Voice of the Fan

Sporting News, The, July 26, 1999

Choice voice `Anyone who loved (the Women's World Cup final) must want a scoreless tie to be settled by a field goal in the third overtime in the Super Bowl. The NBA is considering rule changes to increase scoring in their games. Is FIFA going to do likewise?'

--Arthur Kyle Colorado Springs, Colo.

A vote for Maddux

With all due respect to Barry Bonds, Greg Maddux should be your Player of the Decade (TSN, July 12). Maddux has two of the top six all-time seasons, according to the TSNdex. Bonds is nowhere to be found in the Top 50 all-time. Maddux has accomplished this feat amidst the game's great offensive explosion, and he has dominated the '90s with consistency and excellence.

Furthermore, according to your index, Maddux had the best pitching season of all-time in '95.

Bonds is a great player, but Maddux has been better this decade.

Sam Fleischer East Lansing, Mich.

I was surprised to see a reference to Barry Bonds' "stellar defense." Are we talking about the same guy who couldn't throw out Sid Bream in the NLCS in 1992?

Bonds' throw was almost as weak as his batting average for the Pirates in the playoffs (.191, 13-for-68). Or his batting average (.000, O-for-4) when the Giants needed to beat the Dodgers on the last day of the 1993 season to make the playoffs. Or his batting average (.000, 0-for-4) when the Giants lost to the Cubs in a one-game playoff last year.

Tim Zenchak Pittsburgh

TSNdex: Fun or fodder?

After reading your ode to Barry Bonds, I found it quite ironic to turn to your new TSNdex (TSN, July 12) and see that it completely failed to account for a player's ability with the glove. To ignore such an important part of the game makes the TSNdex an incomplete measure of a player.

Rob Smolka San Mateo, Calif.

TSN has created another useless sports index to sap the fun out of baseball.

Why can't we just watch the games without being bombarded with meaningless statistics that attempt to determine the best players. Fans who watch regularly know the best players by what they do on the field, not in the stats. This isn't rocket science.

Aaron Drajpuch Westborough, Mass.

Kindly explain how Sandy Koufax did not rate one of the top 50 seasons of all-time in the TSNdex.

The story says: "Taken into consideration were the key components that reflect on-field performances."

The Dodgers didn't score many runs. It was as if Koufax had to pitch a shutout to win. Look it up.

Bruce L. Hecht New York

Goal power shortage

The U.S. women's soccer team wins its second World Cup championship and still can't get on the cover of TSN.

I commend you on being able to sell sports magazines without resorting to bikini-clad women for help during the slow sports months, but you missed the boat on this one. These "babes" would have sold some magazines.

Victor Cordes Powell, Wyo.

Got a comment? THE SPORTING NEWS would love to hear from you. Write Voice of the Fan, 10176 Corporate Square Drive, Suite 200, St. Louis, MO 63132, fax your message to us at 314-997-0765, or send us electronic mail at tsnmail@aol.com. Be sure to include `your name and city with ,your e-mail. THE SPORTING NEWS reserves the right to edit letters for brevity and content.

Striking back

Mark Bonavita didn't win support from readers when he suggested pitchers and hitters who have proved their talents in the major leagues should receive preferential treatment on balls and strikes (TSN, July 19). The consensus: Rules aren't written to be interpreted differently for a select few.

Tom Mullen of Annapolis, Md., wrote: "A short column, but you sure managed to cram a lot of stupidity into it. The strike zone is the strike zone. No interpretation required. Period."

Others, such as Mickey Ferguson of Temecula, Calif., took Bonavita's analysis as a metaphor for society: "it is treatment of players in this manner that is symptomatic of some of the ills in our society today. Our sports stars break the law and then basically get away with their offense because of who they are, or how much money they have."

Greg Simons of Cincinnati took Bonavita's ideas a step further with some hypothetical questions: "Should Rickey Henderson be called safe on all close plays when he attempts to steal a base because he has stolen so many? Should Mark McGwire receive a home run when it hits near the top of the fence because he has so many? The rules are the rules--follow them or change them, but don't try to go around them."