull out a gun? My surmise is that the young girl had been relentlessly bullied and that no responsible adult had intervened and the child was desperate.

Norton Rosenthal, Dallas

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LETTERS

E-mail SI at letters@SI.timeinc.com or fax SI at 212-467-2417. Letters should include the writer's full name, address and home telephone number and may be edited for clarity and space.