The Yin and Yang of Patriotic Issues

“Tillman Is Sent to Middle East” [March 15] should be mandatory reading for every American citizen. Pat Tillman is the antitheses of every pampered, overpaid, whining, spoiled professional athlete who complains about anything.

Pat Tillman is the antithesis of Toni Smith, who chooses to hold in contempt American values and the American flag. We all too frequently hear sports announcers using the adjective “courageous” as they describe a player’s action, and we realize it is nothing more than a sensationalistic misnomer. Pat Tillman is truly courageous, and his courage should remind us every morning what happened on Sept. 11, 2001.

Gerry Looman

Camarillo

Poor Tyronn Lue and Jerry Stackhouse. Should we value or even have the slightest interest in what these guys think about Middle East issues? The Times’ Morning Briefing [March 19] evidently believes so. Prod an athlete to offer an opinion about world affairs and chances are you’ll witness immediate sneaker to mouth insertion. Lue and Stackhouse subsequently get nationwide press for making ill-advised analogies between war and the NBA playoffs.

It’s painful enough to see Hollywood celebs become instant experts on international diplomacy, so let’s allow our athletes to focus on what they do best. In the meantime, great scoop Mr. Sports Journalist. Next up, Mark Madsen’s review of the Bolshoi Ballet.

Andrew Davidian

Bermuda Dunes