What Did Steve Carlton Do to Deserve This?

Usually I don’t have enough time to read Scott Ostler’s diatribes, but Monday I had already read about the 24th-place bowler at Tucson and I had some spare time in the bathroom. Mr. Ostler ripped into Steve Carlton with a viciousness and malice that I reserve for the Ayatollah, Jerry Falwell and Stallone’s acting ability.

What has Steve Carlton done to deserve all this abuse? Was it his four Cy Young Awards? The 10 All-Star games? The 318 career victories? It wasn’t even his 3,982 career strikeouts (a total which, if Mrs. Ostler had let little Scottie play baseball, would have been doubled). Mr. Carlton’s crime was that he did not want to talk to reporters because he felt they were unjustly and unnecessarily abusive regarding his personal life. If he had any doubts now, Mr. Ostler has removed them.

To the best of my knowledge, Mr. Ostler has never won a Pulitzer Prize or any other award since his sixth grade spelling bee (rumor has it that he cheated). Even the National Enquirer passed him over in the annual writer’s draft. Perhaps The Times could trade him to the Star for a psychic. I don’t know Steve Carlton personally, but I’ll remember his name and career a lot longer than I will . . . what is his name?

RICHARD DILLOWAY

Santa Barbara