SI Vault
April 03, 1972
MATCH POINT Sirs: Walter Bingham's article Shoot-out at the T Bar M (March 20) is really an injustice to Nancy Richey Gunter, who has been playing brilliantly of late. Admittedly, the participation of both Evonne Goolagong and Chris Evert greatly enhanced the tournament in terms of crowd appeal and made excellent copy for the press. Furthermore, no one will dispute the statement that the draw was bad. But those who witnessed Mrs. Gunter's come-from-behind victory over Miss Evert here in Bethesda in February would take issue with Mr. Bingham's proposed seedings. And I am sure Billie Jean King would be the last to suggest that Mrs. Gunter won the Maureen Connolly Brinker tournament by default.
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April 03, 1972

19th Hole: The Readers Take Over

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Furthermore, letting 20 dogs weighing between 60 and 100 pounds apiece attack a carcass isn't my idea of sport. A few more articles like Mr. Harrison's and you can hang up my faith in SI.

The best word I can think of for your article is trash! It amazes me that you always talk about ecology and the killing of America and then come back with the most pointless "sport" of all flashing across your pages as the "noble and ancient pursuit of the stag."

This sport has no purpose but to entertain rich people who have nothing better to do than kill animals. SI should be nominated for Hypocrite of the Year.
Worthington, Ohio

My hat is off to Robert Byrne for defining what really will be at stake this summer in the world chess championship (The Big Burden Boris Bears, March 13). Chess is a growing sport, but it is neglected in the U.S. more than in other countries. Now that our Bobby Fischer has proved himself a challenger for the world title against Boris Spassky, it is essential for us to back Bobby all the way. Fischer's winning streak of 20 in a row will be noted in the record books for decades to come.

Chess is not a game of luck. Chess masters like Fischer and Spassky are unique perfectionists of the game. Each employs distinctive offenses and defenses which command respect from opponents. For Fischer, a victory would bring prestige to himself and to the U.S., since the U.S. has never produced an official world titlist. For Spassky, there is the reminder of Russia's winning streak since 1937. The Soviet Union's honor is on the line.
Auburn, Neb.

To add to the interest regarding the bidding for the Fischer-Spassky chess match (SCORECARD, Feb. 28), one might realize that the original bid of $125,000 from Iceland, a country with a population of less than 250,000, was the equivalent of at least 50� per person. A 50�-per-person kitty from the U.S. would produce a purse of $100 million. Quite a haul.
Santa Rosa, Calif.

I read your article Trivia (Feb. 28) with much interest. For several years I have been trying to remember something I guess could be considered trivia. In the late '40s the Temple University Owls had a basketball player who was known even more for his name than for his playing ability. Because of the unusual spelling of his last name, he was called "The Owl without a Vowel." Would you please tell me his name?
State College, Pa.

?Bill Mlkvy. But his performances were hardly trivial. He led the nation in scoring in 1951 with a 29.2 average.—ED.

John Carol's TV TALK column (March 13) concerning the NBA's relative TV decline has provided a factual basis for what many NBA fans outside of New York have felt for some time. Many of us here in the Midwest have long called ABC's Sunday offerings "the NBA East Coast Game of the Week."

Through the last half of the '60s it was Boston vs. whomever, but usually Philly, New York or Baltimore. The last three seasons it has been the Knicks! Even the color added by Bill Russell cannot help. He has told us everything about the Knicks except the names of their mothers-in-law.

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