Letters: Jul. 13, 1998

THE ONE AND ONLY

"Michael Jordan is the only player today whom my grandchildren will be telling their grandchildren about." MARC ROSBERGER Denville, N.J.

It was a glorious moment in the annals of sports history when Michael Jordan and the Chicago Bulls won their sixth NBA championship [MICHAEL JORDAN: THE END OF THE LINE?, June 22]. I haven't always been an avid Jordan fan. I once thought he was overpaid, that nobody was that good. But no more. He's turned playing basketball into an art form. He is the Lord of the Hardwood Floor, a unique athlete and classy human being. We've seen basketball played with perfection by the greatest player ever. JOHN L. HORTON Norfolk, Va.

I'll be damned if I'm going to idolize someone who gets paid millions of dollars just because he's got a good jump shot. You made Jordan out to be the equivalent of Mahatma Gandhi, when all he has done is play a game well. SAM JONES, age 17 Tampa, Fla.

Here is a man who is probably more admired by young people worldwide than any other person, yet his primary message is selling expensive basketball shoes and other products that he has endorsed. Just imagine if Jordan were to devote his off-the-court efforts to sending a positive message to kids: Don't use drugs. Work hard in school. Respect your parents. Jordan has a unique opportunity to have a long-term impact on the development of the younger generation, and he's shooting an air ball. BOB GOOSMANN Sacramento, Calif.

"His Airness" is a tiger on the court: all flowing power, amazing grace and indomitable will. Off the court, he is warm and comports himself with dignity and style, keeping a bit of mystery about himself. Because he doesn't engage in the excesses and on- and off-court buffoonery of teammate Dennis Rodman, you say he is bland. Jordan is one of the greatest personalities of this or any other century. Millions of fans watch him mesmerized for one reason: the force of his presence holds us. WILLIAM J. DEMORASCKI Glendale, Ariz.

Jordan has helped redefine the art of basketball the same way that Michelangelo changed painting and Mozart reinvented music. He has brought his art to the hearts and minds of the world. STEPHEN LANZA Jacksonville, Fla.

I am sick of Jordan. For goodness' sake, he is not Mother Teresa. He is made out to be such an all-American good guy, when he is just another egocentric professional athlete. ROBERT LIEBMANN Scottsdale, Ariz.

CONSERVATIVES' PRIVATE WAR

Your story on Judicial Watch head Larry Klayman showed just how messed up some attorneys in the U.S. are [NATION, June 22]. I guess Klayman thinks he is a very tenacious lawyer, but anyone who is suing his mother for $40,000, which Klayman says is owed him for nursing care for his late grandmother, must be "off his rocker," as one critic claimed. I'm a conservative, and I have no problem with people trying to keep the Clinton folk in line, but Klayman does not merit the limelight. LARRY CURTIS Mesa, Ariz.

Klayman, Kenneth Starr and co. can try all they want to curb Clinton's effectiveness, but the President is the Michael Jordan of politics: the more adversity he faces, the more he scores. His leadership has given the country its best time in decades, detractors notwithstanding. Go for it, Mr. President, and give us another slam dunk! LUCIEN LECOMTE Los Angeles

THAT ANTI-CLINTON GLEE