Viewpoint / Letters : It Was Montana Who Came Through When the Chips Were Down

Marino who? Where was the duel? The gunfight at the O.K. Corral? This was a case of a clinic in quarterbacking presented by Professor Montana to a fledgling student. Montana, from his days at Notre Dame throughout his professional career, has been the blue-chip man for the blue-chip occasion, and his awesome Super Bowl performance simply confirms his status. Coach Bill Walsh really has all the tools to match his talents and, with Montana at the controls, I believe a dynasty is in the making.

FRANK R. WYNNE

Los Alamitos

Dans who could have performed more effectively: Dan Rather, Dan Webster, Dan Boone, Dan Blocker, Dan Dailey and Dan Patch--but that’s a horse of a different collar, as in choke.

TOMMY VIZE

Santa Ana

While heaping superlatives on Joe Montana, blaming Dan Marino and fumbling the ball by ignoring Wendell Tyler, you ignored the San Francisco offensive and defensive lines. To borrow a super cliche, the real heroes for the 49ers were the men up front.

RICHARD R. LINDE

Los Angeles

Meanwhile, Up There in the TV Booth

Let those who criticized ABC’s decision to use Joe Theismann on the Super Bowl play-by-play coverage bite their tongues! Not only was he poised and extremely articulate, his insightful analysis of the quarterbacking strategy enabled viewers to have a far better understanding of the action on the field. And hats off to O.J., who did himself proud handling the color commentary along with a highly competent Tom Landry. All of these gentlemen showed real Super Bowl class.

WILLIAM S. KOESTER

Upland

I turned off the Super Bowl at halftime to begin work on a football game that will also teach conversational English. This after hearing Messrs. Shula and Landry. Why pick on the O.J.’s? Look who they’ve been listening to all these years.

JAMES J. SWEENEY

Los Angeles

Maybe, All the Jerks Aren’t in San Francisco

The commentary you published last Saturday by Mike Royko proves that jerks can be found anywhere. It’s hard to believe that someone actually pays this guy to write. He would like us to believe that the attributes of a good football city should include minority riots, drug kings killing each other, corrupt politicians and the Mafia involved in civic affairs. Could it be true that excessive snowfall can be damaging to the I.Q.?

BRUCE ALAN

Sun Valley

Would They Nail Moses If He Weren’t Winner?

Edwin Moses’ private life is his own, not an entire world’s to scrutinize. It seems that society loves a winner, but it also seems that society loves to nail the winner, no matter what the price! In my eyes, Mr. Moses is an athlete and a gentleman who has given this country the most an athlete can give. No matter what he has done or what he may do, he is still a two-time Olympic gold medalist, he’s still won 109 consecutive races and will probably continue to win. But more important, he is still a human being! Let’s treat him like one.

JAMES PRAYTOR

Torrance

The circumstances surrounding the arrest of Edwin Moses are so thin and unwarranted it’s beyond belief. In one night, the Hollywood Division of the LAPD smeared the life and reputation of a fine man with a senseless, deplorable act, worthy of a small town mentality. I only hope that the vindication Edwin Moses deserves will receive as much publicity as his unjustifiable arrest.

GREGORY BURNS

Glendale

A few weeks ago, a hit-and-run driver smashed into my car as it was parked on the street in front of my apartment. I jumped out of bed and gave chase, but the driver got away. The accident occurred at 3:30 a.m., so it’s probably safe to conclude the driver was intoxicated. Despite the fact that several neighbors quickly called the police to report the crime, it was 35 minutes before a squad car arrived, allowing the driver to weave his dangerous journey to his destination. Too bad for me (and others on the road) that the accident didn’t occur on Sunset Boulevard, where it appears half the police force is keeping us safe from the likes of Edwin Moses.

R.T. JACOBSON

Van Nuys

How will the assignment of a task force to pursue these perpetrators of a victimless crime be handled by Chief Gates the next time he pleads an undermanned police force to combat robbery, dope smuggling, mugging and murder?

We know the tired old argument that prostitution feeds and fuels organized crime whereas, in fact, it is the last bastion of rugged individualism and the free enterprise system.

ORV HOWLAND

Long Beach

I am disappointed with the sensational journalism of the L.A. Times regarding the Edwin Moses incident. I expect the sports page to report an athlete’s achievements in sports, not their personal life. For three days, The Times’ sports pages have given us headline-coverage of a non-sporting incident and that is poor journalism.

RICH MANUCK

Balboa Island

It’s Time to Bury Decker-Budd Incident

Mary Decker is an enormously talented young woman. Like almost every gifted athlete, she has pushed herself beyond pain many times in her track career. She has made personal sacrifices that most of us will never appreciate. She is also subject to pressures that most of us will never experience.

Mary Decker is still only 26 years old. In many ways, she’s still a fragile young girl. She has had to force a mental toughness upon herself. The stress of world-class competition is not easy to cope with. The grit and determination that we all admired during her fantastic come-from-behind win at Helsinki came from her intense competitive instincts. Those same instincts as well as the emotion of the moment and bitter disappointment caused Mary to do and say some things I’m sure she wishes she hadn’t after her fall in the Olympic Games.

Yes, Mary Decker was wrong to react the way she did. But, let’s be fair. We’ve probably all done the same thing at one time or another. Let’s try to understand what caused her to do what she did. Physical pain, extreme frustration, monumental emotional letdown and embarrassment were all factors.

I know it sells newspapers and helps to hype track meets, but I think it’s time to put the whole Decker vs. Budd issue to rest. It’s time for everyone to “forgive” Mary Decker and to help her forget the painful Olympic experience. Maybe as fans we’ll someday learn to be as gracious to our heroes and heroines as we expect them to be.

JAMES R. PETTY

Visalia

Please! I’ll do anything you say. . . . I’ll sign my life savings away, my home, my goldfish . . . anything! But, please, no more about Mary Decker and Zola Budd.

FRANK GATELL

Santa Monica

It’s the Sissies Who Complain About Kush

The more I hear of the complaints regarding treatment received by Frank Kush, the more I am convinced that we have the biggest generation of sissies ever spawned in the history of mankind.

GEORGE FRENCH

Torrance

Africa Is Place to Spend Olympic Surplus Money

The Olympic money surplus continues to grow. Why not send a gift to the starving nations of Africa? That would be the truest demonstration of the brotherhood that the Olympics was meant to be.

ALAN BONHOMME

Sherman Oaks