They’re Definitely Ruthless When the Subject Is Jordan

It’s easy to see how you came up with Michael Jordan as athlete of the century [Dec. 29]. Your panel has three basketball figures, six media figures, three others who work in promotion and no baseball people. The media is obsessed with Jordan, and consequently thinks he’s more important than he is.

Babe Ruth was the greatest baseball player ever. In the wake of the Black Sox, he literally saved the game. His personality transcended his sport, all of sports, in fact, in such a way that he helped define what a celebrity is. Even casual or non-fans followed his exploits.

Jordan is not the best basketball player of all time, non-fans don’t care about him and his transcendence amounts to selling shoes. Babe Ruth is the athlete of the century, and Jordan is somewhere below Wilt Chamberlain.

MICHAEL HELWIG

Canoga Park

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There are so many things wrong with your top-50 list that it’s hard to know where to begin. Nine of the 14 panelists not putting Nolan Ryan somewhere among the top 50? Please. And one of them left off Muhammad Ali? One of them left off Babe Ruth? The same with Wayne Gretzky, Jim Brown and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar?

This same group of panelists found room on their ballots for George Halas (it’s a list of athletes), Fanny Blankers-Koen and Ann Meyers-Drysdale.

We all know that opinions are like belly buttons, everybody has one. Some are big, some are small, and some are just plain stupid.

ERIC MONSON

Temecula

Editor’s note: George Halas was an athlete. He was an outfielder with the New York Yankees in 1919, before founding and playing with the Decatur Staleys, who became the Chicago Bears.

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Et tu, L.A. Times? No sooner had I finished my scathing rebuke of ESPN for the short view of history selection of Michael Jordan as the athlete of the century, than the Times picks him too! Let’s see, Jordan receives one first-place vote to six for Muhammad Ali, yet Jordan is the athlete of the century. Yeah that makes sense.

M.J. was a great player, don’t get me wrong. But at least half of his appeal was generated by Nike. I would not have had any quarrel with the selection of Ruth, Thorpe or Gretzky as No. 1. Gretzky’s numbers are so far and away better than Jordan’s as to be laughable. For that matter ask yourself this question: What did Jordan ever do that had never been done before?

PATRICK MALLON

San Luis Obispo

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I don’t know if Babe Ruth could play basketball, but I sure know Michael Jordan can’t play baseball. Why don’t we call it the media-driven, politically correct, athlete-of-the-century award?

RANDY THOMPSON

El Segundo

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In his Dec. 26 column, Bob Oates writes that as a measure for assessing the greatest athlete of the century, lacrosse (a sport at which Jim Brown excelled at Syracuse) doesn’t count. Lacrosse might not be mainstream (i.e. over-hyped and vapid) enough for Mr. Oates, but anyone who knows anything about it knows of the athleticism it requires.

Such an ignorant and flippant attempt at humor in a largely insipid and unconvincing column indicates that, as a sportswriter, Bob Oates doesn’t count.

JOSH STEPHENS

Los Angeles

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You may be getting a lot of letters about outstanding high school athletes that your writers didn’t have space to include [“Prepped for Greatness,” Dec. 30]. But I suggest one that should have been mentioned (especially by Shav Glick) is Mack Robinson, Jackie’s older brother.

I was on the same championship track teams in 1937-38 at Pasadena Junior College that Jackie and Mack were on. Shav was also there at that time and wrote a wonderful memo about Jackie, but not a mention of Mack. Yet Mack was the star of our track team.

Mack was so good in high school that he made the 1936 Olympics in Berlin and ran second to the great Jesse Owens in the 200 (making him the second-best sprinter in the world), but Mack got no mention of Olympic athletes from young John Ortega (who wasn’t born then). The city of Pasadena has recognized both Robinsons with a memorial.

BOB VOIGT

Palm Springs

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Ross Newhan’s “Southland’s Best” baseball teams are excellent picks. My only comment is that instead of having Dusty Baker and Brian Downing being tied for left field on the second team, it would have been better to list Baker in left field and Downing as the designated hitter.

RYAL HAAKENSON

Covina

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Top Ten Blunder Athletes of the 1900s:

1. O.J. Simpson. Need we say more?

2. Mike Tyson. I’ll have one more bite.

3. Dennis Rodman. Still would be playing if gender problem were resolved.

4. Tonya Harding. How to eliminate the competition.

5. Pete Rose. Still a longshot to repent.

6. 1998 U.S. Olympic hockey team. May we have room service?

7. John Daly. Model for golf etiquette.

8. Ben Johnson. Unfortunately, runs faster than steroids are eliminated.

9. Ryan Leaf. Still a little boy who doesn’t play well with others.

10. John Rocker. Just made the list and working on being No. 1 in next century.

WAYNE MURAMATSU

Cerritos